Will there be a digital health competence network in Finland?

The Digital Health network wants to be an internationally renowned and recognised pioneer that promotes sustainable growth and well-being by accelerating the digital transformation. Instead of sporadic cooperation, the aim is to establish permanent networking activities.

The builders of the prerequisites for a digital health network eagerly await to see whether a digital health and well-being technology competence network will be created in Finland on the basis of the proposal of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in Finland and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Solutions are still required as to the funding and the ultimate scale and form of the network.

A report on the needs of the sector based on the views of research, business sector and healthcare system representatives was prepared in June, followed by proposals regarding the goals and tasks of the competence network in October. Stakeholders from all five cities with university hospitals are involved in the preparations.

Professor Jarmo Reponen explains that the digital health network has worked to link operators together and establish a common image of Finland in digital health.

“There is a strong will to build long-term network cooperation and improve the flow of information and the division of work,” says Project Manager Veera Virta from the University of Oulu.

The vision of the network is to be an internationally renowned and recognised pioneer that promotes sustainable growth and well-being by accelerating the digital transformation.

The international aspect did not arise directly from the needs identified by individual operators. According to Virta, internationality would require a change in the way people think as well as motivation to start promoting Finnish competence as a united front.

“The challenges of export and international growth can be tackled more effectively in closer cooperation with other Finnish operators, both private and public ones,” says Virta.

Needs of companies, researchers and wellbeing services counties

In addition to internationalisation, the tasks designated for the competence network include a cooperation platform for experts in the field, sharing of good practices, influencing the national and international operating environment and promoting the adoption of digital solutions.

There are differences in the needs of stakeholders depending on their individual perspectives and, for example, the size and stage of development of companies. Companies want cooperation with universities, clarity in project activities, information on expert parties as well as cooperation and financing opportunities.

From the perspective of companies, the provision of support services should be clarified and branded better. In terms of regulation, for example, new companies in particular need help.

“However, companies may not be able to find said experts, or the help may be too expensive,” says Virta.

First and foremost, the wellbeing services counties want information about digital solutions, projects and research. The wellbeing services counties are at very different stages, as some have already come a long way with regard to their operating methods, networks and forms of cooperation, while others are only in the process of forming these.

The role of wellbeing services counties in innovation activities has been identified as necessary but underutilised.

Researchers, in turn, need support for networking, finding partnerships and building large projects, among other things.

The original idea was to select the most important research spearheads for the digital health sector, but research is being conducted so extensively in digital health that the research spearheads cannot be restricted too strictly in the network’s operations.

“The sector is already so advanced that it’s impossible to name a set of three topics as the most important ones in Finland,” says Reponen.

The authorities want the competence network to be coordinated and concrete, create added value and commitment and provide work resources.

At the end of 2024, it will become clear whether the establishment of a digital network will receive funding from the budget. The requirements of a digital health and wellbeing techonology network have been investigated by the University of Oulu, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Tampere University Foundation, Kuopio Health and Helsinki Partners Oy.

“The team works for a common cause, and sometimes we forget that we come from different fields. However, it’s essential that operators are involved from a variety of fields, for both national impact and credibility,” Virta says.

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Digital health is one of the lead themes of InnoCities. Thematic cooperation brings together the resources of different cities and promotes the sharing of good practices as well as international cooperation and investments. The aim is to expedite the reform of business and the implementation of sustainable solutions in cities. InnoCities support innovation and engage in the practical application of research and experiment.