Finland pools its digital health expertise to break into international markets

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has launched extensive network collaboration to bring together Finnish expertise in digital health with a view to promoting exports in this sector.

Working in collaboration with companies, the service system, academic actors and the public sector, the Digital Health Finland network pools various sets of offerings targeted at international markets. These activities are part of the RDI Growth Programme for Health and Wellbeing, designed to speed up the globalisation of Finnish digital health solutions.

In the initial phase, four themes have been identified as key export areas:

• secondary use of social and health data
• technology solutions in care for older people
• applying artificial intelligence in the health and social services sector
• expert and consultancy services on the digitalisation of the healthcare and social welfare sector

Each theme will carry a description of the offering, specifying what kind of digital health services can be exported from Finland jointly by public and private organisations. Such export services may include digital health expertise, research activities, software, or hardware solutions. Instead of offering individual solutions, the focus will be on combined services.

Marketing is part of the network’s activities

Digital Health Finland also engages in active international marketing, promoting Finnish digital health through channels such as the Team Finland network and on international forums.

“Our operations are an efficient way of communicating and marketing Finnish digital health expertise to international partners. The goal is to involve all key stakeholders in the collaboration so that Finland can realise its strong potential for success in the global digital health market,” says Jukka Lähesmaa, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

A continuous and permanent network as a goal

While the network will be funded until the end of the current term of the Finnish Government, the goal is to establish permanent network activities without creating new organisational structures. This calls for closer cooperation between the organisations and networks already involved.

The measures of Digital Health Finland are implemented by a coordination group, its secretariat, thematic working groups and a steering group that brings in stakeholder perspectives. The secretariat is managed by DigiFinland Oy and the University of Oulu, Finland. The coordination group, led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, also includes representatives of Business Finland and Healthtech Finland. The aim is to encourage a wide range of public and private organisations in this sector to work together to enhance and market Finnish digital health expertise and solutions.

Building on previous development efforts

Digital Health Finland builds on the network development already achieved in the field of digital health. The network’s strategy, priorities and tasks have been discussed in contexts such as the Competence Network for Digital Health and Wellbeing Technology project, which is one of the InnoCities lead theme projects.

Digital Health Finland will be able to draw on the final report of that project. While the earlier project focussed on a broader package of RDI activities and network collaboration, the new network will concentrate on international cooperation and exports.

 “Enhancing international cooperation and sales is a good starting point for boosting continuous network collaboration,” says Veera Virta, Project Manager at the University of Oulu.

Inquiries

Jukka Lähesmaa, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, jukka.lahesmaa@gov.fi
Veera Virta, Coordinator, University of Oulu, veera.virta@oulu.fi
Laura Välkkilä, Head of Customer Relations, DigiFinland, laura.valkkila@digifinland.fi 
Terhi Pietilä, specialist, DigiFinland, terhi.pietila@digifinland.fi