MHRA launches digital hub in Leeds to drive innovation

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a digital hub in Leeds to advance innovation and growth in the region.

Leeds was selected due to its expertise in digital health and strong academic base, which the MHRA’s expansion will build on by driving regional partnerships and attracting skilled talent and local investment.

The digital hub, based in Wellington Place, forms part of the MHRA’s broader strategy to enhance regulatory agility, strengthen digital capabilities, and deliver better outcomes for patients, the public and industry.

It will also enable closer collaboration with digital health networks, NHS organisations and leading academic institutions nationwide.

Lawrence Tallon, chief executive of the MHRA, said: “We want regulation of health technologies to move at the pace of innovation.

“As part of our continued commitment to being a truly national regulator, we are opening a new base amongst one of the UK’s thriving tech hubs in Leeds.

“By establishing an MHRA hub in Leeds, we’re strengthening our ability to collaborate with partners across the north of England – bringing regulatory expertise closer to the people, organisations and innovations we serve.

“This hub will play a vital role in shaping the future of regulation, including how we harness technology to deliver regulation that meets the needs of patients, supports the health system, and drives life sciences innovation across the UK.”

The MHRA will initially recruit around 30 permanent, highly skilled roles, focused on delivery, software development and data science, with the ambition for further expansion in future phases.

These new roles will sit within the Digital and Technology Group, focused on delivering an optimised infrastructure and maximising the secure use of data to enable scientists, inspectors, and the rest of the organisation to deliver world class services which can improve outcomes for patients.

The move supports the government’s ‘places for growth’ strategy, which aims to expand the regional footprint of public bodies and ensure that opportunities and expertise are more evenly distributed across the UK.

Wes Streeting, health secretary, said: “There is a global tech revolution in healthcare unfolding, and Yorkshire will help our country lead it. This isn’t just about creating new jobs across the region – it’s also about bolstering a city that’s already leading the way in digital health.

“Driving forward digital transformations like these through our Plan for Change will mean scientists get data for research quicker, inspectors can develop tech to spot problems quicker, and patients get better results.

“As a healthcare innovation powerhouse, Leeds is the perfect place to bring together the MHRA’s regulatory expertise with a thriving tech community, world-class universities, and strong NHS presence.”

In January 2025, the MHRA issued fresh guidance to help medical device manufacturers prepare for upcoming regulatory changes.

The post-market surveillance (PMS) regulation for medical devices comes into force across England, Scotland and Wales on 16 June 2025 and introduces key new requirements around the monitoring of medical devices after they’ve entered the market.