Northern Ireland's Department of Health and Department for the Economy launched the Academic, Health and Economic Partnership (AH&EP) on 7 October 2026 at NICON 2026. It aims to help health and social care, universities and industry develop, test and scale innovations, but no funding, governance structure or timelines have been published yet.
It was announced in a Department of Health press release on 7 October 2026, describing it as a "joint initiative led by the Department of Health and the Department for the Economy". Ulster University confirmed the same day that it is part of the partnership. NICON 2026 ran on 7 and 8 October at La Mon Hotel, Comber.
- Launched: 7 October 2026 at NICON 2026, led jointly by the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department for the Economy (DfE).
- Launched by officials: the release quotes Permanent Secretary Mike Farrar (DoH) and Deputy Secretary Christine Robinson (DfE). No minister is quoted or named.
- Aim: "a more joined-up pathway from discovery to implementation and scale" across health and social care.
- Not yet published: funding, governance, membership list, timelines, website or any call for proposals.
1. What the AH&EP is meant to do
According to the DoH release, the partnership "will help Northern Ireland translate its health and life sciences research and clinical expertise into real-world impact". It "brings together health and social care, universities, industry and communities to develop, test and scale innovations that improve people's health while supporting economic growth and investment."
The release sets out three tasks: the AH&EP "will identify priority health challenges, support the development and testing of innovations and accelerate the adoption of proven solutions across the health and social care."
2. What the launch partners said
Speaking at the launch, Mike Farrar, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health, said:
"Our goal is simple: to improve health outcomes for our population by making it easier to develop, test, adopt and scale innovation. If we get this right, patients will benefit from better care, staff will have access to more effective solutions, and Northern Ireland will be recognised internationally as a place where innovation can thrive and deliver real impact."
Christine Robinson, Deputy Secretary, Economic Policy Group at the Department for the Economy, framed it as an economic play: "By accelerating the development, adoption and scaling of innovation, we can attract investment, support indigenous businesses, create high-value jobs and enhance Northern Ireland's reputation as a leading location for health innovation."
Professor Victor Gault, Ulster University's Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean for the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, said the partners can "help turn knowledge and discovery into practical solutions that make a real difference to people's lives".
3. What is known and what is not yet published
| Item | Status at 13 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lead bodies | Known: DoH and DfE jointly (DoH release) |
| Named participants | Partly known: Ulster University confirmed; DoH, QUB, DfE, South Eastern HSC Trust and AstraZeneca UK representatives appear in the launch photo. No formal membership list |
| Funding | Not published |
| Governance (board, chair, secretariat) | Not published |
| Timelines and milestones | Not published |
| Website, contact point or call for proposals | Not published |
| Priority health challenges | To be identified by the partnership; none named yet |
One detail suggests the partnership existed before its formal launch. On 28 September, HIRANI announced a separate diagnostics memorandum of understanding with Roche Diagnostics, DoH and DfE, which it said aligns with the Reset Programme and "the newly established Academic, Health and Economic Partnership (AH&EP), which DoH and DfE are jointly leading". The industry body ABPI also referred to the "newly formed" partnership in its Northern Ireland vision paper published on 7 October.
4. How big is the sector it is meant to grow?
Published figures differ. Invest NI's sector page, which is undated, describes a cluster of "250+ businesses" employing "18k" and exporting to over 140 countries. The ABPI's 7 October paper says the industry employs "over 19,500 people", without giving a source for that figure. We found no Department for the Economy or NISRA sector statistic for 2025 or 2026.
5. What it means for life-science companies
For now, the AH&EP is a statement of intent rather than a programme a company can apply to. No application route, deadline, funding call or AH&EP contact has been published. The DfE goals of attracting investment and supporting indigenous businesses come with no stated mechanism.
What the launch does signal is where the two departments want to go: what the release calls "a more joined-up pathway from discovery to implementation and scale" inside Northern Ireland's integrated health and social care system, which Mike Farrar described as one of the region's main assets. Companies with diagnostics, digital health or medicines needing real-world testing should watch for the first list of priority health challenges. Until an AH&EP entry point exists, the existing industry channels are HIRANI and Invest NI, though neither has been named as a route into the partnership.
6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the AH&EP in Northern Ireland?
A: The Academic, Health and Economic Partnership is a joint initiative led by the Department of Health and the Department for the Economy, launched on 7 October 2026 to help develop, test and scale health innovations while supporting economic growth.
Q: Who is involved in the AH&EP?
A: Ulster University has confirmed its role, and representatives of QUB, the South Eastern HSC Trust and AstraZeneca UK appear in the official launch photo. No full membership list has been published.
Q: How much funding does the AH&EP have?
A: None has been announced. The launch release gives no budget, governance structure or timeline.
Q: Can companies apply to work with the AH&EP?
A: Not yet. No website, contact point or call for proposals has been published. Media enquiries go to the DoH Press Office.
Conclusion and Outlook
The AH&EP puts Northern Ireland's health and economy departments behind one stated aim: getting proven innovations into health and social care faster, and growing the life-science sector as a result. Until funding, governance, priorities and an entry point for industry are published, companies have little to act on. We will update this article when the partnership publishes its first priorities or calls.
Sources: Department of Health NI press release, "New partnership to drive health innovation and economic growth in Northern Ireland" (7 October 2026); Ulster University news (7 October 2026); ABPI, "Northern Ireland: A vision for health and growth" (7 October 2026); HIRANI news on the Roche Diagnostics MoU (28 September 2026); Invest NI, Life and health sciences sector page (undated); NICON 2026 event listing, HSCNI.
Cover photo: launch of the Academic, Health and Economic Partnership at NICON 2026. Credit: Department of Health NI.
