Releasing the power of users - articulating user interest to accelerate new innovative pathways in digital health and welfare sector

The primary objective of the project is to develop a broad knowledge baser about how the different stakeholders on the e-health arena can engage in more user – centric models. First, it aims to understand the range of different modes of user participation in innovation process to anticipate their needs and expectations. Further, it focuses on how users can become a source of responsible innovations by employing an enabling approach – a physical context, a toolkit and a framework methodology – through which users can be actively involved in the innovation process. Thirdly, we consider the innovation eco-system by creating a boundary space (the Shared Innovation Futures Lab) in Stavanger where different stakeholders in this sector - system integrators, municipalities, healthcare professionals, small and start-up entrepreneurs and end users, can co-create innovations together in a “safe spaces” within which experimentation, prototyping, learning from “intelligent failure” can take place.

In this project we will develop and extend the RRI and the CSR frameworks to make them accessible and useful tools for practitioners. In particular, our proposed project focuses on the inclusion of diverse users in innovation processes and creating of innovative ecosystem for cocreation of innovations in the context of digital health and welfare (ehealth). The project is organized in four work packages WP1 Understanding users side address the first project objective of understanding the range of different modes of user participation though identifying attitudes, concerns and expectations of users in relation to welfare technology. Outcome is replicable methods of integrating the user voices in front end of innovation process with documented results WP2 Creating a boundary innovation space address the second project objective of creating an enabling approach and develops design specifications for an innovation space to help to accelerate user involvement. It furthermore undertakes interventions and pilot the SIF Lab with both physical and digital spaces. The outcome is development of a robust template for wider use by innovative firms interested in developing more inclusive approaches to working with users in digital healthcare innovation, that can be also applicable for other sectors WP3 Enhancing the ecosystem address the third project objective of developing a robust framework for shared value business models for exiting eco-system. It identifies stakeholder’s motivations and suggests collaborative business models for free innovation, The outcome is scalable and replicable model of cooperation between innovative firm that incorporate user voices, and broader eco-system (system integrators, health enterprises, municipalities etc.) WP4 Open learning arena deals with dissemination of results and communication with virtual national centre for RRI