Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland

Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland HIRANI connects & acts as a single voice for Life & Health Sciences in NI

Our September Company of the Month is ProAxsis and Managing Director, Dr Louise Ryan Murphy talks to us about how the co...
08/09/2026

Our September Company of the Month is ProAxsis and Managing Director, Dr Louise Ryan Murphy talks to us about how the company provides the evidence needed to evaluate new medicines.

"ProAxsis is a commercial protease biomarker-led research company supporting drug development and clinical research through specialist biomarker insights.
"The company was founded in 2013 with a simple ambition: to translate world-leading research into practical tools that could improve the management of chronic diseases.

"Building on pioneering research at Queen's University Belfast, co-founders Professors Lorraine Martin and Brian Walker developed the patented ProteaseTag® technology to measure active proteases, important biomarkers of infection and inflammation.

"Supported by proof-of-concept funding and investment, this scientific breakthrough evolved into a globally recognised technology serving researchers, pharmaceutical companies and clinical trial programmes around the world.

"Today, our proprietary ProteaseTag® technology is used to assess the efficacy of new drugs, enhance clinical trial design and understand chronic diseases more effectively.

"Since stepping into the Managing Director role, my focus has been on refining our commercial strategy and repositioning ProAxsis for growth, whilst also maintaining my COO responsibilities overseeing all company operational activities. I work closely with our dedicated team, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, contract research organisations (CROs) and research partners to ensure our technology can support drug development and clinical research.

"Over the last 18 months, ProAxsis has undergone significant change and during that time I have focused on strengthening our foundations for growth; we have refined our commercial model, strengthened our supply chain, relocated to the Randox Science Park, expanded our team of scientists and built an experienced leadership and Clinical Advisory Board.

"My focus now is on expanding our commercial relationships, growing revenue and developing new products that can take us into larger markets and new disease areas."
Read more at www.hira-ni.com

Join colleagues on 10th September from across industry, healthcare and academia for a morning of discussion, collaborati...
08/09/2026

Join colleagues on 10th September from across industry, healthcare and academia for a morning of discussion, collaboration and recognition focused on advancing industry-sponsored clinical research in Northern Ireland.

This event will bring together leading voices from the clinical research community to explore how Northern Ireland can strengthen its position as a region of choice for industry clinical trials.

Through keynote presentations, industry insights and expert discussion, attendees will hear about emerging opportunities, the evolving clinical research landscape, and the partnerships needed to drive future growth.

The programme will be co-chaired by Professors Danny McAuley and Alan Smyth and will feature:
•
A keynote address from Dr Maria Koufali, NIHR Industry Director, who will discuss the opportunities for Northern Ireland through the NIHR Industry Hub
•
An industry perspective from Ryan Loughlin PhD, Senior Vice President, Head of Technical Operations & Quality at Millicent Pharma
•
A session featuring Professor Vicky Coyle and Dr Mark McClure, outlining the vision for industry research at iREACH Health.
•
A panel discussion bringing together representatives from NIHR, industry representatives Celerion, Queen's University Belfast, iREACH Health and Health & Social Care R&D to consider how Northern Ireland can further establish itself as a region of choice for industry clinical trials
•
Presentation of the 2026 Collaborative Industry Clinical Trial Awards, sponsored by Celerion & iREACH Health
All are welcome to attend, places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Register here to attend this event:
https://lnkd.in/e5vKNjuS

🧬We were excited to welcome ELRIG’s Discovering Precision Medicines Forum to Northern Ireland this week – a furthering o...
04/09/2026

🧬We were excited to welcome ELRIG’s Discovering Precision Medicines Forum to Northern Ireland this week – a furthering of the partnership HIRANI has worked on for the past number of years with CEO, Sanj Kumar and team, and the first ELRIG event to be held in the region.

🧬The Future Medicines Institute hosted over 100 early career researchers, academic leaders, and industry professionals who were also given a tour of the new site.

🧬Sessions included: ‘From Assay to asset: Accelerating therapeutic innovation in Ireland’ with William McCormack ARC Hub for Therapeutics, Trinity College Dublin; ‘Development of a unique humanized DR5 activating antibody for treating
therapy-resistant cancers’ with Chris Scott, Queen's University Belfast; ‘The need for speed’ with Claire Thompson, Agility Life Sciences and ‘Targeting gut hormone signalling to modulate reproductive function’, with Ananyaa Sridhar, Ulster University.

🧬There were many networking opportunities and plans started for future Northern Ireland events along with technology spotlights and flash poster presentations.

