Edgbaston Medical Quarter forms world class stronghold for medical technology development
20 March 2013
The Edgbaston Medical Quarter, a cluster of medical organisations and medical technology companies, was officially launched at the Medilink UK Life Sciences Summit in Edgbaston, Birmingham this week.
The 12.5km2 EMQ aims to provide a platform for world-class medical and healthcare provision in the district, as well as providing collaborative and commercial opportunities for businesses, which has been highly sought after and strongly supported by pioneering businesses, academics and clinicians within Birmingham.
There are 327 medical and life science organisations including 130 hospitals and specialist care centres, 58 centres for medical research and 12 training facilities, all located within walking distance around Edgbaston. Many are at the cutting edge of world-class medical technology and involve leading practitioners and students from some of the UK’s most important medical facilities such as the University of Birmingham’s medical schools and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
"Edgbaston and its surrounding areas have a strong legacy of innovative healthcare," said Medilink’s CEO Tony Davis. “This district offers a powerful combination of academia, clinicians and industry, all of whom are committed to working collaboratively to drive far-reaching innovation. Techniques, devices and services created within the Edgbaston Medical Quarter over the last decades have changed medical procedures across the world, dramatically improving patient care and outcomes. With the creation of the Edgbaston Medical Quarter we will be promoting this expertise to a global audience, encouraging inward investment and commercial growth.”
Calthorpe Estates, Edgbaston, which is the land owner of the area, has been a driving force during the development of the Quarter over the last seven years, backing extensive research which has revealed the proliferation of medical and healthcare practice and facilities within Edgbaston. This has enabled EMQ to garner support from hundreds of organisations and individuals within the area who are keen to see further investment and development.
Professor Paul Stewart, Dean of Medicine at the University of Birmingham said, “As a Director of Birmingham Healthcare Partners, I believe the launch of Edgbaston Medical Quarter will contribute directly to wealth creation. This area is known for its discovery science, innovation and rapid access to NHS, which enables both evaluation and adoption.
“The new Institute for Translational Medicine which is planned for this district will be an incredible portal for innovation, serving the UK’s largest concentration of biotech and medical technology organisations. It’s yet another reason why Edgbaston will be known internationally as one of Europe’s centres for healthcare excellence.”
Jayne Herritty, sales and marketing director at Calthorpe Estates, Edgbaston, said: “Edgbaston has been a focal area for excellence in healthcare provision for many years, but particularly in the past 15 years we have seen a surge of growth in the breadth of services available across the private and public sector as health and welfare rank highly to individual and public agendas for well-being.
“Calthorpe Estates is wholly supportive of investment and development that will attract new medical practices and strengthen expertise in the area. At the same time we are also minded to protect the integrity of the offer found in the area, for all those organisations based here to prosper and for the reassurance of the customer. As statistics show, Edgbaston has a strong medical cluster and the launch of Edgbaston Medical Quarter will further strengthen its much-deserved reputation and identity for outstanding medical excellence and achievements. It will also provide a valuable platform for the exchange of knowledge and resources, providing added benefits for choosing to be based here.”
More information
Edgbaston Medical Quarter: www.emq.org.uk