FAQs

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) is a national accelerator commissioned by NHS England’s Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC). It is delivered in partnership with the 15 Health Innovation Networks (HINs) in England and is hosted by UCLPartners. 

The NIA aims to deliver on the commitment detailed within the Five Year Forward View – creating the conditions and cultural change necessary for proven innovations to be adopted faster and more systematically through the NHS, and to deliver examples into practice for demonstrable patient and population benefit. More recently the NIA was highlighted in the NHS Long Term Plan. 

The NIA’s mission is to spearhead the national acceleration of innovation and business growth of health and care innovators to help enhance patient experiences and outcomes, improve our NHS and grow employment in the UK. The NIA does this by helping its Fellows solutions to extend their footprint in the NHS and further afield as well as supporting their business growth. 

Visit our About Us page to learn more. 

To successfully spread innovation in the NHS, our experience has found that you need: an inspiring leader who can engage effectively and lead the scaling of a health innovation, and a great innovation, at the right level of maturity, supported by evidence and the right business model1. 

The NIA’s dual focus on personal development for individuals (‘Fellows’) and bespoke support to spread an innovation recognises that both are critical to scaling in the NHS. 

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) involves an annual competition in which individuals from a range of different backgrounds apply for support in advancing an innovation they have developed. Successful applicants are termed NIA Fellows. 

An NIA Fellow is an exceptional individual who is being supported to scale their promising innovations through the NIA. Each of these Fellows – along with their innovations – have been through a rigorous, competitive selection process before being invited to join the NIA.  

There are currently 35 Fellows and 64 Alumni on the NIA. Fellows have been recruited annually since 2015 – 17 in the 1st cohort, 8 in 2nd, 11 in 3rd, 13 in 4th, 11 in 5th, 12 in 6th, 10 in 7th and 17 in the 8th.  

Fellows come from a wide range of backgrounds, including clinical, industry and academia, and share a passion for learning and scaling innovation for patient benefit. They are committed to disseminating their learnings widely via the NIA, and all offer expertise and experience in the adoption, implementation and spread of innovation in the NHS. 

The NIA exists to support the spread of innovations in the NHS in England. However, the NIA cannot offer a guaranteed route to widespread adoption across the NHS, and being on the NIA does not offer preferred supplier status. 

The ethos of the NIA is to provide a range of support in response to the needs of each Fellow and the barriers to uptake their innovation faces within the NHS. This includes a bespoke learning programme, mentorship and networking opportunities to equip Fellows with critical knowledge, relationships and skills to scale innovation in the NHS. 

Each NIA Fellow is provided with: 

• Access to a pool of mentors 
• Networking opportunities with  the Health Innovation Networks (HINs) 
• Quarterly learning events 
• Peer-to-peer support 
• Ad hoc specialist information sessions, as required (e.g. procurement, NHS commissioning, health economics, business case development, media training, etc.) 

• Navigation to existing innovation initiatives locally within AHSNs (e.g. SETsquared) and nationally (e.g. Global Digital Exemplars) 

At the end of the their first year on the fellowship, each Fellow should have the following in place, with the help of the NIA: 

• A robust diffusion plan: A critically appraised, robust diffusion plan for the NHS, which they have made progress on implementing (e.g., new contracts signed, resources secured). 
• Expanded networks: Built a network of decision makers, ‘critical friends’ and other key stakeholders. 

• Navigation of innovation opportunities: The ability to navigate innovation initiatives, support infrastructure and national levers. 
• Expanded knowledge: Addressed critical knowledge gaps as agreed with their mentors/lead HIN/NIA core team at the programme outset. 

Visit our Support Offered page for more detail. 

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) team, based at UCLPartners, provides coordination, administration and communications support for the Accelerator. This includes:  

• Working with partner organisations (NHS England, HINs) and supporting organisations (The Health Foundation, Department of Health and Social Care, Healthcare UK) to optimise the value of the NIA for Fellows and the wider NHS.  
• Administering the recruitment, selection and contracting process of the NIA Fellows 
• Coordinating the annual summit and launch events, quarterly events, and additional learning sessions
• Connecting Fellows to  Health Innovation Networks (HINs) and Mentor support 
• Supporting Fellows to develop action and sprint plans 
• Identifying and meeting any gaps in the support package offered to Fellows 
• Providing secretariat for the NIA Programme Board and NIA Operational Group 
• Engaging with NHS England to optimise opportunities for the Fellows and to address systemic barriers 
• Coordinate and manage communication and engagement activities to support NIA aims 
• Providing day-to-day support to the Fellows 

Fellows can access support from the NIA for up to 3 years, after which they will be offered the opportunity to become an NIA Alumni.

