As the year comes to an end (thank goodness!) I wanted to take some time to reflect on everything that’s happened over the past 12 months.
Not only is this the end of a unique year, but it marks my one-year work anniversary with Growth Platform & Innovation Agency which has absolutely flown by. I’ve been welcomed warmly by the Health and Life Sciences community here in the Liverpool City Region and even with the ups and downs we’ve all faced this year, I’ve felt part of a collaborative, enthusiastic and driven group of people.
The Health and Life Sciences sector has been stretched way beyond its capacity over this year and we owe the local workforce connected to this a huge thank you. Our large NHS Trusts, primary care colleagues, social care colleagues, students within health our local universities, local SME base, larger organizational base (& so many more) have absolutely stepped up and shown resilience we never thought we’d need.
The agility and adaptability across the Liverpool City Region has been phenomenal and the speed at which our business base and organisations have managed to pivot and respond is something that we should all be so proud of.
Research and innovation have never been more important, and the pandemic has majorly shone a spotlight on this.
Liverpool City Region stepped up and has played a huge role in the national & international response to this pandemic.
- We’ve supported the Oxford vaccine trial, recruiting the most participants to that trial.
- We are 3rd in the country for Covid-19 research funding to UCL and Oxford.
- We were the trail blazer for MAST testing and our co-operation and response to this is what helped us come out of national lockdown into Tier 2.
- We’re now a part of the vaccine roll out, vaccinating our elderly and vulnerable population and our health and care workers.
Our organisations and institutions have come together like we’ve never seen before. The people of Liverpool City Region have come together to support each other (which we’ve definitely seen before!). It’s so clear to see that this collaborative response & engagement has paid dividends to the recovery of our local economy.
Whilst 2021 brings a new year and new hope in relation to the pandemic it also brings with it a new set of challenges. With the EU Exit looming we’ll need to show that agility and resilience once again across the City Region and support each other as things progress.
For now, we should use the Christmas period to rest and re-boot ready to push forward again in the new year. Let’s keep working together, communicating, collaborating and supporting each other.