Contact Laura at l.kornas@lancaster.ac.uk for strategic partnership enquiries.
For all general enquiries, email the team today.
Health Partnerships Team
The Health Partnerships Team brings people and organisations together to work on a wide variety of projects in health and care.
The team develops key strategic partnerships between the University and organisations in the public, private and third sectors and supports academics to engage with external health partners around research, innovation and evaluation.
Based at the Health Innovation Campus, the Health Partnerships Team is also responsible for managing the engagement space within the Health Innovation One building, delivering a packed events programme and further opportunities to foster collaboration between the University and its partners.
Members of the team work closely with the various organisations who have office space or hot desk in Health Innovation One, assisting them to navigate the University and guiding them to opportunities to work more closely with Lancaster including, for example, opportunities to apply for joint funding, to receive business support and to access student talent.
Meet the team
Laura Kornas - Head of Partnerships and Engagement for Health and Social Care
Laura provides strategic leadership for the team, driving forward partnerships between the University and health and care organisations, creating opportunities for collaborative research, innovation and evaluation. She works to create a vibrant ecosystem of innovation at Health Innovation One and beyond. She brings 20 years' experience working in research and knowledge exchange, obtaining funding from a diverse portfolio of funders and working closely with NHS partners. Laura comes with a unique set of skills enabling her to both develop and operationalise the vision for Health at Lancaster.
Partnership development
Glyn Jones - Partnership Development Manager
Glyn brings almost 30 years experience in health-related business development roles to the team and spent five years in NHS innovation management at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, where he won a £1.7m NHSE Innovation Test Bed grant to set up the Lancashire and Cumbria Innovation Alliance. He is an Entrepreneur in Residence and Honorary Teaching Fellow at Lancaster University Management School. He takes a collaborative and catalysing approach to his work as Partnership Development Manager, removing boundaries to create the best team for any given initiative.
Get in touch with Glyn by emailing r.g.jones@lancaster.ac.uk to discuss commercial partnership opportunities.
Jez Bebbington - Partnership Development Manager - NHS
Jez has a strong background in local government and is experienced at working alongside health, higher education and other stakeholders. He has an executive MBA from Lancaster Management School and has worked on research projects which look at co-designing solutions to maximise public value. His strengths lie in forming strategic partnerships around shared opportunities and challenges, creating the ‘scaffolding’ to make a partnership more than the sum of its parts. He is also experienced in assembling project funding and resource and working with diverse teams across different sectors.
Contact Jez at j.bebbington@lancaster.ac.uk for projects relating to health services.
Samantha Winder - Partnership Development Manager
Sam has a strong background in research commercialisation and was part of the leadership team for a major global digital health spin out by Manchester University and the NHS. As an experienced project manager, she brings valuable skills in the utilisation of health data and electronic patient records. On joining the Health Innovation Campus project, Sam oversaw the delivery of the £4.3m ERDF-funded business innovation programme, which supported 250 Lancashire SMEs. Sam is motivated by impactful research, strategic collaboration and championing initiatives which bring about tangible change.
For commercial opportunities contact Sam at sam.winder@lancaster.ac.uk
Jane Hunter - Partnership Development Officer
Jane has a rich and diverse professional background in business development and marketing, having worked in the private sector for more than 25 years. This experience, coupled with more recent roles at Lancaster University, has provided her with a unique perspective on both corporate and academic requirements. Part of Jane’s role is to ensure partner organisations in the health and care sector have access to amazing student talent at Lancaster University and she is looking to build relationships with organisations who want to develop internship projects in health.
To discuss working with our talented students and opportunities within the Health Innovation Community, contact Jane at j.hunter4@lancaster.ac.uk.
Community building
Stuart Powers - Innovation Community Manager (Health)
Stuart's role is focussed on building a sense of community around the Health Innovation Campus for partner organisations, staff, students and members of the public. He delivers regular activities under the HIC banner to bring these groups together to create an impact on the health of our region. He is the first contact for partner organisations co-located on site, making sure they feel welcome and able to gain the benefits of working with Lancaster University. His background is in marketing, community-building and events management, both within and for SMEs and the third sector.
Start a conversation with Stu at s.powers@lancaster.ac.uk for information about working in Health Innovation One and all our Health Innovation Community activities.
Paul Fielding - Communications Manager
Paul has worked in communications for more than 20 years, from leading the news team on an award-winning daily newspaper to dealing with the cut and thrust of politics as a communications manager in Parliament. Moving into education, he was head of communications at one of the country's largest FE colleges before joining Lancaster University to lead on its flagship Health Innovation Campus. He is responsible for all messaging related to the campus and supports all activities and events under the HIC umbrella, as part of the team developing the Health Innovation Community.
To discuss all things comms and marketing, contact Paul via p.fielding1@lancaster.ac.uk.
Administration
Jen Melling - Operations Manager
Having worked at Lancaster University for more 13 years, Jen has refined her organisational and communication skills through extensive administration experience and has project managed multiple programmes with internal and external partners. She brings this vital experience into her role as Operations Manager for the Health Innovation Campus, leading on all operational aspects essential to a vibrant innovation ecosystem - from arranging for new cutting-edge equipment to be installed in the building to working with colleagues to set up networks to support the University engagement strategy.
To discuss the operational aspects of project work and large events, contact Jen at j.melling@lancaster.ac.uk.
Clare King - Administrative Officer
Clare is one of the longest serving members of the team and has witnessed the evolving landscape, both in the health and care sector and within the University, during this time. She holds a PG Cert in Clinical Studies and applies her strong organisational and communication skills to all her work. Excellent at customer service through roles in the public and private sectors, Clare leads on all administration tasks for campus tenants and manages room bookings for events and meetings in Health Innovation One, a role which is essential to fostering key partnerships for the organisation.
For tenant enquiries and information on large projects and community events, get in touch with Clare via c.king4@lancaster.ac.uk.
Jen Lawler - Administrator
Jen joined the Health Partnerships Team in 2021 due to their personal interest in health and a desire to work in a role supporting positive change in the region, and beyond. They enjoy helping people and solving problems and have a strong background in administration and customer service. As well as day-to-day admin tasks, Jen's role involves supporting the team with the management of regular events such as the Collaboration Cafe and Business Bites, from sparking early conversations with potential speakers through to making sure there is enough tea and coffee to fuel the session.
Get in touch with Jen at j.lawler1@lancaster.ac.uk with any questions around our regular events - including the Collaboration Cafe and Business Bites sessions.
Warren Mortimer - Administrative Assistant
Warren's role ensures friendly and reliable administration translates to the successful coordination of health collaborations and events. With a strong background in outreach and events management, Warren ensures the needs of businesses and partners are met from the moment they enter the Health Innovation Campus. This includes greeting event organisers, arranging room layouts, providing suitable technology and responding to the evolving needs of each event. He combines professional and astute administration with a friendly and welcoming approach.
Get in touch with Warren via w.mortimer2@lancaster.ac.uk to discuss any administrative questions you may have.