4th Birmingham Translational Research Symposium 2026

The Translational Research Team is hosting the 4th Birmingham Translational Research Symposium on Wednesday 30th September 2026 on campus, at the Edgbaston Park Hotel, Fry suite.

The aim of this symposium is to showcase the breadth of translational research across the University of Birmingham. It brings together academics, clinicians and professional services colleagues who support translation, creating a space to connect, share expertise and spark new collaborations. Through this, the symposium seeks to foster a vibrant and collaborative translational research culture within Life Sciences.

The programme features short oral presentations from selected translational researchers, poster sessions and talks from KOLs. Our key note speakers for the opening and closing sessions have now been released, so do take a look at the programme below.

A satellite workshop, Translating Research into Patient Benefit: The Entrepreneurial Journey, will also take place on the afternoon of 29 September 2026 at the PHTA, focused on the practical tools and skills needed to translate research into patient benefit. Facilitated by Pete Moores, founder and Chief Problem Solver at PBM Consulting Ltd, with contributions from Matthew Pearce, CEO at MedTech to Market, and our Expert in Residence, David Fox. You can view the full programme here. 

When registering, please select ONE ticket option only.

Do register and be an active contributor to this exciting day!

Satellite workshop and symposium registration deadline = Friday 25 September, 5PM.

If you have further queries about this event, please don't hesitate to contact the Translational Research Team at translationalresearch@contacts.bham.ac.uk.  

Programme at a Glance - final timings may vary slightly

08:30 - 09:30 | Registration and coffee

Session 1: Welcome

09:30 - 09:45 | Welcome Opening Session

Jo Parish, Director of Knowledge and Transfer (CMH)

Session 2: Showcase of Regional Innovation Initiatives

Chair: Eliot Marston (Deputy Director of Operations, Research Knowledge and Transfer Office)

09:45 - 10:05 | SPARK: How Stanford and the World Make Sure Innovations Reach the Clinic; Luke Southan, Director & Head of Research Commercialisation, Aston University

10:05 - 10:15 | TBC; Rajinder Bhuhi, Forging Ahead Manager

10:15 - 10:25 | TBC;  Priya Reddy, Investor at Mindforge

10:25 - 10:55 | Panel discussion and Q&A

Session 3:  Selected Scientific Oral Presentations - Session 1

Chair: TBC

10:55 - 11:10 | M-self test for at home and community MGUS monitoring, Jen Heaney, Clinical Immunology Service, CMH

11:10 - 11:25 | A Novel Biomaterial Blend for the 3D Printing of Small-Calibre Blood Vessels, Fatoumata Diarrassouba, Chemical Engineering, EPS

11:25 - 11:40 | Predicting pain sensitivity after major surgery using resting-state EEG, Roksana Markiewicz, Psychology, LES

11:40 - 12:10 | Coffee, networking and poster viewing

Session 4: From Bench to Delivery: Translating Health Technologies into Practice (Part 1)

Chair: TBC

12:10 - 12:40 | The Power of IP in Translational Research, Pilar Perez-Hurtado, Enterprise Business Development Manager and Sam Hickman, Head of Academic Commercial Services

12:40 - 13:00 | Building an Effective Future Funding Ecosystem for Translation, Eliot Marston, Deputy Director of Operations (Research)

13:00 - 14:15 | Lunch, networking and poster viewing

Session 5: Scientific Oral Presentations - Session 2

Chair: TBC

14:15 - 14:30 | A Novel Hydrogel-enabled Immunoassay for Disease Detection, Ruchi Gupta, Chemistry, EPS

14:30 - 14:45 | Developing a digitally delivered, personalised rehabilitation pathway for concussion: feasibility and user evaluation of the Birmingham Concussion Home Intervention Programme, Andrew Stevens, Inflammation and Ageing, CMH

14:45 - 15:00 | The Acuity-P3: a Brainwave-based Objective Visual Acuity Test; Howard Bowman, Psychology and Computer Science, LES

Session 6: From Bench to Delivery: Translating Health Technologies into Practice (Part 2)

Chair: TBC

15:00 - 15:20 | From Discovery to Delivery: CEIS and the Role of Implementation Science in the Translational Pathway,  Arabella Scantlebury, Deputy Director, Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science (CEIS); Co-Founder, CEIS Solutions

15:20 - 15:40 | The 20-Minute Essential Guide to IVD Product Development, Matthew Pearce, Founder and Director, MedtechtoMarket

15:40 - 16:10 | Coffee, networking and poster viewing

Session 7: Keynote Address

Chair: TBC

16:10 - 16:55 | The Galeas Journey; Rik Bryan, Professor in Urothelial Cancer and Director, Bladder Cancer Research Centre and Michael Parks, Co-Founder and Director of Operations, Nonacus

16:55 - 17:10 | Closing remarks and Poster Prize Awards

17:10 - 17:45 | Networking and drinks

This event is funded by the University of Birmingham MRC Impact Acceleration Account MR/X502996/1. 

We are also grateful to this year's sponsors for their support of the 4th Birmingham Translational Research Symposium:  MedtechtoMarket, NHS Blood and Transplant, and Reaction Biology .

The Translational Research Team (TRT) works with researchers to identify the full translational potential of their research, developing strategies to accelerate healthcare innovation towards patient/public impact. Additionally, the TRT manage the institutional MRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) which funds early-stage translational research to establish viability of an approach, de-risking projects for further external funding/investment.