UCL IXN and Health Education England create ' HEE Industry Exchange Network' (HEE IXN)

UCL Industry Exchange Network (UCL IXN) has worked in partnership with Health Education England’s (HEE) Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team to create the HEE Industry Exchange Network (HEE IXN).

This UK education programme will enable university students to benefit from a growing pipeline of industry experience and real-world requirements in clinical and healthcare education. The proof of concept projects will be undertaken as part of university study on a range of advanced topics in computer science, maths, management and engineering, with students from UCL and partner universities within the UK’s National Framework for Industry Exchange Networks (NFIXN).

Novel prototype technologies using the latest in artificial intelligence and machine learning, natural language and speech processing, 3D augmented reality and computer vision are being used to explore and guide clinicians on research and development (R&D) projects focused on 3 categories; interoperability, efficiency and innovation as part of the methods used within the IXN. 

UCL IXN also contributes to the new HEE IXN programme with their globally recognised expertise in Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and OpenEHR (electronic health records) standards collaborations, facilitated with the DRIVE (Digital Research Informatics and Virtual Environments) research facility at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust along with other project areas.

UCL IXN developed at UCL Computer Science department has been running since 2011 and has seen computer science students work on hundreds of R&D prototypes built for healthcare, many of which have been used by  the NHS to support Trusts and clinical teams across the country. The IXN for the NHS team at Apperta Foundation, who look after several major NHS Open Source projects with students on IXN programmes.

The creators of the programme, Dr Dean Mohamedally and Dr Graham Roberts, have open-sourced all methods and practices for universities to join and operate their own IXNs, accessed by MOU. This enables faculties to create a strategic network of project and problem-based learning methods and collaboration opportunities with industry sectors. Several universities are already part of this UK-government recognised teaching methodology, which is cited in the Topol Review (2019) and recognised by the UK Science and Innovation Network (2020).

Dr Mohamedally said:

“Each year, a significant portion of our industry student projects look specifically towards the betterment of humanity, developing new technologies for charities and healthcare groups as well as giving strong support to clinicians and hospital organisations who want to drive change. We are very proud to create this partnership with Health Education England which will further drive groups to reflect on their needs in health education services and workflows. We welcome their advocation, promotion and submission of project proposals that will make major impacts on the lives they touch upon. Engineering students in the UK stand ready to learn with them, as eager as HEE and its partners are to teach.”

For more information about the HEE Industry Exchange Network, please contact:  tel@hee.nhs.uk 

If you would like your university to join the Industry Exchange Network, please contact Dr Dean Mohamedally

Visit UCL IXN webpages to learn more 

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