Helen Compton

Stakeholder Engagement Manager, NIHR coordinating Centre

Helen joined the NIHR CC in 2016 to lead on stakeholder engagement activity with the charity and MedTech communities and provide leadership and delivery across several high profile strategic and operational projects across NIHR.

Helen engages with SMEs, clinicians and charities to support MedTech innovators access the NIHR and wider life sciences ecosystem.

Helen gained an extensive background working at the science-policy interface in Defra (>9 yrs) across several high-profile government programmes. She commissioned R&D programmatic evidence that supported changes in both UK policy and international cooperation and has experience synergising research activity across government departments for domestic and international reporting. Helen has developed evidence supporting several national government strategies and presented evidence-based findings at all organisational levels and internationally to the OECD.

Whilst at the National Physical Laboratory Helen developed extensive touchpoints across the UK public research infrastructure primarily around health and the sectors that impinge on it. She contributed to a national measurement strategy for the UK on behalf of government and helped government prioritise its chemical and biological metrology research funding to support emerging areas of UK measurement need necessary to support industrial growth.

Helen is interested in health innovation and MedTech and has advisory roles in:

• Board member to CW Innovation, the partnership between Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust and the Trust’s hospital charity, CW+

• Trustee Orthopaedic Research UK