The innovation network has been granted 1.9 million euros from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science to encourage collaboration between private companies, municipalities, hospitals, and universities across Denmark and to ensure that research from the universities benefits companies and society in general.
The Danish healthcare sector has built an innovative culture around hospitals and municipalities where new technologies are developed and tested in close collaboration between business people, citizens, and healthcare professionals. The innovative culture has set the foundation for a growing industry and a Danish stronghold with a big export potential. Now, four regional business clusters take the next step and strengthen the national collaboration. The aim is to make it easier for companies, municipalities, hospitals, and research institutions to collaborate across Denmark.
“We benefit from starting in a small country like Denmark and the Danish healthcare system. From that, we develop new products and services, which pave the way for a better and more effective treatment and care. A closer and more structured collaboration across the country opens up for a unique test environment and it provides companies with the best opportunities to access the newest research and knowledge. It raises Denmark’s innovation capacity and export potential because we jointly can produce better documentation on the impact of the solutions, we can execute faster, and we can scale the solutions to a national- and international level”, says Kristoffer From, Co-Founder and CEO, Liva Healthcare.
The national innovation network builds on four business clusters: Welfare Tech, LifeScience Innovation North Denmark, MedTech Innovation Consortium, and Copenhagen Healthtech Cluster. It is also a merger of two existing innovation networks: MedTech Innovation and Welfare Tech Innovation Network for Health and Welfare Technology.
Nationwide collaboration
The collaboration is organised as a national innovation network, named Danish HealthTech. The national organisation will work to provide companies better access to collaboration with municipalities, hospitals, and research institutions across Denmark. Simultaneously, each of the four business clusters will develop areas of specialisation coordinate nationwide. With this combination, Danish HealthTech reaches out to the small- and medium sized companies struggling to gain access to and collaboration with the healthcare system – the very system that needs their solutions.
“I have high expectations of the collaboration the four business clusters and two innovation networks have formed, which we in the regions support. The initiative is a simplification that will benefit companies - regardless of their geographical location in Denmark – and the Danish healthcare system. In the end it is for the benefit of the patients. It will give a boost on the national and regional level”, says Stephanie Lose, President of the Regional Council of the Region of Southern Denmark and President of Danish Regions.
Knowledge converts to practice
Danish HealthTech addresses one of society’s biggest challenges – to maintain a strong healthcare system in a time with growing financial and labour force constraints. To develop the best possible solutions, the newest research and knowhow must be accessible for companies regardless of their geographical location. The national collaboration includes: The Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, University of Southern Denmark, Aarhus University, and Aalborg University, as well as two independent Danish research and technology organisations FORCE Technology and Danish Technological Institute.
“Research based innovation both contributes to better solutions, growth, and in the bigger picture to more value for money. We have a strong focus on the universities’ research related breakthroughs become utilised - not just as useful knowledge, but on a practical scale where it produces value for companies and especially the citizens, patients, and healthcare personnel. It requires a close and strong interaction between the partners, where we share knowledge and together - as a network - find solutions for specific and present challenges”,says Dorte Stigaard, Innovation Director at AAU Innovation, Aalborg University.
Contact information
- Kristoffer From, Co-founder and CEO, Liva Healthcare A/S
E: kf@livahealthcare.com<mailto:kf@livahealthcare.com>, T: +45 26 45 43 78
- Stephanie Lose, President of the Regional Council of the Region of Southern Denmark and President of Danish Regions
E: slo@rsyd.dk<mailto:slo@rsyd.dk>, T: +45 25 33 09 82
- Dorte Stigaard, Innovation Director, Aalborg University
E: innodir@aau.dk<mailto:innodir@aau.dk>, T: +45 99 40 20 15
- Christian Graversen, CEO, Welfare Tech
E: cgra@welfaretech.dk<mailto:cgra@welfaretech.dk>, T: +45 21 28 84 19
Further information about Danish HealthTech
The innovation network, Danish HealthTech, is one of 17 Danish innovation networks and is approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. The purpose is to strengthen innovation and growth within Denmark’s commercial strongholds.
Danish HealthTech addresses the challenges of society within healthcare and homecare and works for better health and care for citizens, growth in companies, and a sustainable society. The innovation network is a national network to easy and accessible entrance for small- and medium sized companies towards relevant research institutions and clusters.
The innovation network focuses on:
- Prevention and predictive health
- Equilibrium within the healthcare system – the healthcare close to home
- Better utilisation of Danish health data
- Personalised treatment
Danish HealthTech has a total budget of 3.75 million euros (28m DKK) for two years, of which 1.9 million euros (14m DKK) are granted by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, 0.35 million euros (2.8m DKK) from regional co-financing, and 1.5 million euros (11.2m DKK) from private co-financing. The funding starts at December 1st, 2018 and ends at November 30th, 2020.
The Danish HealthTech partners are:
Welfare Tech
Welfare Tech is a member-based organisation and national cluster for healthcare and homecare technology, which executes projects, conferences, workshops, network, matchmaking, and communication activities. The objective of the activities is growthin private companies and healthcare innovation. Welfare Tech is a certified gold label cluster awarded by The European Cluster Excellence Initiative (ECEI), which is the highest recognition an European cluster organisation can achieve. Welfare Tech is based in Odense and Copenhagen.
LifeScience Innovation North Denmark
LifeScience Innovation North Denmark is an association that gathers North Jutland’s players within health and welfare innovation. The association was founded in March 2017 by The Region of North Jutland, North Jutland’s municipalities, Aalborg University, The University College UCN, and SOSU North as well as North Jutland’s companies within health and welfare technology.
MedTech Innovation Consortium
MedTech Innovation Consortium (MTIC) is an association composed by the Region of Central Jutland, Aarhus University, VIA University College, and 16 municipalities. MTIC facilitates innovation processes and functions as a foundation for the development of products and solutions for the healthcare system. MTIC works in the intersection between private companies, municipalities, hospitals, and research institutions for the development of new solutions, concepts, and prototypes, that all provide citizens newer and better treatment as well as a foundation for business growth for private companies.
Copenhagen Healthtech Cluster
Copenhagen Healthtech Cluster (CHC) bridges the gap between the Danish healthcare system and private companies. CHC is established as a “healthy growth machine” by The Capital Region of Denmark and The Municipality of Copenhagen with the aim to create better health in the public sector and growth potential for companies through utilisation of Danish health data. CHC runs the partnership, Data Safes Lifes, where small as big pharma- and tech companies, public players, and interest groups cooperate to generate a more interconnected healthcare system and evolve new healthcare solutions.
MedTech Innovation
MedTech Innovation was established in 2014 as one of the 22 innovation networks supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. The network facilitates innovation and growth in the Danish medtech sector through knowledge sharing, cooperation, and exchange of experiences between scientists, clinicians, and companies. MedTech Innovation ensures that hospitals to a greater extent are positive towards collaboration with companies so that new products can evolve faster and be geared towards actual clinical needs.
Welfare Tech Innovation Network for Health and Welfare Technology
Welfare Tech Innovation Network for Health and Welfare Technology was established in 2014 as one of 22 innovation networks supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. The network paves the way for an increased commercialisation and exports of Danish health and welfare technology by providing Danish companies better access to knowledge and competences at the Danish science-, education-, and research institutions including municipalities and hospitals.