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) is open to innovations of all types, from the UK or elsewhere, and innovators from any background. Innovations should demonstrate an evidence base from real-world use and align with one of the stated annual recruitment themes. 

Applicants can be clinicians, academics, from a public-sector, charitable or not-for-profit organisation, from a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), or from a large corporate. Applicants can be the inventor of the innovation, the lead for it within the organisation or simply the representative of a compelling innovation and as such, wish to scale it across the NHS. 

Applicants should be able demonstrate the following: 

• Significant outcomes for significantly lower cost 
• An evidence-base for the innovation that shows it is ready to be diffused across the NHS 
• A personal set of strong values as well as a passion for learning and sharing insight widely 
• A commitment to scaling evidence-based innovations for patient and population benefit 
• A commitment to understanding health inequalities and to improving equity of access, experience and outcomes through innovation. 

Innovators from all genders, ethnicities and backgrounds are encouraged to apply for our accelerator. 

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) holds an annual call for applicants, typically launching in September. Visit our Apply  page for the most up-to-date information. 

When the NIA call opens, applicants are asked to submit an online application form detailing information about themselves and their skills, experience and competencies to spread an innovation as well as their innovation, the problem it addresses, the evidence as to its effectiveness and their strategy for scaling in the NHS. 

When submitted, application forms are reviewed by a minimum of five assessors drawn from a range of perspectives including clinical, patient, commercial and implementation. Applications are assessed on the basis of the applicant, the innovation, and confirmation that there is no straightforward or obvious local mechanism for scaling; in other words, there needs to be a clear reason as to why the applicant needs the support of the NIA. 

Once shortlisted, applicants are invited to a panel interview. At the same time, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) informally reviews all shortlisted applications. After the interviews, a final decision panel chaired by Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director at NHS England, and Chair of the NIA Programme Board, reviews the recommendations from the assessment process (application, NICE review and interview) to agree which applicants will be offered a conditional place on the NIA. 

At this stage, two references are requested for each Fellow – one of whom needs to be a senior representative from the Fellow’s employing organisation; the other should be from a healthcare provider/ commissioner site where your innovation is currently in use (this does not need to be an NHS site). We also undertake a period of due diligence, and request – where relevant – two years of annual accounts, a list of company directors and published annual reports. All Fellows will be asked to sign an agreement with UCLPartners (who host the NIA) before being formally announced as an NIA Fellow. An example contract will be available on the application page of the NIA website when the Call is launched. Applicants should check that they and their employing organisation would be happy to sign this contract before applying. 

An NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) Mentor is a high-profile expert with a broad skill base. Their support is predominantly in the form of advice, guidance and networking. Our pool of Mentors is regularly expanded to support the experiences and identified needs of the Fellows. 

Meet our current Mentors. 

If you are interested in becoming an NIA Mentor, email us at nia@uclpartners.com. 

The following characteristics set the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) apart from other accelerators and initiatives: 

• The NIA places a dual focus on both personal development for individuals (‘Fellows’) and bespoke support to facilitate the adoption and spread the Fellow’s innovation. 
• It is open to all types of innovation (including digital, medtech, workforce and models of care) and supports individuals from any type of professional background from anywhere in the world, as long as they are looking to scale in England’s NHS. 
• The NIA supports innovations that are already in use in at least one site which are able to demonstrate positive impact. The NIA does not support start-up or early-stage innovations. 
• It is a national accelerator for innovations that are ready to spread widely. 

The DigitalHealth.London Accelerator and HIN regional digital health accelerators work with earlier stage companies who would benefit from closer working with the NHS in a specific locality, for example, to trial products or build their evidence base. Unlike the NIA, these initiatives focus solely on digital solutions, and aim to support the company as opposed to the individual and innovation. 

The SBRI Healthcare programme provides funding to develop innovations that meet the challenges facing the English healthcare system. NIA Fellows in the past have successfully applied to receive funding from the SBRI. 

The Clinical Entrepreneur training programme is specifically for clinicians and is designed to offer opportunities for clinicians to develop their entrepreneurial aspirations during their clinical training period. 

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) is commissioned by the Accelerated Access Collaborative at NHS England and is delivered by England’s 15  Health Innovation Networks (HINs). Each of these partners provides funding for the NIA. 

Find out more about our partners. 

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) supports the spread of high impact innovations for the benefit of patients and the NHS. It is delivered in partnership with all 15 Health Innovation Networks (HINs) and is hosted at UCLPartners.  

