Dr Matthew Hardman, Wound Healing Research Group Head, University of Hull, said: “I am delighted by the establishment of this exciting new multi-disciplinary wound care cluster. This venture brings together a team of experts from across the University and builds upon our existing links with a world-leader in advanced wound management. This exciting partnership will ultimately deliver significant patient benefits.”
The collaboration has been welcomed by new local MP Emma Hardy, who commented: “Britain is a global leader in medical technology innovation. Partnerships such as this between Smith & Nephew and University of Hull further strengthen our position at the forefront of global medical research and development. Creating one of the largest wound care clusters in the world is a huge vote of confidence in the UK as a whole and Hull in particular, as we build a ‘global Britain’ with pioneering medical technology at its heart.”
Supporting the collaboration is Smith & Nephew’s new state-of-the-art Research & Development (R&D) centre in Hull, UK, and the University of Hull’s £28-million new Health Campus, due to open in the summer. Smith & Nephew’s R&D hub for wound management technologies, which opened on 12 May, specialises in toxicology, chemistry and microbiology among other specialist fields. Smith & Nephew’s Hull site also manufactures some of the world’s most advanced wound care products, including pioneering products such as PICO◊, a unique single use negative pressure wound therapy system and ALLEVYN◊ Life advanced foam dressings.
The University of Hull’s new Health Campus is due to open in July this year. At its heart is the Allam Medical Building which will house the University’s new Institute for Clinical and Applied Health Research and includes specialist biomedical and clinical research facilities, as well as a mock hospital ward, operating theatre and intensive care nursing facilities.
Smith & Nephew will extend the use of its facilities to the Wound Care Cluster PhD students through dedicated workshops and providing industrial placement supervisors. University of Hull alumni make up around 25% of staff within wound research and development at Smith & Nephew in Hull, with many more across different roles within the company.