OuluHealth ecosystem is a one-of-a-kind network of committed stakeholders from Oulu in Finland that strive to transform healthcare on a global scale and, as a result, improve people’s lives
The rapidly evolving digitalisation of health and wellbeing requires new knowledge and collaboration models to accelerate growth globally. With the population now living longer and rising public awareness of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, a strong need for new solutions has emerged. A wide range of health and social innovations has been developed in Oulu to answer these challenges.
Oulu boasts a well-earned reputation of being a forerunner in communications and digital health technologies. This is also the first city to test the 5G network in a hospital environment. While the world is still talking about 5G, the University of Oulu has already begun to make headway in 6G development. In addition, Oulu is home to a unique health ecosystem, OuluHealth.
OuluHealth – a unique ecosystem for the digital future
OuluHealth, one of the five ecosystems of the Oulu Innovation Alliance, brings together various stakeholders, such as Oulu University Hospital, research institutes, academia represented by the University of Oulu and the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, industry partners, scientists and the City of Oulu. Set up in 2012, OuluHealth has evolved into one of the leading digital health innovation ecosystems in Europe. There are more than 600 companies in the health, bio, e-health, med-tech, wellness, and food safety industries within the OuluHealth network. Many of these companies utilise high technology, offer cutting-edge expertise and expand to international markets.
EVERY DAY SOME 2.6 BILLION PEOPLE USE TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN OULU.
“Here you can find high-class competence in next-generation technologies, such as 5G, IOT, AI, VR, AR and Big Data. ICT is also utilised to develop applications, such as wireless biosensors and a variety of wearables for preventive healthcare and diagnostics, as well as improvements in everyday well-being”, says Salla Hirvonen, Key Account Director of Health & Life Science at BusinessOulu.
Co-operation between research and business is open and enriches the business life. Strong research base will cover the complete pipeline from the basic tissue-level research up to digitally-aided patient-specific decision-making and evaluation of the practical benefits of decision-making services in digital health ecosystems.
A unique environment for successful health technology business
The open access collaboration model is facilitated by the innovation platforms of healthcare providers with real-world environments and a co-creation model. The developers are challenged to work on innovations that answer the needs of the healthcare sector and receive instant feedback on the usability of their solutions.
One of the OuluHealth’s assets is OuluHealth Labs, a test and development environment for products and services. Equipped with cutting-edge pilot facilities, it is composed of three testbeds: OYS TestLab – an authentic hospital testing facility at Oulu University Hospital; Oamk SimLab – a versatile simulation and studio environment; and Oulu WelfareLab, which allows testing to be carried out throughout the city of Oulu’s social and health service network, including in citizens’ homes.
OuluHealth Labs provide the perfect environment for companies to develop their products or services under authentic conditions with genuine users.
Successful investments in research and development
The OuluHealth ecosystem is part of the European innovation partnerships, which develop new co-creation models of collaboration with companies (inDemand, H2020 projects). Healthcare providers announce challenges to the companies and, as a result, new solutions are created right for their needs.
The Oulu University Hospital is investing €1.6 mrd and aiming to become the smartest 5G hospital in the world. The Future Hospital 2030 programme brings opportunities for innovative partnerships with healthcare professionals, as well as for health technology companies to deliver new solutions for the hospital’s use.
The University of Oulu (Faculty of Medicine) has established a DigiHealth Knowledge Hub to speed up and facilitate knowledge building in digital transformation, as well as solving the challenges in the creation of future data-driven healthcare solutions. IT competence strengthens the OuluHealth ecosystem capabilities in the fair health data management, efficient and ethical utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and in developing new predictive analytics for preventive medicine.
Examples of life-changing health solutions from Oulu:
- A revolutionary wellness ring that helps you get more restful sleep and perform better (Oura).
- The wearable collar for patient-oriented screening and diagnosis of sleep apnea (Nukute).
- The treatment for healing bone problems and bone trauma (BBS-Bioactive Bone Substitutes).
- Next-generation hand-held cameras for fundus imaging (Optomed).
- A chair that helps to reduce tension (Neurosonic).
- A game used in speech therapy (Peili Vision).
- A mobile gym for full body exercise (Weela).
Salla Hirvonen
Key Account Director of Health & Life Science
BusinessOulu
salla.hirvonen@businessoulu.com
Please note: This is a commercial profile
