New service by City of Helsinki, HUS and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences expediting health sector companies’ entry into market

Finland is facing problems brought about by population ageing, decreasing birth rates and challenges in the social services and health care sector. Wellbeing and health technologies play a key role in the development of new solutions. The City of Helsinki, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and HUS have collaborated to develop a new kind of service that will streamline wellbeing and health sector companies’ research and testing path in the development of products and services.

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences serves as the coordinator of the HPH project and the ecosystem. It provides research and testing services in an internationally unique simulation hospital and motion laboratory to companies that want to test their solutions in the preclinical phase.

“There is currently a greater need for wellbeing and health technology solutions than ever before. At Metropolia, we want to assume a strong role as a strengthener of wellbeing and health technology companies’ business and RDI know-how. As an institute of higher education, we work towards this objective by combining learning with research, development and innovation operations and business in our services for companies,” says Innovation Director Minna Elomaa-Krapu from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

Technology to support health care

Health Proof Helsinki provides a cooperative and need-based research, development, innovation and teaching operation environment for wellbeing and health technology companies that was previously unavailable in the Uusimaa region. Health Proof Helsinki provides companies with an opportunity to try out and develop their solutions at Metropolia’s simulation hospital and utilise the care environments of the City of Helsinki’s Social Services and Health Care Division and the specialist health care services of HUS in their need-based research.

The product development process of the company carrying out testing is verified and validated as a collaboration between ecosystem operators. The service provides companies in different phases with better conditions for research, development and innovation work, commercialising their solutions and internationalisation with the networks of the ecosystem.

The City of Helsinki is bringing the real-life research and trial environments, clients and experts of its basic health care and social welfare services to the Health Proof Helsinki collaboration.

“Helsinki wants to promote the growth and internationalisation of the health technology sector and strengthen the attractiveness of the Helsinki region as a place for research and business in the health sector. I believe that Health Proof Helsinki’s research and trial cooperation with the City’s Social Services and Health Care Division will help companies develop solutions that meet actual needs in health care and have even broader demand. The operations will further strengthen the City’s Testbed activities,” says Director of Economic Development Marja-Leena Rinkineva from the City of Helsinki.

HUS is looking to develop its corporate cooperation practices and is an active operator in the co-development, clinical testing and commissioning of health technologies and digital solutions in specialist health care.

“Utilising the clinical know-how and health data of HUS will promote the development of both new solutions and companies in the health care sector. The services of Health Proof Helsinki also provide companies with opportunities to take part in other networks as well, such as the CleverHealth Network innovation ecosystem coordinated by HUS, in terms of testing and validating digital solutions based on health data,” says Development Director Visa Honkanen from HUS.

***

More about Health Proof Helsinki at: https://www.healthproofhelsinki.fi/

Health Proof Helsinki is a collaborative project between the City of Helsinki, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and HUS Helsinki University Hospital that has yielded a new health sector test environment ecosystem for research, development and innovation operations. Health Proof Helsinki provides health sector companies with a seamless service chain from early product development towards clinical testing. The services provided include health care and hospital environment research and testing services, as well as health technology product development verification and validation procedures in authentic and simulated environments. The cooperation partners of the project are members of the Health Capital Helsinki alliance. The project is financed by the City of Helsinki innovation fund.

Photo: Jarkko Mikkonen, Metropolia University of Applies Sciences