Supporting innovators to build the evidence women’s health needs

Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley recently supported the Accelerating FemTech: Evaluate programme, a 10-week Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst Accelerator focused on women’s health innovation. 

We worked alongside ambitious innovators tackling long-standing gaps in women’s health. From menopause support to earlier detection of conditions that affect women differently, the cohort reflected both unmet need and growing momentum in this space. 

What stood out most was not just the quality of ideas. It was the determination to build credible, system-ready evidence. Women’s health has historically been underserved in research, investment and evaluation. That makes robust real-world evidence even more critical. Without it, promising solutions struggle to gain traction. 

(Pictured: Matthew Lawrence, Head of Industry and Innovation, at the Accelerating FemTech showcase).

Why now matters for women’s health innovation

Women’s health has been underfunded and under-researched for decades. As a result, many conditions affecting women still lack robust care pathways, consistent data and proven models of support. 

That is starting to change. There is growing national focus on women’s health, increasing demand from patients and renewed attention on evidence gaps. But momentum alone will not secure adoption. 

As the FemTech sector expands, the bar for real-world evidence is rising. Innovators must demonstrate not only clinical benefit, but affordability, system impact and alignment with NHS priorities. This is where careful evaluation design becomes critical. 

For innovators preparing for the next stage of evaluation or funding, early clarity around evidence requirements can significantly strengthen both applications and adoption plans. 

Seeing the real challenges up close

The innovators were solving real problems. Yet many faced the same question: How do we prove this works in the NHS? 

Clinical promise alone is not enough. Innovators must show cost-effectiveness, system impact and a clear route to adoption. They must anticipate commissioning questions before they are asked. 

In several cases, small changes in evaluation design or value messaging made a significant difference. Early planning around evidence gave teams greater clarity and confidence. 

Turning ambition into evidence

Our support focused on three key areas: 

Health economics 
Mamta Bajre supported teams to think beyond clinical outcomes by introducing early evidence considerations to understand potential benefits for patients, the workforce and the wider system. Mamta helped innovators explore how to frame cost‑effectiveness, budget impact and system value in ways that commissioners recognise and trust. Discussions focused on the advantages of generating the right evidence early, providing guidance on what should be done and how future evaluations could be structured to meet NHS requirements. 

Innovation and adoption
Guy Checketts helped innovators map realistic pathways into NHS settings. That meant understanding stakeholders, procurement routes and service pressures. Aligning product development with service need early reduces friction later. 

Mentoring
Matthew Lawrence and Gary Ford acted as critical friends. Mentoring sessions focused on clarity of proposition, strategic focus and practical next steps. As teams prepared for the final showcase, their narratives became sharper and more evidence-led. 

“I was very impressed by the ambition and passion exhibited by all of the innovators I met with on the programme; their desire to make their innovations succeed was very inspiring. It was clear to me that many of the innovators are addressing truly unmet needs, and so have the potential to make a significant impact in improving women’s health.” Guy Checketts, Head of Evaluation and Transformation

Why this matters for women’s health

Women’s health innovation is growing fast. Yet adoption will depend on more than enthusiasm. Commissioners and providers need robust evidence and confidence in implementation. 

For innovators planning real-world evaluation or preparing for future funding, early evidence design is not optional. 

“In supporting this programme, our focus in Health Economics was to help innovators translate promising concepts into credible, system ready evidence. Too often, women’s health technologies struggle. Not because the ideas lack value, but because the evidence does not yet speak the language of commissioners. By introducing the principles of early evidence generation, we helped teams think beyond clinical outcomes and clarify how their innovations could demonstrate value for patients, the workforce and the wider system – giving them a clearer understanding of what strong, adoption ready evidence should look like.” – Mamta Bajre, Head of Health Economics and Methodology 

Looking ahead

We are proud to have supported this cohort. We are equally committed to strengthening the evidence base for women’s health more broadly. At the showcase event to close the programme, Dr Zubir Ahmed, Minister for Health Innovation and Safety, reiterated that the government is updating the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy which will be published in the near future. The updates are expected to prioritise key aspects of women’s health including reducing waits for gynaecological care which is one of the longest wait areas in the NHS.