Held on 11–12 September 2025 at Charnwood Campus Science, Innovation and Technology Park in Loughborough, The HDR UK Midlands Annual Conference 2025 brought together over 200 delegates from across the Midlands, the UK, and beyond, making it the largest gathering in the region’s history dedicated to health data science.
Over two days, the conference created a dynamic platform where academics, clinicians, technologists, innovators, patient and public contributors, and industry partners came together to demonstrate how health data can improve lives, accelerate discovery, and shape the future of healthcare.
Health Data as a Driver of Change
Health data has become one of the most powerful tools for improving healthcare delivery, reducing inequalities, and supporting innovation. The conference showcased how, when harnessed responsibly and inclusively, data can drive forward new treatments, earlier diagnosis, personalised care, and smarter health systems.
Dr Fiona Pearce and Kevin Dunn, Co-Directors of HDR UK Midlands, expressed their pride in the achievements of the event:
“We are absolutely delighted with the success of this year’s annual conference. It has been inspiring to witness the energy and ideas shared by our community. This gathering demonstrated the Midlands’ central role in shaping the national conversation about health data and its potential to transform lives.”
A National Mission, a Regional Strength
The conference highlighted the mission of Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) the UK’s national institute for health data science. HDR UK works to unite the UK’s health data assets and expertise to enable discoveries that improve health, advance care, and tackle major challenges such as health inequalities, pandemics, and antimicrobial resistance.
The Midlands region has become an essential hub within this national mission. With its diverse population, world-leading universities, NHS partnerships, and thriving innovation ecosystem, the Midlands offers a unique testbed for inclusive, representative, and world-class health data research.
Professor Simon Ball, Chair of the Midlands Health Data Strategy Board, reflected on the momentum:
“It was fantastic to see the community brought together at the largest HDR UK Midlands event to date. The scale and ambition of this gathering demonstrates the strength of the Midlands and its vital role in shaping national health data research.”
Exploring AI, Wearables, and Devices
This year’s theme: Data for Digital Health: Next Generation, was chosen to reflect one of the most exciting frontiers in digital health.
Professor Eiman Kanjo of Nottingham Trent University, who led the thematic design of the conference, emphasised the importance of the interactive programme:
“By focusing on the role of AI in wearables and devices, we opened the door to vital discussions about how technology can support both personalised and population health. The workshops, live debates, and panel sessions created the perfect environment for fresh ideas to emerge, collaborations to form, and new partnerships to take shape. This was an event that truly catalysed innovation.”
Sessions explored:
- No-data models, which provide real-time insights without retaining personal data, maximising privacy while enabling impact.
- The challenge of creating models that balance individualised care with generalised solutions for populations.
- The potential of Decentralised AI for privacy-preserving, low-cost, low-energy solutions.
- The critical importance of data and data sharing in building trust, ensuring security, and enabling meaningful collaboration across health systems.
- How inward investment for the Midlands region can be attracted by building on its strengths in digital health and life sciences, creating jobs, and cementing its reputation as a hub for innovation.
Dr Rhos Walker, Director of Strategy at HDR UK, praised the discussions:
“It was a privilege to represent the HDR UK national team here in the Midlands. The conference created a fantastic space to explore how we can use data generated by apps and wearables to improve health, whilst ensuring this is done responsibly and inclusively.”
Innovation and Collaboration on Display
The exhibition halls hosted 24 organisations from across the UK, showcasing pioneering work in AI-driven health technologies, digital platforms, clinical applications, and new models for health data use. This was a powerful demonstration of the breadth and creativity of the UK health data ecosystem, and the Midlands’ role at its heart.
Gosia Khrais, Commercial and Marketing Director, Charnwood Campus, Science, Innovation and Technology Park, reflected on the value of hosting:
“We were proud to host this year’s HDR UK Midlands Annual Conference at Charnwood Campus. The strength of the life sciences in the Midlands region is exceptional! It has been inspiring to see the campus filled with leading voices in health data innovation, and we look forward to supporting more transformative events like this in the future.”
Celebrating Funders and Global Perspectives
A major highlight of the conference was the active participation of the UK’s leading research funders, who play a crucial role in shaping and sustaining the national health data landscape. Senior representatives from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Wellcome Trust, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and Innovate UK delivered talks and came together for a lively panel Q&A. Their contributions emphasised the shared commitment of funders to support ambitious, interdisciplinary research that harnesses health data to improve care, drive innovation, and strengthen the UK’s global leadership in health and life sciences.
The conference also shone a light on the international dimension of health data research. Interest in the event extended far beyond the UK, with attendees joining from overseas. This global outlook was captured in a keynote from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) at the United Nations. The address emphasised the critical importance of international standards and collaboration in enabling interoperable, ethical, and secure health data systems that can meet global challenges such as pandemics and antimicrobial resistance.
Inspiring the Next Generation
The event placed a strong focus on early career researchers (ECRs), offering them a platform to showcase their work, network with senior leaders, and connect with peers across disciplines. This commitment to nurturing future talent ensures the sustainability of the field and maintains the UK’s global leadership in health data science.
Powered by Partnership
A special thanks was extended to the conference partners: Midlands Innovation Health, Midlands Health Alliance, Medilink Midlands, and the eFutures Network. Their support demonstrated the spirit of collaboration across academia, healthcare, and industry, which has become a hallmark of HDR UK Midlands.
A Landmark Gathering
Looking back, the 2025 Annual Conference will be remembered as a landmark gathering that celebrated the strength of the Midlands, reinforced HDR UK’s national mission, and showcased the UK’s leadership on the global stage. By uniting regional excellence with national ambition and international collaboration, the conference inspired the community to take the next bold steps in harnessing health data for public good.
As one delegate summarised:
“This was not just a conference, it was a turning point for health data in the Midlands, the UK, and beyond.”