New partnership signed to advance global health and care innovation
The University of Liverpool’s Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Busan Techno Park (BTP), a leading South Korean public innovation foundation, to strengthen international collaboration in digital health and social care innovation.
The agreement was formalised during a visit to Liverpool last week by a senior delegation from BTP, South Korea’s regional innovation hub.
During their visit, the delegation met with representatives from CHIL, the University’s Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC), and the National Care Forum. The group also visited adult social care service providers and support organisations in the Liverpool City Region that are involved in the Adult Social Care Testbed.
Launched earlier this year, the Adult Social Care Testbed aims to develop innovative tech products and services, catalyse the use of provider data and upskill the care workforce in the LCR. The delegation visit focused on exploring opportunities to replicate the Testbed model in Busan, including pilots in AI-enabled remote monitoring, assistive technologies, and data-driven evaluation.
The MoU sets out plans to co-develop solutions in assistive robotics, AI care coordination, remote monitoring and digital therapies. Liverpool City Region and Busan will mirror one another’s Testbeds for real-world trials, support innovative businesses, and drive research, funding and skills exchange. The long-term goal is a scalable cross-city Testbed model to inform policy, boost economic impact and international investment, with future priorities including ageing well and digital inclusion.
Professor Iain Buchan, W.H. Duncan Chair in Public Health Systems, Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Innovation, and Director of Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL) said: “By strengthening this partnership between Liverpool and Busan, we are bringing together two forward-looking city regions to confront some of the most pressing health and care challenges. This collaboration allows us to connect scientific excellence in civic data, engineering and artificial intelligence with the real-world needs of communities, testing new technologies in assistive care, remote monitoring and digital therapies, and ensuring they drive measurable benefit. It is a practical commitment to scaling innovation for the public good, translating research into deployment, creating opportunities for industry and workforce development, and ultimately making a tangible difference to people’s lives in both the UK and South Korea.”
SooHoo Shin, Director of Life Industrial Agency at Busan Techno Park said: “The UK has well-established infrastructure for creating technologies and healthcare in response to an aging society. This collaboration will provide an opportunity for Busan companies to have their technologies validated in the global market. Busan and Liverpool, both sister cities, have grown based on the maritime and port industries. Building on these commonalities, we will expand sustainable cooperation in the healthcare sector.”
This new agreement builds on the city-to-city Memorandum of Understanding between the Liverpool City Region and Busan Metropolitan City. Signed in 2023, it set out shared ambitions in digital and smart cities, clean energy, and health innovation.
The Adult Social Care Testbed is a model first launched in the Liverpool City Region as part of the Civic HealthTech Innovation Zone (CHI-Zone) programme. The Adult Social Care Testbed is a partnership with the National Care Forum, not-for-profit care providers, people receiving care, and industry partners.