Research Services · The Midlands
SPARK The Midlands is the pre-clinical translational research accelerator dedicated to advancing promising academic discoveries in healthcare from the lab to the clinic. Founded through a collaboration between Aston University, the West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA), and Forging Ahead, the program brings the globally proven SPARK model to the Midlands region to support academics, healthcare professionals, and entrepreneurs in developing healthcare products that address real unmet clinical needs. The SPARK The Midlands program provides selected projects with tailored mentorship from industry expert advisors, education in drug, diagnostic, and medical device development, and access to funding opportunities. Through workshops led by industry experts covering topics from medical device regulations to clinical trial design and target product profiles, the program equips researchers with specialized knowledge to navigate the product discovery and development pipeline. Projects receive bespoke support for 24 months, including one-to-one meetings focused on building project plans, crafting compelling narratives, and addressing critical risk pillars. The program operates on the successful SPARK model pioneered at Stanford University in 2006, which has achieved a remarkable 62% project success rate—compared to the global average of less than 5% for novel ideas reaching clinical trials. SPARK The Midlands is part of SPARK GLOBAL, a network of over 50 countries worldwide sharing this proven approach to bridging the gap from bench to bedside. As an independent organization, SPARK The Midlands is designed to eliminate barriers that slow or prevent promising discoveries from directly benefiting patients.