Product Validation in Health (ProVaHealth)

ProVaHealth is an interreg-project applied for which facilitates access to health infrastructures for startups and SMEs. It promotes commercialization based on excellent client validation opportunities, hands-on feedback and input for product development. ProVaHealth involves 14 health Living Labs from the Baltic Sea region and works together with ScanBalt and the European Network of Living Labs.

The project is coordinated by Tallinn Tehnopol, Külle Tarnov.

On the photo: Kúlle Tarnov, Tallinn Tehnopol, coordinator of ProVaHealth

Co-creation and experimental testing of products in real-life are key aspects of Living Labs, which thereby help and support companies to rapidly commercialize and scale up their innovations and products to the global markets. In the Baltic Sea region Living Labs exist within several health and well-being areas.

A process has been initiated by ScanBalt aiming for the “Baltic Sea Region as one test site for development of health care products and services”. ProVaHealth is an important step in this direction and aims to overcome the following challenges;  1) the Living Lab infrastructures serve only locally or regionally; 2) slow market uptake of innovations.

Based on best practices and experience of the involved partner Living Labs the project works towards concrete improvements within the labs and in parallel develops processes for open access to the Living Lab services for SMEs from the entire Baltic Sea region. The aim is to bring service to 300 SMEs. The open services of all 14 ProVaHealth living labs will be part of the ScanBalt Business Club online catalogue services. ProVaHealth furthermore involves 30 science parks, incubator or clusters offering services to their client SMEs.

ProVaHealth will produce a tested Self-Evaluation Toolbox for Living Labs, a transnational Living Lab concept including a service model based on the needs of health SMEs and will be available and usable for all Living Labs via the ScanBalt website and European Network of Living Labs.

At the end of the project 14 partner Living Labs will have their long term business plans ready and 14 SMEs have a service and/or product validated.