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Welfare technology new Nordic business area

How can new technology help the Nordic societies meet the challenges they face in health care? And what opportunities are there for the Nordic countries to export the technology they are developing? These were some of the issues discussed at a lunch meeting in Stockholm on Thursday, 24 March.

Mar 25, 2011

Erland Winterberg, Nordic Welfare Centre, Jenni Nordborg, VINNOVA, Thomas Børner, PWT Foundation Chairman

"Welfare technology will not only benefit those in need of care, health professionals and society at large, but is also a new Nordic business area", said Jenni Nordborg from Sweden's agency for innovation, VINNOVA. We must prove the usefulness of the new technology in our Nordic home market, which will open up great opportunities to reach new markets.

The market for welfare technology is huge as Europe faces the same demographic challenges as the Nordic countries", stressed Thomas Børner, chair of the PWT Foundation (Public Welfare Technology). The Danish government has allocated DKK 3 billion to the PWT Foundation, directed towards developing and improving public sector services through the implementation of labour-saving technologies.

"Welfare technology is a tool that may free up time for care and nursing", stated Erland Winterberg from the Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues. The centre's work includes building up a Nordic innovation network so that the countries can learn more from others' experiences.

Several concrete examples of welfare technology were presented at the seminar, including a keyless locking system which can be opened with an approved mobile phone equipped with a personal digital key. According to the Swedish company Phoniro, these digital keys would save time in home care while also increasing the residents' security.

A feature of the development of welfare technological solutions is that it often involves the user-driven innovation and partnerships between private companies and public authorities. The Nordic Council of Ministers has recently published a report which examines how different types of public-private partnerships can be used to develop new welfare technology. The report, presented at the luncheon meeting, proposes a number of initiatives to strengthen the strategic work of public-private co-operation.

The lunch meeting was organised by the Nordic Region in Focus in Stockholm and the Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues.

Contacts

Carolina Ehrnrooth
Phone +46 08-506 113 22
Email carolina@norden.se

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