🧬A huge thank you to all speakers, sponsors and guests👏👏

It was great to welcome AstraZeneca partners back to Northern Ireland this week, and we were delighted to convene stakeh...
04/09/2026

It was great to welcome AstraZeneca partners back to Northern Ireland this week, and we were delighted to convene stakeholders across health, economy and academia for stimulating conversations on the future of healthcare delivery, aligned with the reset plan, and economic strategy, particularly in neighbourhood and primary care, and prosperity partnerships to help people stay healthy and in work.

Real progress was made on a pipeline of joint working projects that will leverage Northern Ireland’s unique assets, needs and strengths to improve outcomes and productivity.

Thinking of applying to the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) programme?Your first step is a short Readiness Check, desig...
02/09/2026

Thinking of applying to the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) programme?

Your first step is a short Readiness Check, designed to help establish whether the NIA is the right fit for you and your innovation before you invest time in completing the full application.

Here’s how it works:

👉 Complete your Readiness Check
Answer a short set of questions about you and your innovation. They’ll review your responses against eligibility criteria.

👉 Get your outcome
They aim to let you know the outcome within 3 working days. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you’ll be invited to complete the Main Application.

👉 Submit your Main Application
The full application includes your application form, authorisation from your employing organisation, two references and some additional supporting information.

The deadline to submit your Readiness Check is by 12:00 (midday), Friday 25 September.

Ready to take the first step? Find out more and start your application: https://lnkd.in/dmed_pUk

Ulster University, through the Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology, have opened a tender opportunity for consultanc...
02/09/2026

Ulster University, through the Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology, have opened a tender opportunity for consultancy services based on very bespoke digital healthcare expertise.

There is a requirement for specialist consultative services within Ulster University’s Digital Health Research & Innovation activity in the activities associated with Industry & Clinical engagement relating to the following three separate areas of expert advice and input to the important triple-helix (University-Industry-Clinical) type relationships-

1. The holistic design of MedTech devices and their ability to benefit clinical workflow systems within clinical settings

2. Advice on the design and validation processes of Clinical / Health apps for deployment within the overall NHS System to comply with regulatory / validation processes including Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, HRA and FDA; the NHS/DoH and with UX and Intervention Analysis

3. Advice on the ability to integrate “implementation / intervention science” into the NHS, Department of Health NI, Health and Social Care Northern Ireland and Public Health Agency (PHA), digital processes within Northern Ireland and wider, as well as advice on new policies, practices on subjects ranging from validation to procurement, as well as advanced subjects relating to AI implementation within the NI Trusts.

They intend to appoint three separate contracts via Research and Innovation Projects to run over the next three years.

Quotations must be submitted via this link https://lnkd.in/e3c5APEX. to be received no later than 11:59pm on the 3rd of September 2026 and more information is available at https://www.cdht.tech/?

Apply soon - MSD in the UK has launched its 2026 Grants Programme, for Healthcare and Patient Organisations to address h...
02/09/2026

Apply soon - MSD in the UK has launched its 2026 Grants Programme, for Healthcare and Patient Organisations to address health inequalities, with a focus on delivering patient and population impact.

Building on from the support provided through the 2025 Programme, the MSD UK 2026 Grants Programme will also be open to healthcare organisations and patient organisations.

Find out more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/e3C5n8t2

Bookings are now open to join the ABHI UK Pavilion at WHX Miami 2027, taking place from 16 - 18 June 2027.WHX Miami is o...
02/09/2026

Bookings are now open to join the ABHI UK Pavilion at WHX Miami 2027, taking place from 16 - 18 June 2027.

WHX Miami is one of the leading healthcare trade shows in the Americas, bringing together buyers, distributors, healthcare providers and industry leaders from across the US, Latin America and beyond. Contact [email protected] for more information and to register.

📢 The Medtech Compass 🧭 is being launched to support local decision making by improving visibility 🔎 over available opti...
02/09/2026

📢 The Medtech Compass 🧭 is being launched to support local decision making by improving visibility 🔎 over available options and streamlining ⌛ local risk checks.

They are now recruiting private beta early adopters.

If you’re involved in choosing, assessing, or implementing Medtech – whether you’re in a clinical, opp's, clinical engineering, digital or procurement rol, be part of shaping the service sign up at: https://lnkd.in/efczKnrn

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is introducing a new charity co-funding framework to provide a consistent approach fo...
02/09/2026

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is introducing a new charity co-funding framework to provide a consistent approach for charities to co-fund world-class medical research.

To support the launch, they are hosting two introductory webinars:

Webinar 1 – For charity and third sector organisations
Date: 23 September 2026
Time: 15:00 - 16:00

Webinar 2 – For researchers, universities and research organisations
Date: 05 October 2026
Time: 11:00 - 12:00

To register to attend the webinars please see the link below.
https://lnkd.in/e3YKEEPB

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