1. Innovation strategy 2011 – 2015
Oslo University Hospital

2. Introduction
Like other western countries, Norway is facing great challenges within the health care sector.
We are aging and developing diseases as a result of our lifestyle. Health care related expenses
are on the rise, and new methods and treatments are continuously being developed, improved
and implemented. Furthermore, the information technology is challenging the way we
communicate, both internally and externally. With “An innovative and sustainable Norway” the
Norwegian Government is encouraging collaboration and new ways of thinking. We need to
improve how we share information and good clinical solutions, or even visualize the social
impact of all ongoing research. There is an unrealized potential for increased innovation from
medical research compared to other countries, according to The Research Council of Norway.
Oslo University Hospital, Norway’s leading hospital in medical research and development, is
taking a leading role in innovation.
With its expert research facilities, Oslo University Hospital has the right qualifications to carry
out such a responsibility. The hospital has extensive experience in developing ideas of a
commercial nature. The Directorate of Health has defined the activity as “A new and improved
product, service, process or organizational structure that has been implemented in the health
care sector”. In order to fulfil this activity, the hospital needs to continuously focus on
developing ideas related to services and organisational processes. This innovation aims to
improve patient treatment, and to generate optimal resource allocation of health care services.
The hospital’s innovation initiative must meet the health care service’s continuous
need for increased quality and productivity within acceptable financial frameworks. In
order to create value, both development and ownership of new innovations are
important conditions. It will increase the amount of ideas and make it easier to
prioritise innovations that give the greatest combined value for patient, hospital and
society.
1. Vision
Oslo University Hospital will become one of Europe’s leading hospitals in health care
innovation. The hospital will be renowned for its forward leaning innovation culture, as well as
its expert research & development laboratory in the Norwegian health care sector. The hospital
will appear as an attractive workplace where employees contribute to the development,
validation and use of the best treatment principles for current and future patients.
2. Principles
Innovation at Oslo University Hospital will be defined by the following principles:
a. Innovation will include ideas from research, clinical work, functional organizing, and
the managing of the hospital.
b. Innovation will be an integrated part of various research & development
communities.
c. Innovation needs to have solid agreements and clear guidelines in order to ensure
involvement from employees, openness and good ethics.
d. Value created from innovation will be reinvested in new innovation, research and
development.
e. Innovation is anchored at the top, and managers and units at the hospital will be
measured on progress.
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3. f. The hospital strives to collaborate with the industry and commerce sector
developing new products, and to ensure close co‐operation with Inven2 as a
commercial partner
g. Use of open innovation 1 will strengthen collaboration with general practitioners,
other hospitals and public services both nationally and internationally
3. Innovation participants
To be able to prepare for and carry through innovations, the hospital has several participants
with different areas of responsibility. In these roles there will be grey zones and shared
responsibilities. Close collaboration is necessary.
The Department of Innovation
The Department of Innovation will be a catalyst and facilitator for the innovation activity, both
within the hospital and to external institutions, partners, industry and commerce. The
Department of Innovation will lead the work of developing an innovation culture and
introduce innovation techniques and procedures which will promote innovation generally, and
process‐ and service innovation specifically.
Other innovation support in the hospital
The hospital has established communities that provide assistance in development and testing
of innovations. The hospital has its own system for internal approval of new medical
equipment. The Intervention Centre can assist both in the development of treatment methods
within image guided and minimal invasive treatment, and in the testing of product ideas that
will be commercialized. The Clinical Research Post can assist with early phase studies, and the
Test Unit can help with phase 1 and phase 2 studies. In addition, the hospital has several
research communities that are potential contributors in the development.
Inven2
The company collaborates with both Oslo University Hospital and the University of Oslo in
commercializing work‐ and research deliverables with business potential. The company is
project oriented and works hands‐on with commercialization strategies, intellectual property
rights, fairness, verification and contracts with industry and commerce, and funding. Inven2 is
also responsible for overseeing budgets and functions as a contact administration for clinical
studies by Oslo University Hospital.
