West Yorkshire leaders are preparing to decide whether Kirklees Council will take forward more than £2 million in external funding to support growth in the region’s health, wellbeing, and digital sectors.
The £2,023,576.25 allocation has been secured through the Government’s Investment Zone initiative and channelled via the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to enable delivery of the Huddersfield Health Innovation Incubator programme. The business case was approved earlier this year, with funding committed until March 2029.
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration, said: “The HHII programme has the potential to make a real contribution to achieving the outcomes the council set out in its Inclusive Economy Strategy, adopted earlier this year. It is all about developing and diffusing innovative solutions to tackle some of West Yorkshire’s biggest health and social care challenges, improving health outcomes, and driving local economic growth.
“This programme is an opportunity to further strengthen our partnership working with the University of Huddersfield and 3M BIC and to add value to the ground-breaking National Health Innovation Campus and the wider regeneration of the Station to Stadium Enterprise Corridor.”
If approved on 2 December, the funding will underpin a multi-partner initiative led by the council, the University of Huddersfield, and the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre. The programme will expand sector-focused workspace and support for businesses developing new products and services in health, wellbeing, and digital technology.
Planned facilities include offices, co-working areas, and specialist laboratories split across the Glass Box business centre, the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre, and the forthcoming Health Business Innovation Centre at the university’s new health campus, scheduled to open in 2026.
Cabinet members will consider whether to accept the funds, enter into the required grant agreements, and begin procurement activity to progress the incubator programme.
