10 | new partners and all the home nations and the Republic of Ireland to create opportunities that simply didn’t exist before. The scale and quality of what is now in place is a testament to their hard work and belief in what we are trying to do. Along the way, we have had to adapt whether during the COVID-19 pandemic or as we’ve developed new parts of the programme like the Patient Entrepreneur Programme and the Dementia Innovators Programme. Each step has helped us stay relevant and focused on where we can make the biggest difference. Collaboration has been a constant throughout. We have been fortunate to work with an incredible network of mentors, partners and organisations who have generously supported our entrepreneurs and helped bring their ideas to life. That shared effort has been at the heart of everything we have achieved. Looking forward, there’s a growing sense of excitement about what’s possible. Healthcare faces big challenges, but equally big opportunities. We have built something strong over the past ten years, and there is much more to come. To everyone who has been part of this journey - thank you. I feel hugely proud of all you have achieved and am genuinely excited for what the next decade will bring. Professor Tony Young OBE National Clinical Lead for Innovation, NHS England, Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Anglia Ruskin University, Consultant Urological Surgeon, and Associate Medical Director, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust From Start-up to Scale-up - 10 years of the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme This year marks a special milestone as we celebrate ten years of the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP). When we started in 2016, it came from the challenge that people working in the NHS were often made to feel they had to choose between their clinical careers and developing their ideas. We believed they should be able to do both and that patients, the NHS and the wider life science economy would benefit enormously. Ten years on, it is incredible to see how far we have come. What started as just over 100 resident doctors joining year one, has grown into a diverse and supportive community of people from right across the NHS with now over 1800 Clinical and Patient Entrepreneurs and Dementia innovators. That breadth of experience has made a real difference, helping ensure that innovation is grounded in what patients, carers and the NHS actually need. What stands out most to me, though, is the people. I have been constantly inspired by the entrepreneurs who have come through the programme; their drive, their honesty about the challenges they see every day, and their determination to do something about it. So many have taken early ideas and turned them into solutions that are now making a genuine difference to patients and colleagues both in the UK and abroad. I couldn’t be prouder of what our entrepreneurs have achieved. I am equally proud of how the programme itself has grown. From those early days, the team has worked tirelessly to build something that really supports people, expanding the offer, bringing in
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