Life Sciences in London has always been a global leader in new technologies. We will do the same in sustainable healthcare.
The latest blog from Neelam Patel, MedCity CEO.
As the hosts of the COP26 Climate Change Conference in November, the UK is taking a global leading role in tackling the climate crisis. Achieving a net zero economy by 2050 and responding to the challenges of climate change that are already having serious consequences for the health and wellbeing of people across the world is a priority for Governments, businesses, and people.
Sustainability in healthcare is being driven on a world stage by the NHS, something the UK should be eminently proud of. Last year’s campaign “For a greener NHS” mobilised the more than 1.3 million staff and set an ambitious roadmap for the NHS to reach net zero.
Given that the health and care systems of the world’s largest economies account for 4% of total global emissions, taking rapid action to transform the way the NHS operates is a necessary challenge if we are to succeed in building a greener future, whilst improving public health along the way.
At MedCity, we recognise that this challenge is also a great opportunity. Research, innovation, and partnerships across London’s life sciences sector are driving forward a greener future for healthcare systems, R&D, manufacturing, and everything in between. Working with the NHS, industry, charities and academia, the London life science cluster is a force working to advance decarbonising healthcare (mitigation) and tackling the global health burden of climate change linked to fatal conditions like heart disease and public health emergencies like access to clean water and control of infectious diseases (adaptation). Now is the right time to shine a spotlight on how we are leading the global response on the climate crisis, and we are asking you to share your projects with us.
In the Autumn, MedCity will be publishing Unleashing Innovation 2021, a brochure to showcase the very best projects from our cluster that contribute toward the global drive on sustainability and decarbonisation in healthcare. If you have a healthcare project on decarbonisation and sustainability in healthcare, or that addresses the health impacts of climate change, we want to feature it.
Unleashing Innovation 2021 follows last year’s publication highlighting the world leading science collaborations that emerged from our cluster to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. It showcased projects across vaccine development, diagnostics and testing, treatment, disease modelling, and genomics. It was a privilege to have contributions from London’s world-leading research institutions including King’s College London, Imperial College London, UCL, Queen Mary University of London, as well as from industry, the NHS and many more.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the connection between global public health and healthcare systems and populations across the world. At MedCity, we are extremely proud, and, privileged, to play a role in forging collaborations and developing networks that enable London’s life sciences ecosystem to unleash innovation through research and keep the UK at the cutting edge of world leading life sciences R&D.
Please share your case study of a healthcare project on decarbonisation and sustainability in healthcare, or that addresses the health impacts of climate change with us by midnight, Friday 30th July. You can find out how to submit your case studies and the selection criteria here.