Development Manager’s Blog – Impactful Results and New Opportunities Through Collaboration
Achieving Impactful Results with the Ecosystem Agreement Project
Kuopio Health was established with the support of the Sustainable Growth and Vitality of Regions funding (AKKE), which was followed by a two-year project under the ‘Health and Wellbeing Technology in Kuopio Ecosystem Agreement.’ Through this initiative, Kuopio’s health and wellbeing ecosystem has significantly advanced towards greater international recognition and impact. Launched in 2022, this extensive group project has brought together key regional players to drive health and wellbeing innovations, leverage health data, and strengthen the clinical research infrastructure. The results speak for themselves: Kuopio’s innovation hub has gained increased visibility, international networks have been reinforced, and new ideas have a better chance of progressing toward practical implementation.
Strengthening the Savilahti innovation cluster has been a central objective in increasing the region’s attractiveness, and significant progress has been made in this regard. Within the project, each participating organization has played an important role, contributing to the overall development of the ecosystem.
Savonia University of Applied Sciences has focused on creating a plan to support innovation ideas. This work has been a crucial part of building the region’s innovation ecosystem and promoting new ideas. Wellbeing Services County of North Savo, on the other hand, has mapped the clinical research infrastructure, including necessary personnel, facilities, and equipment for research. These efforts have significantly improved accessibility and readiness for clinical research in the region.
The University of Eastern Finland has developed a roadmap and plan for utilizing health data in the region, offering a clear vision of how health data can support the development of the health and wellbeing sector. Contributions from these different stakeholders have helped identify critical challenges and find solutions that advance the entire ecosystem.
A Growing Community, Stronger Impact
One of the tangible outcomes of the ecosystem agreement project was a significant increase in membership. Over the course of two years, 17 new members joined the Kuopio Health Co-operative. This achievement represented a key step toward the project’s goal of engaging 50 new companies in the ecosystem activities. The ability to attract new participants demonstrates the project’s success in drawing in actors who want to be part of a growing and innovative health and wellbeing ecosystem. The project serves as an excellent example of how dedicated development efforts can strengthen the health sector ecosystem and attract new stakeholders.
A unique feature of Kuopio Health is its role as a facilitator and enabler of collaboration. While member organizations—companies, research institutions, and public sector actors—focus on their core missions, Kuopio Health provides the framework for cooperation that fosters innovation, strengthens expertise, and increases regional visibility. This ecosystem work can be understood on two levels: the core activities of member organizations and Kuopio Health’s role in promoting collaboration. Our mission is to enhance cooperation, support innovations, and highlight regional opportunities and impact. We believe that innovations thrive best in well-managed and bold innovation ecosystems.
Digitalization and Health Data Enhancing Innovation Work
Kuopio Health’s project activities are versatile, and in recent years it has focused especially on health data and digitalization. Key projects have included HYTKI (National Innovation Ecosystem for Wellbeing and Health Data), which aimed at developing an innovation ecosystem for health data, and HealthHub Finland EDIH, which focuses on providing concrete services for businesses. These projects have created new collaboration platforms and operational models that enable extensive data utilization in the development of the health sector.
Innovation and new technologies play a crucial role in Kuopio Health’s activities. Collaboration between universities, businesses, and public sector actors is realized in projects that combine expertise and create new solutions. For example, BitHabit’s AI-based interface and ThingLink’s digital learning environment development are concrete success stories.
At the European Digital Innovation Hubs Network Summit 2024, HealthHub Finland EDIH (HHFIN) won the Digital Skills award for its collaboration with ThingLink. ThingLink, the University of Eastern Finland, and Kuopio Health jointly developed an AI-assisted functionality for ThingLink’s Scenario Builder product as part of HealthHub Finland EDIH’s ‘Test before invest’ service.
The Future Direction – Moving Forward with Confidence
Where we can direct projects at the innovation ecosystem level is especially the utilization of digital tools and artificial intelligence. This will enable us to conduct ecosystem activities more efficiently and effectively than before. Consequently, this will generate new research topics, new treatment practices in healthcare, and new business opportunities for companies.
For this to succeed, courage, resources, and open collaboration are required. Development efforts demand perseverance, but at the same time, they provide an opportunity to be at the forefront of creating future solutions. Kuopio Health’s work would not be possible without strong networking and coordinated collaboration. Leading innovation ecosystems requires resources and new tools, but it also offers a significant opportunity to shape the future of healthcare and health technology.
Kuopio Health’s journey continues, and we invite everyone to join us in building a more impactful and sustainable health ecosystem!
Kimmo Solehmainen, Development Manager, Kuopio Health