Innovation Day brought the healthcare sector and robotics companies closer together
Structured innovation process and Innovation Day
How can robotics and automation create value in healthcare? That question was at the heart of Innovation Day, where Odense Robotics and the Central Denmark Region brought together healthcare professionals and Danish robotics companies to explore technology for the healthcare sector. In June, healthcare professionals from the Central Denmark Region and a number of Danish robotics and automation companies gathered for Innovation Day to explore how technology can help shape the future of healthcare. The event was part of a collaborative initiative between the Central Denmark Region, its four regional hospitals, and Odense Robotics, with the aim of identifying opportunities for automation in laboratory operations.
A structured innovation process facilitated by Odense Robotics
Innovation Day was not a standalone event, but the culmination of a structured innovation process designed and facilitated by Odense Robotics.
The collaboration began with a strategic workshop, where key stakeholders from the Central Denmark Region came together to establish a shared understanding of their ambitions, priorities, and approach to innovation and technology implementation. The workshop helped create a common foundation before engaging with industry.
The next step brought selected robotics and automation companies into the laboratories at Aarhus University Hospital. During these site visits, companies gained first-hand insight into workflows, challenges, and operational processes by walking through the facilities alongside healthcare professionals.
Based on these observations, the companies developed concrete automation concepts and solution proposals, which were presented and discussed during Innovation Day. This structured approach ensured that the dialogue was grounded in real clinical needs and gave both healthcare professionals and companies a valuable opportunity to explore how technology could create tangible value.
“We have invited a range of suppliers who have all participated in a process where they visited the laboratories and assessed the opportunities for automation. They have visited two laboratories and have now returned with different solution proposals that they believe can create value,” says Hans Vejersøe Gregersen, Head of Procurement and Medical Technology for Laboratory and Dialysis, Central Denmark Region.
When two worlds meet
Healthcare is facing increasing demands for quality, efficiency, and capacity. At the same time, there is a growing need to ensure that healthcare professionals can spend their time and expertise where they make the greatest impact. Automation can play an important role in meeting these challenges. However, technology only creates value when it is based on the real-world challenges and workflows that healthcare professionals encounter every day. A key ambition of the initiative has therefore been to strengthen collaboration between hospital staff and the companies developing new technologies.
“The purpose is to bring industry closer to the laboratories, because for many companies, hospital laboratories are a relatively closed environment. Our hope is to bring these two worlds closer together,” explains Hans Vejersøe Gregersen.
The ambition is to create a stronger foundation for future automation projects where technology can support workflows, free up resources, and allow healthcare professionals to focus on the tasks that require their expertise.
Insights from those who know the challenges best
For the participating companies, the day provided an opportunity to engage directly with the healthcare professionals who may one day work alongside these solutions.
“We’re here today because we have something to contribute when it comes to integrating automation into healthcare. We want to share our knowledge and help identify the right opportunities,” says Henrik Holm Hansen, Project Sales Manager at Technicon.
Anton Jørgensen, CEO and Co-founder of Essential Robotics, also highlights the value of close collaboration with healthcare professionals.
“We always learn a great deal from visiting hospitals. It’s important for us to hear directly from the people who will be working closely with these solutions in the future—both those on the front line and those involved in making the decisions.”
For NGIN Automation, the collaboration is about exploring how automation can help support a healthcare system facing increasing demands.
“We can see that the Danish healthcare system needs more resources, and perhaps some of that need can be addressed through automation solutions,” says Mads Bjørnsbæk Larsen, CEO of NGIN Automation.
Solutions with real potential
The proposed solutions were met with great interest by hospital staff.
“It’s truly exciting to see the different initiatives being presented today. The companies have visited us and identified areas where they believe they can help. Many of the solutions I’ve seen today match our needs very well,” says Tine Meyer, Chief Biomedical Laboratory Scientist, Department of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital.
Kristina Lauridsen also highlights the value of gaining a deeper understanding of the technologies behind the solutions.
“It has been really exciting to learn more about the thinking behind the robots. It has also been very interesting to gain a better understanding of the technology behind the solutions we see in practice,” says Kristina Lauridsen, Biomedical Laboratory Scientist, Department of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital.
Read more about innovation days here