Project

FLYER – Development of a medical device testing service as a collaboration between ecosystems

Health technology forms a significant industry, which is a growing high-tech export sector. The importance of health technology increases as citizens age and the birth rate decreases, leading to desperate need for user-friendly health technology solutions to provide better treatment for customers, help for professionals and productivity for healthcare. In health care, patients will be increasingly monitored at home with wearable wireless devices, which are made possible by using printed electronics, but the challenge for the growth of the companies in the field is e.g. getting feedback from doctors and patients at different stages of the product development cycle and the lack of extensive development and innovation environments that support all aspects of products (hardware, software, connectivity) at different stages of product development.

Northern Ostrobothnia has excellent conditions to respond to this challenge with the cooperation of the Oulu region’s ecosystems – OuluHealth, RadioPark and PrintoCent. The region’s high level of expertise in various areas of digital health technology and unique research, development and manufacturing environments create a strong foundation on which to build international and society-renewing innovation and new business. The Oulu region already has strong technology know-how and development and testing environment services that support digital health technology applications such as the OuluHealth ecosystem, and wireless connectivity such as the RadioPark ecosystem. Oulu also has a unique Printed Intelligence cluster, PrintoCent, which has strong expertise in the development, testing and manufacturing of health technology products using printed electronics. By strengthening the cooperation of the aforementioned ecosystems and developing e.g. the OYSTER reference center to also cover the testing/ validation of the physical device (hardware), testing of health technology products in all main areas (hardware, software and wireless connectivity (5G/6G)) can be provided by the region.

The aim of the project is to strengthen the region’s role as an attractive center for research, development, testing and manufacturing of health technology products, as well as the connection of operators to international networks and value chains. The main goals of the project are:

The project strengthens the region’s role as a part of the international value chain of health technology products, especially as a strong research, development, testing, and manufacturing cluster. This creates the conditions to generate new business – both for testing, development and manufacturing services and the companies that offer them – creating new players, which strengthens the region’s vitality.