Meet Fabian
The Health Innovation Expedition was created and is delivered by Dr Fabian Seymour, an experienced innovation practitioner with a long-standing commitment to practical, applied teaching.
Fabian holds a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences and a PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and spent several years as a postdoctoral researcher publishing in peer-reviewed journals. Following this, he moved into university science–business development, working across life sciences and healthcare with students, early-career researchers, academics, SMEs and university support services.
Across nearly two decades, Fabian has worked closely with the people who are now the core participants on the course - including undergraduates, early-career researchers, academics, clinicians and innovation practitioners - supporting them to develop ideas, build confidence and engage effectively with complex systems.
Alongside this, he has worked extensively with industry, SMEs, senior leaders and regional innovation and inward investment organisations across the life sciences, healthcare, biotech and medtech sectors. This system-level exposure informs how the course is designed, ensuring participants understand not only their own role, but how decisions are made, support is accessed and innovation is progressed beyond their immediate context.
A consistent theme throughout his career has been the design and delivery of interactive, scenario-led workshops that prioritise participation, peer learning and practical application. Fabian has delivered innovation and enterprise training across a wide range of UK universities and healthcare organisations, and has worked extensively with NHS innovation networks and technology transfer teams, supporting clinical inventors and regional innovation activity across multiple NHS Trusts.
The Health Innovation Expedition
The Health Innovation Expedition was developed in response to recurring challenges Fabian encountered while working with innovators across academia and the NHS: poorly defined problems, unclear pathways, weak articulation of value, and limited understanding of how ideas are assessed, supported or progressed.
Rather than addressing these issues through traditional lectures or seminars (which rarely reflect how innovation actually happens), the course is designed to give participants direct experience of the innovation process. Participants work in teams, test assumptions, and develop credible cases for change within a supported but realistic environment.
Fabian’s teaching approach is strongly influenced by his work as a qualified mountain guide and founder of AFS Mountaineering (All Four Seasons Mountaineering), a business he established and grew in a highly saturated market. In that regard, learning must be practical, contextual and adaptive - progress depends on judgement, teamwork and responding to real situations rather than following a script. These principles are carried directly into the course design.
As a result, sessions are not lecture-based. Participants apply ideas immediately, develop concepts iteratively, and work through practical scenarios - whether the topic is unmet clinical need, regulation or intellectual property. Subjects that are often perceived as “dry” are grounded in real decision-making and group problem-solving, helping participants build confidence and judgement rather than simply acquire information.
The Health Innovation Expedition is deliberately designed to feel realistic, supportive and demanding in equal measure, preparing participants to engage more effectively with innovation in health, whatever their role or career stage.