AstraZeneca and Northern Ireland Department of Health, the Department for the Economy and the Health Innovation Research Alliance NI (HIRANI) have announced their intent to enter into a first-of-its-kind strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), aimed at transforming healthcare delivery and improving health outcomes for the people of Northern Ireland. This milestone partnership marks the first time Northern Ireland’s health system and vibrant Life Sciences sector has sought to strategically engage with a global biopharmaceutical company in this manner.
The collaboration will co-develop and deploy scalable practice change initiatives to enable a more resilient health system for future generations and promote Northern Ireland’s vision for the systematic adoption of healthcare innovation. An initial focus will be placed on chronic, long-term conditions and the NHS priorities highlighted by the Northern Irish Department of Health.
Tom Keith-Roach, Country President, AstraZeneca UK Ltd, said: “This strategic collaboration with Northern Ireland represents our commitment to putting science and patients at the heart of healthcare transformation. Our goal is to leverage AstraZeneca’s expertise in initiating successful NHS partnerships to help Northern Ireland become a global beacon for life sciences and digital health innovation. We believe this collaborative model, focusing on prevention and early intervention at a community level, will deliver significant and sustainable improvements for patients across the region.”
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “Northern Ireland faces significant health challenges, including record waiting lists and a heavy burden of chronic diseases. This pioneering partnership with AstraZeneca, a global leader in biopharmaceuticals, is crucial to our ‘Reset Plan’ and ‘Neighbourhood’ model of care, which aims to expand primary and community-based services and intervene earlier to reduce hospital demand. By combining our collective strengths, we are committed to making meaningful improvements to the health and wellbeing of our population and establishing Northern Ireland as a testbed for digitally-enabled pathways and scaled innovation.”
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: “I welcome this landmark partnership, which aligns with my Department’s focus on Life and Health Sciences as a priority sector for economic growth. In the north we have a strong and growing Life and Health Sciences sector, underpinned by excellent research and innovation capability. This collaboration with AstraZeneca demonstrates the value of strategic partnerships in supporting improved health outcomes and reinforcing our international reputation as a centre for life sciences excellence.”
Joann Rhodes, CEO HIRANI said:”This historic strategic partnership represents a convergence of need and shared ambition, bringing together the health service reset and neighbourhood plan, AstraZeneca’s deep expertise and the technological strengths of Northern Ireland’s health and life sciences ecosystem. Together, we are setting a new precedent for cross-sector collaboration, developing and scaling interventions that drive better health outcomes and lasting prosperity for all.”
Key objectives of the strategic partnership include:
• Evolving healthcare models towards a person-centred approach that recognises the full value that healthcare brings to patients, society, and a sustainable life sciences industry.
• Improving health outcomes for Northern Ireland citizens through the adoption of innovation at scale.
As a foundational project under this MOU, the parties intend to initiate a community-based, neighbourhood-delivered respiratory care pathway initiative. This project plans to leverage technology in the community, aiming to shift care left, diagnose disease earlier and prevent disease progression. It may include the deployment of novel integrated care pathways, digital tools, data, and automation. If successful against pre-agreed metrics, the project will be assessed for potential scaling across Northern Ireland. Future collaborations may extend to other therapy areas of shared interest, aligning with Northern Ireland policy priorities such as improved service delivery, earlier diagnosis, and efficient multi-morbid patient care.
This strategic MOU and initial project underscore AstraZeneca’s commitment to collaborating with the NHS and the Life Sciences sector, as evidenced by successful joint working initiatives like SENTINEL for asthma care optimisation and LOGIC for COPD management.