1 The term «open innovation» has its origins in the American Henry Chesbroughs studies of American big firms’ innovation strategies and the weight
these now put on using external knowledge and external commercialization. The perspective in these studies is business oriented and a supplement
to system oriented innovation research. The term is used to study how firms develop strategies for contact with external actors through cooperation,
obtaining information and ideas and by buys of R&D and technology baked into undersupplies of product or patents. That also illustrates how these
can commercialize their own technology by selling patents, establishing new firms, licensing out technology and solutions. This way, firms are woven
into networks where they collect ideas, cooperate and buy services from a continuously wider spectrum of external actors. These contact areas build
up under own knowledge development and innovation and result in the actors of industry and commerce developing specialised, interdisciplinary
knowledge.
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4.
4. Strategic main goal
Innovation will be an integrated and explicit part of hospital operations, creating value
through better patient treatment and new treatment routines, and therefore contribute
to optimal use of resources and economical gains.
a. Implement an innovation culture
Through increased attention and knowledge, an innovation culture will be created
within the clinical, research‐ and administrative communities, promoting new and
creative ideas. A good culture will make it easier to identify opportunities in
mentioned communities, increase the number of ideas, and contribute to the
implementation of processes and services that provide good solutions for patients,
employees and the hospital. The innovation progress, based on good ethics, will
continue as an integrated part of the work within and/or across the clinics.
b. Document gains and measure the activity
As a part of the innovation progress, the hospital will contribute to develop a
framework for decision support for the hospital’s process‐ and service innovations
based on the health care economical parameters. The management at Oslo
University Hospital will be measured on these parameters.
c. Inventions – validation and immaterial rights
In order to increase the number of commercial inventions, there needs to be a solid
framework in place for validating findings within the research‐ and clinical
communities. Verifying work related to basal research results, and preclinical
validation and commissioned clinical testing are typical examples. A good
infrastructure will make it possible to extract synergies within method‐ and product
development, quality improvements and professional development. Rights will be
secured through collaboration with Inven2.
d. Collaboration with general practitioners
The hospital will contribute to collaboration projects between hospitals and general
practitioners. By the use of innovation techniques, bottlenecks will be identified and
product‐ process‐ and service innovations will be developed based on patient needs.
This is to meet the changes in pathology, an aging population and growing health
related expenses.
e. National and international collaboration
The hospital will have a close collaboration with Inven2, the University of Oslo and
other academic communities through respective research environments. When Oslo
University Hospital participates in national and international research collaboration,
Inven2 may contribute in product patenting and development. Oslo University
Hospital will further cooperate with patient organizations, research partners,
hospitals, health care institutions and industry to indentify critical success factors
for health innovation and share process‐ and service innovations with documented
utility value.
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5. f. Innovation in Helse Sør­Øst
Due to its leading role in innovation, the hospital has a responsibility for sharing
information and knowledge, which aims to facilitate and promote new ideas in the
region.
g. Establishing routines and processes
The hospital will ensure that employee rights are protected. This includes fair
treatment, clear guidelines for qualifications and ownership in organizations, and an
incentive structure that stimulates innovation. The goal will be to cover needs for
both well established, competent innovation environments and for every innovative
employee that needs support. The hospital will develop a web based innovation tool
for collection and processing of ideas, and through this contribute to sharing of
information and knowledge in the hospital. The tool will connect cooperation
partners together internally, and arrange for cooperation with other hospitals,
general practitioners, research institutes and financial environments. The tool will
also facilitate transference of innovation projects to Inven2.
h. Resources
The hospital will earmark sufficient resources to establish, maintain and develop a
necessary infrastructure for innovation. Furthermore, innovation incentives and
resources for carrying out innovation will be provided. The hospital will have
various communities that offer assistance to development and testing. These will be
evaluated regularly and be adapted to changing needs.
i. Innovation committees
Innovation committees will be established internally at Oslo University Hospital,
which can offer advice on guidelines and rights. Moreover, the committee will
provide advice on prioritization, incentive structure and implementation
contributions that can profit the hospital.
j. External advisory
The hospital will establish an advisory committee consisting of representatives from
a variety of external communities. This way, the hospital will gain access to
knowledge, competence and networks outside the health sector.
k. Collaboration with industry and commerce
The hospital will contribute to the establishment and development of industry
clusters, which can give business potential for Norwegian organizations as suppliers
to the health care sector. The hospital has been involved in several collaboration
structures with business partners, for example Oslo Medtech (medical technical
industry) and Oslo Cancer Cluster (Centre of Expertise within cancer research).
These forms of collaboration need to be promoted, ensured and strengthened.
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