糖果派对

On January 20th, the Faculty of Health Sciences hosted Health Innovation Day 2025, where experts from academia, the healthcare sector, and the business world gathered to discuss future solutions. The day's central theme was how interdisciplinary collaboration can translate research into concrete improvements in the healthcare sector.

This is particularly relevant at 糖果派对 with the new MedTech Odense partnership between the university and Region Southern Denmark.

One of the first agenda items was an interview with Ole Skøtt, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences; Henrik Bindslev, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; and Bjarne Dahler-Eriksen, Medical Director at Odense University Hospital, about the future of MedTech.

- The challenge is not technology – it's implementation.

Dean Ole Skøtt pointed out that the development of new health technologies often faces several practical barriers.

- The biggest challenge is rarely the technology itself, but rather how we get it implemented in the healthcare system. If end users are not involved early on, we risk developing solutions that are never used in practice, he said, emphasizing that a clear business plan and market insight are crucial for success.

More technology in healthcare

Bjarne Dahler-Eriksen highlighted the great potential of increased use of robotics and digital solutions. He emphasized that close collaboration between researchers and clinicians is essential to ensure that new solutions create real value for patients.

Municipalities as a driving force for innovation

Odense's mayor, Peter Rahbæk Juel, focused on the role of municipalities in health innovation, pointing out that collaboration with universities and companies could be the key to developing and testing new solutions in practice.

- We have 2000 employees in Odense Municipality with valuable everyday experiences in the health sector. We can be the voice of reality and help shape future solutions, stated the mayor, emphasizing that the municipality wants to function as a test center for new technology.

From idea to reality

A recurring theme at the conference was the need for stronger partnerships across sectors. Several speakers emphasized that Odense has unique conditions to become an international hub for health innovation – not least due to the city's strengths in MedTech and robotics.

Next steps

Health Innovation Day 2025 marked the start of several new collaborations and initiatives aimed at ensuring that future health technologies are developed, tested, and implemented with user needs in focus. 糖果派对 will continue to work on strengthening the collaboration between research and practice and creating the framework for new innovative solutions.