The recipe for future healthcare solutions is shaped in The Kitchen

In August, The Kitchen - Aarhus University's start-up hub -  was transformed into a meeting place for healthcare innovators and partners in Health Innovation Aarhus. HIA and Aarhus University hosted an inspiring networking event where ideas and solutions for the future of healthcare were discussed, developed, and shared across sectors.

Participants, including startups, established companies, researchers, and healthcare professionals, gathered with a shared goal: to network and find innovative solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare system today. The energy in the room was high from the very first minute.

- You can feel the energy pulsing through the room. Once people start talking it's hard to get them to stop. It's just amazing and a sign that something is happening in this field, right here in the region, said Lone Ryg Olsen, Director of Enterprise and Innovation at Aarhus University.

Challenge-based innovation: How do we create the best solutions for the future?

At the event, participants were introduced to a workshop on challenge-based innovation. They were presented with two of the major strategic challenges the region is currently facing: too many outpatient visits to hospitals and the difficulty in coordinating efforts around home-based patient care. The participants were asked to contribute their insights on how to best structure a development process for healthcare solutions and how to avoid some of the pitfalls that can arise in public-private innovation partnerships.

The workshop offered the opportunity to explore how the diverse competencies, technologies, and know-how of the participants could contribute to solutions that extend beyond the traditional healthcare system. There was a strong sense that great breakthroughs happen when different perspectives meet.

- It’s in the meeting of different parties that collaboration happens. That’s where the great idea emerges. The spark is lit, which one day may become the company we all rely on in the future. Or maybe it finds the cure for a rare disease or a completely new way to care for the elderly, Lone Ryg Olsen said.

Aarhus as a global center for healthcare innovation

The event also highlighted how Aarhus is establishing itself as a global hub for healthcare innovation. The city's unique ecosystem, which includes Aarhus University, one of the world’s leading university hospitals, promising startups, and established companies, provides a powerful platform for collaboration and innovation.

- Aarhus is establishing itself, not only in Denmark but globally, as a place to go for health innovation. I think there's just a great energy here I see many people who are eager: They want to do things. And create something, said Jacob Thyrsted Jensen, Co-founder of Cobler Health Innovation.

A future of more collaborations

The networking event was a prime opportunity for participants to forge new connections and build collaborations across sectors. The ambition is that the work with challenge-basend innovation will have the potential to create long-term solutions that will benefit not only the Central Denmark Region but also have national and international reach.

Christina Egelund Antonsen, external consultant at Aarhus University, summarized the significance of the day:

- Suddenly, we might discover completely different solutions that are far more relevant to the context we find ourselves in.

With a clear focus on the future and a strong commitment to collaboration, Health Innovation Aarhus is ready to host more events where partners can meet, exchange ideas, and work together to shape healthcare solutions that can revolutionize the healthcare system—both locally and globally

See a video from the event