Finding new ways of delivering health-related services is crucial to ensuring a sustainable healthcare sector in the future. There is no lack of innovative ideas and solutions, but the journey from idea to market is demanding. Norwegian Smart Care Lab (NSCL) tests and verifies products, prototypes and ideas for the health industry. The Lab knows what is required and understands the challenges and the needs of the provider, the health service, and the user. Key partners to NSCL is HelseCampus Stavanger, Alrek Helseklynge, i4Helse and DNV-GL.

NSCL accelerates the development and commercialization of new products and services by testing and adjusting to the customer needs. Simultaneously, they assist in making sure solutions comply with law, standards and norms. By making companies see where their products and services fit into the value chain helps to define the target customers. Additionally, NSCL simulates and test real situations before solutions are implemented into service. With a design thinking approach, needs and opportunities are revealed to highlight benefits and set the direction. The effect of new solutions together with the user and service provider is tested and verified.

Norway Health Tech, earlier this year, joined forces with Oslo University Hospital (OUS) and Oslo Science Park to put together a collaboration arena where public and private sectors meet to discuss, innovate and create solutions for future healthcare – Health2B. In light of the increasing pressure from demographic, economic and societal challenges we are and will be facing in the coming years/decades, there is a need for new ways of working, to foster and adopt innovation, bring industry closer to hospitals and other health actors.

Health2B is open to everyone but is made possible by partners from both sectors. It is an open arena of interaction where industry and hospitals meet, discuss, co-develop, test and experiment new solutions with the actors implementing them on the ground. Private-public cooperation is a definite need but so is public-public cooperation, and this is also facilitated at Health2B as we raise further partners joining the space (from hospitals to municipalities).

The aim is to create a neutral platform for discussing and sharing information, help and learn from each other while testing concepts and validating concepts and solutions, to ensure that technology to be used in hospitals and in the municipal health services actually works and delivers patient and societal value within an integrated context. Through open meetings, professional meetings and dialogue meetings, we will ensure that we reduce barriers, increase knowledge and trust on all sides.

Oslo Cancer Cluster (OCC) has been part of the ecosystem of health innovation since 2006, with the vision of helping patients by accelerating the development of innovative cancer treatments and diagnostics. One of the ways OCC strive to reach their goals, is by testing. It can be in preclinical trials in laboratories, or in clinical trials at hospitals. The revolution in precision medicine requires new methodology, as digital solutions converge with biological solutions to enable more precise and better diagnostics and treatment. Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator, with its 5000 m2 of laboratories and offices next to one of Europe’s largest cancer hospitals, is currently expanding to encompass this aspect. The incubator collaborates with Health Catalyst to ensure facilities for academics and small and large businesses.