Coffee break with our partners:

Health Capital Helsinki is building the greatest health capital – and in doing that, collaborating with various impactful organisations. Meet our partners is an interview series introducing you to our Finnish and international partners. This time, we’re happy to have a chat with Eija Raussi-Lehto from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences who will tell us about Metropolia Proof Health, including a brand new, internationally unique simulation hospital.

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, located in Helsinki, is Finland’s largest university of applied sciences, educating future professionals in the fields of business, culture, healthcare and social services, and technology. Metropolia has a special innovation hub focused on wellbeing and health services, that develops and tests new customer-oriented services, products and business experiments pilots.Central parts of the innovation hub are learning and development environments HyMy Village, Turbiini Pre-incubator and Metropolia Proof Health for pre-clinical testing, validation and verification.Health Capital Helsinki and Metropolia’s collaboration has included, for example, building testbed services for the brand new, state-of-the-art simulation hospital included in Metropolia Proof Health, as well as matchmaking between Metropolia and potential partners, such as the recently launched collaboration of Metropolia and Siemens Healthineers.

Hello Eija! What is Metropolia Proof Health and who does it serve?

Eija: Metropolia Proof Health is a multidisciplinary scientific collaboration platform for clinical product development and research on the Myllypuro campus of Metropolia. The facilities and equipment, which correspond to authentic care and hospital environments, offer opportunities for a wide range of preclinical product development and research activities.The platform is built on six specialist centres, known as Excellences: Movement and lower limb, Simulation, Biomedical laboratory, Radiography and radiotherapy, Optometry and Oral Excellences.In addition to these, we have facilities suitable for research and testing available in the home environment and the Sensory Room. The research infrastructure aims to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in social services and needs-based products and applications. The platform also enables the study of care service chains.

Eija Raussi-Lehto

”I am helping to connect the needs of companies and projects with Metropolia’s research ecosystem. I hold a Master’s degree in Health Sciences as well as Registered Midwifery and Nursing degrees. Additionally, I have qualifications in product development, educational administration and over 20 years of experience as a senior lecturer at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. Moreover, I also work as a project researcher in Aalto University, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering. If you are interested in Metropolia Proof Health’s offering, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.“Tel. +358 40 6300 988
eija.raussi-lehto@metropolia.fi

There is a dire need for low-threshold pre-clinical testing both in Finland and internationally. Metropolia Proof Health meets this need.

Why did Metropolia want to set up a test environment?

Eija: We realised that especially early-stage companies, startups and even some projects that are not yet ready for deployment in an authentic hospital environment, need support. Currently, there is a lack of early-stage product development support. Indeed, there is a dire need for low-threshold pre-clinical testing both in Finland and internationally. Metropolia Proof Health meets this need by making its research infrastructure available to such companies. After all, as Finland’s largest university of applied sciences, we have experts in the fields of social and health care, health technology, information technology, design and business administration, as well as digital technologies such as Virtual Reality, IoT, data sciences, automation and robotics. Metropolia Proof Health’s strength lies in its multidisciplinary and scientific cooperation.

When do you feel you have succeeded in your work?

Eija: The most rewarding part of my work is to be involved in making great matches. In other words, connecting the needs of companies with Metropolia’s teachers, researchers and students and supporting these businesses in their first steps. Moreover, we have a wonderful innovative team here at Metropolia and feelings of success are also gained from the accomplishments of my colleagues.

What is your message to a company that would like to do preclinical testing and doesn’t really know where to start?

Eija: A great place to find more information is the Metropolia Proof Health website. Alternatively, you can contact us directly, and we can discuss the potential collaboration, and map out the first steps for preclinical testing together.

What kind of collaboration have you had with Health Capital Helsinki?

Eija: The concept for Metropolia Health Proof has been built in close cooperation with Health Capital Helsinki, making extensive use of their expertise and experience in the health business. This close co-operation continues and we receive important support to advance our concept and our research ecosystem.Together with Health Capital Helsinki, our aim is to create an internationally networked joint service entity for health tech and wellbeing companies operating in the Uusimaa region, as well as to support research, development and innovation activities in their various stages. That is why we are working closely with the City of Helsinki’s primary health care and social care test environments and special care and diagnostics test environments at HUS Helsinki University Hospital to build common service paths. Here, too, we receive tremendous support from Health Capital Helsinki. Our common goal is to open the right doors and develop the health business in the Helsinki Metropolitan area.

Metropolia Proof Health

What: Metropolia Proof Health is a multidisciplinary scientific cooperation platform that offers research infrastructure services designed for preclinical product development and researchFor who: Early-stage companies and projects that are not yet ready for deployment in an authentic hospital environment

With Health Capital Helsinki, our common goal is to open the right doors and develop the health business in the Helsinki Metropolitan area.

Health Capital Helsinki