RDI Growth Programme for Health and Wellbeing
The aim of the Growth Programme for the Health and Wellbeing Sector is to support the wellbeing services counties in renewing themselves in order for them to better promote people’s health and wellbeing and improve the quality and availability of services. The Programme seeks to increase cooperation between the wellbeing services counties, businesses and researchers so that the wellbeing services counties will have access to the best possible practices and technology in the health and wellbeing sector. This way the Programme will strengthen Finland’s position as a frontrunner of cutting-edge technology in the health and wellbeing sector.
The health and wellbeing sector is growing fast globally. The digitalisation of healthcare systems, the data economy and individual treatments are being developed rapidly. The sector has significant economic potential, and the competition between different countries is fierce. For this reason, the key aim of the RDI Growth Programme is to make the Finnish health and wellbeing sector internationally known and attractive as a destination for research, development and innovation (RDI) activities and investments. Another aim is to make it easier for Finnish health sector companies to enter international markets. This way the Programme strives to boost product development, scalability and international growth and to promote the productivity of the Finnish health and wellbeing sector.
In general, the Programme aims to bring solutions to the global challenges facing the health and wellbeing sector, such as the availability, effectiveness and cost-efficiency of services and the sufficiency of personnel.
The Programme is part of the Government Programme.
Programme strengthens the productivity of the health and wellbeing sector
The measures under the Programme will strengthen:
- cooperation between research, development and innovation operators
- Finnish RDI expertise and research marketing for international companies
- the Finnish health and wellbeing sector as a productive field for export
- the role of the wellbeing services counties in research, development and innovation activities so that the counties will adopt new technologies and disseminate good and effective practices.
Cooperation with businesses is important
The Ministry of Social Affairs is coordinating the RDI Growth Programme in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Each Ministry has their own measures for achieving the objectives set out in the Government Programme. The Programme is a follow-up to the Health Sector Growth Strategy for Research and Innovation Activities published in 2014 and implemented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the following measures under the Programme:
- strengthening the RDI activities of the wellbeing services counties
- clarifying legislation on research and development activities in the healthcare and social welfare sector
- establishing the activities of competence cluster
- boosting cooperation between national operators in the field of digital health
- increasing cooperation with international partners
- establishing the international centre of excellence for health and wellbeing technology.
The following partners are also involved in the Programme: national and international businesses, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the Research Council of Finland, Business Finland, the wellbeing services counties and higher education institutions.
In addition, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is leading the work to prepare an implementation plan for the Programme together with different RDI operators.
The Programme is officially entitled the Research, Development and Innovation Programme to Boost Growth and Renewal in the Health and Wellbeing Sector.