The NIA aligns with and contributes to AHSN delivery on a local level and as a national network in the following ways: 

• Economic growth and innovation exchanges: NIA Fellows contribute to HIN national targets for economic growth, including investment leveraged, exports and number of jobs created. Their respective innovations undertake a rigorous multi-stage assessment process before being selected to join the NIA, helping to ‘de-risk’ these innovations and provide assurances for local and national Innovation Exchanges. 

• Breadth of innovations rigorously selected to address local needs and national priorities: The NIA is open to all types of innovation, seeking to identify evidence-based solutions for local or national spread. These include platforms to support medicines optimisation, patient safety devices, genomics and diagnostic related innovations, medtech, digital innovations, AI, and new care models and pathways. 

• Accelerating spread through integration with other national programmes: Fellows are supported to strengthen their existing evidence base through links with the AHSNs, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) infrastructure (including Applied Research Collaborations – ARCs), building an understanding of what research and evidence is most useful to de-risk and spread their innovation. The NIA supports selected innovations to become ready for acceptance onto relevant national initiatives. This includes evidence refinement, business model development and preparing implementation toolkits. 

• NIA research to understand adoption and spread: The NIA’s evaluation stream is helping to broker real-world validation using insight, learning and experience from the Fellows and adoption sites. Year One’s research (2015/16) evidenced some of the common conditions for success in innovation scaling, whilst the Year Three evaluation (Understanding how and why the NHS adopts innovation, 2017/18) examined how NHS sites successfully take up NIA innovations for greater patient and staff benefit. Our 2020 research in partnership with the Nuffield Trust (Achieving scale and spread: Learning for innovators and policy-makers) looked at what needs to happen for innovation to achieve scale, particularly for later stage adopters. In 2021, we commissioned the Centre for Healthcare Innovation Research – City, University London, to develop a set of reports on health inequalities and innovation. The first, Key areas for targeting innovations to tackle health inequalities in the English NHS, was published in May 2021. The second, Needs and strategies targeting health inequalities in the adoption and spread of healthcare innovations – a rapid scoping review, was published in September 2021. 

• Regular shared learning: Further learning is shared through our quarterly INSIGHTS newsletter which features the latest blogs and news from the NIA and our Fellows. 

The bar for NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) Fellows and innovations is high. 

All Fellows are required to demonstrate full participation in the NIA, with a consequence of exiting the programme if requirements are not met. Expectations of Fellows are detailed in the Call for Applications and the contract that Fellows, along with their organisations, are required to sign to formally join the NIA. As part of this commitment, Fellows agree to spend two days per week focused on NIA work aspects, attend the launch and quarterly events, and submit progress reports. At the start of the NIA, they will develop and agree a scaling plan with the NIA team. As part of this, Fellows agree a minimum set of activities they will deliver during the first year on the accelerator. 

Fellows may be asked to leave the NIA in the event that they: 

• Break any condition in the NIA contract. 
• Do not adhere to the NIA code of conduct. 
• Are unable to attend the launch and/or quarterly events. 
• Do not deliver on agreed activities during the course of the programme. 
• Behave in a manner unacceptable to the NIA and its ethos. 

If a Fellow is no longer able to maintain their commitment to the NIA, for example if they are no longer working for the company supporting their innovation, they are able to put forward a replacement candidate, who will then go through a formal application process. Replacement Fellows are carefully assessed and must attend an interview with NIA stakeholders before a recommendation is ratified by the NIA programme board. 

If for any reason a Fellow is no longer able to participate in the NIA and does not wish to be replaced, they are offered the opportunity to become an Alumni early. 

Innovations on the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) are adopted by support of the fellow and innovation through a bespoke learning programme, mentorship and networking opportunities to equip Fellows with critical knowledge, relationships and skills to scale innovation in the NHS. 

The NIA does not offer a guaranteed route to widespread adoption across the NHS. Being on the NIA does not offer preferred supplier status. 

All NHS sites remain accountable for their decisions and care provision/ safety, and as such undertake their own scrutiny of NIA innovations before they decide through their local governance structures whether to use them or not. The NIA does not seek to duplicate, circumvent or replace these local decision making processes. NHS sites are not mandated to take up NIA innovations. 

The NIA does not perform independent scrutiny of the evidence base put forward by the applicant. 

The Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) are uniquely placed to identify and support the spread health innovation at pace and scale, driving the adoption and spread of innovative ideas and technologies across large populations. There are 15 across the country and these should be your first port of call for support with your innovation. 

Visit the AHSN Network Innovation Exchange for more information and contact details.