TalTech and health economy accelerator Health Founders begin cooperation
Every year, several new health innovation projects are launched in the framework of TalTech’s Digital Health study programme. During the period of six months, project teams develop solutions for problems in certain fields of health care. To become a real business, however, the projects need further support. The cooperation with Health Founders business accelerator helps to support the next stage of the projects and prepare for their first investments.
The student projects of the Digital Health Master’s programme give the students a chance to experience, through implementing real-life technology projects, the meaning of innovation in the field of health care. In addition to regular subjects of the e-health curriculum, student teams pass a number of checkpoints in order to create solutions for health care problems through teamwork. The most successful teams have a chance to continue with their projects in the development program of the Health Founders health economy accelerator.
In addition to enhancing the development of student projects, TalTech and Health Founders engage in joint research activities. The students and researchers of TalTech contribute to the innovation activities of Ülemiste City, including the implementation of remote reception and research and studies needed by health technology enterprises for product development. „Our international Master’s program gives the knowledge for creating innovations in e-health and implementing them in real life. The cooperation agreement ensures the students’ access to joint activities with health care specialists and end-users. Through this, students can validate their innovative products or services,“ comments Mr. Priit Kruus, the head of the study program.
The collaboration agreement enhances the development of science-based entrepreneurship, bringing together students and health care companies at the right moment. Students will get the chance to write their master thesis in a specific field or publish their work as a scientific article. „For example, a master thesis could be written based on a clinical study about a new technology developed — this is how, during studies, the first step will be taken to present science-based solutions,“ explains Kruus.
In addition to dealing with the regular growing pains of entrepreneurship, the enterprises of health care technologies face regulative and clinical challenges. „With the help of our accelerator, the entrepreneurs can better cope with these challenges. The cooperation with TalTech gives a chance to guide enterprises in the right direction already in their early development phase,“ says Erki Mölder, the co-founder of the accelerator. „An idea is not a product, a product is not production, production is not sales and sales is not profit,“ adds Mölder. In other words — it is a long way from an idea to making profit, and on this way, the enterprises developing health technologies need various types of advice and support. Together with TalTech, we can offer this kind of support to these enterprises.“
Digital Health Master’s programme is a unique curriculum in Europe that gives a broad knowhow on health care, IT, medicine, economics, law, state management, entrepreneurship and other topics related to the digitalization of health care. The curriculum prepares specialists who will be able to analyze, develop and successfully implement new technologies and digital solutions in health care.
Health Founders is a private initiative at the Ülemiste City Health Centre the purpose of which is to „fly to the orbit“ 100 innovative enterprises with a global reach that help people make everyday decisions concerning health management and treatment prescribed by doctors.
