Medical students, academics and professionals invited to sign up for 2026 primary care conference
Edge Hill University will be hosting its Annual Primary Care Conference on 20 January with a focus on ‘Primary Care Futures: Shaping the Undergraduate Experience’.
The event will explore how undergraduate primary care teaching can support NHS long-term strategy by helping to shape the future of the primary care workforce and strengthen community care.
Delegates will receive updates on primary care programmes, finance and training through a mix of keynote talks and interactive workshops.
Speakers will include Professor Hugh Alberti, Professor of General Practice Education and Head of Primary Care Teaching at Newcastle University, and Professor Andy Knox MBE, GP partner and Associate Medical Director of Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB.
The event runs from 8.30am-5pm on Tuesday 20 January at the Medical School, Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine.
Register here.
Business School’s SME support programme re-endorsed by ScaleUp Institute
Edge Hill University’s Innovation Sprint Programme, run from the Business School’s sector-leading Productivity and Innovation Centre (PIC), has been re-endorsed by the ScaleUp Institute for the third consecutive year.
The University was the first in the North West to receive endorsement from the Institute, which also identified the scaleup programme as one of the best in the country.
Innovation Sprint supports businesses with scaleup potential to develop their strategic growth plans, focusing on business performance, leadership and workforce capabilities.
Professor Simon Bolton, Director of the PIC, said: “Having the success of the Innovation Sprint Programme recognised by the ScaleUp Institute for the third time is a huge achievement for the PIC.
“The programme has had a huge economic impact across Lancashire and the Liverpool City Region, creating jobs, boosting profits and helping small and medium-sized businesses launch new products.
“I also want to thank the businesses who’ve participated in the programme for their enthusiasm in working with us to innovate and achieve their growth potential.”
The PIC’s dedicated support includes intensive online workshops, one-to-one support from academics and business experts, and world-class rapid innovation tools and frameworks.
The ScaleUp Institute is a private sector not-for-profit company focused on making the UK the best place in the world to scale up a business. The Institute collaborates with policymakers, corporate partners and educational institutions to identify opportunities that will support scaleup business.
Parliament visit for Dr Sven Batke to discuss innovation in food production
Reader in Plant Science Dr Sven Batke met with shadow farming minister Robbie Moore to explore how food grown in greenhouses can help improve food security.
Sven, Chair of the Greenhouse Innovation Consortium (GIC), met up with Robbie Moore to follow-up on the Future State of UK Protected Edibles paper produced by GIC. The paper demonstrates how the UK’s food production system can contribute to national goals for resilience, sustainability and health.
The paper sets out several recommendations to government, including the need to support UK greenhouse growers while investing in the protected edibles sector (food produced in glasshouses, polytunnels and vertical farming).
Robbie Moore MP said: “It was great to meet with Sven and talk through the importance of growing our UK horticultural sector and ensuring we have a resilient food system.
“With rising import dependence and increasing vulnerability to climate change and geopolitical shocks, our domestic fruit and vegetable supply remains exposed to disruption, compounded by an increase in costs associated with both the labour and energy market.
“We need to ensure our horticultural sector is at the heart of the government’s food security agenda and this needs dedicated focus.”
Dr Batke added: “Supporting UK greenhouse growers means investing in local jobs, regional growth and healthier communities, all while advancing our national food security.
“We need to work with all levels of government to ensure greenhouse growers get the support they need, something that has been lacking for far too long.”
November 21, 2025
