Currently networking focuses on the following issues
- Improving access for supplier companies to the hospital sector and develop better customer relationship within the medical technologies market in the Oslo Region.

- Stimulating cooperation and coordination between the hospital sector, R&D institutions and medtech companies in the health care area to boost innovation.
- Facilitating access to the hospital sector for clinical testing of new products.
- Collaborate on regulatory and QA issues connected to international approval processes.
- Cooperating on common challenges in international marketing, reimbursement and adopting to new markets to improve market achievements.
- Sharing and diversify R&D costs to improve profits.

Wide-ranging activities
Today Oslo Medtech Network members (to day app. 40) represent various market segments and technology levels. These networking companies meet in different settings:
- Market study tours and joint ventures on fairs and exhibitions abroad.
- Seed capital and “meet the investors” events.
- Meeting places discussing best practice and hands on experiences in managing IPR.
- Subgroups exchanging experiences within “QA and Regulatory.”
- A forum where network members meet representatives of the hospital sector learning about their future needs and expectations in medtech area.

Future actions – cluster initiative
With three main university hospitals in the Oslo region, each spending  significant amounts on medtech equipment and services, the market size alone points towards a closer clustering of product competence, market needs and research capacities. Such an initiative has now been taken by the Oslo Medtech Network, the Centre for Medical Innovation, Ullevål University Clinic and the IT Fornebu Technology Park. The purpose is to set up a cluster initiative project with funding from the Norwegian Cluster formation programme “Arena”. Start up is expected late 2009.

New Oslo hospital organisation designed to stimulate innovation
Oslo University Hospital is now Europe’s largest hospital following the merger at the start of the year of the 3 existing university hospitals in the city: Rikshospitalet (including Radiumhospitalet), Akershus (Ahus) and Ullevål. The new mega group has:

• 20.000 employees
• a total budget of 2000 million Euros (of which about 6 % for research)
• 1600 research articles per year
• 100 PhD’s per year

There is a great focus on innovation in the new administration, and the hospital is interested in developing new products in collaboration with industrial partners.  

 Picture: Ullevål University Hospital

At Ullevål, the Clinic of Innovation will play an important role in stimulating and building a culture of innovation. One of the ongoing projects is the establishment of an Innovation Centre, where clinicians can collaborate with industry. Also in process is establishing a way of handling all bio-bank samples within the hospital – this material will be available for commercial purposes. 
Presently the hospital is engaged in a 3-year innovation EU project, together with university hospitals in Sweden and Denmark. One of the main objectives is to promote innovation, and a system for an effective way of developing ideas and projects. Ullevål’s task is to implement an infrastructure for a clinic of innovation, and perform research on the effects of the stimulation actions.

For more information contact: Rolf Hofseth rolf.hofseth@teknologisk.no or Kathrine Myhre, kmy@itfe.no.