A Record-Breaking Year
The year 2024 was significant for Kuopio Health in many ways. Our cooperative grew at an unprecedented pace, with 13 new members and one partner joining us. This demonstrates that our activities are of great interest across Finland, as many of these new members come from different parts of the country. We can now confidently say that we are a truly national player. Kuopio’s expertise is gaining recognition, which is why more organizations want to join us.
One of the highlights of the year was the Kuopio Health Insights event. The feedback we received was excellent, and the event’s importance continues to grow year after year. In the coming year, we aim to take it one step further: this time, we will invite investors, with the goal of strengthening connections between startups and financiers.
Additionally, the recognition received at the European Digital Innovation Hubs Network Summit 2024 for the collaboration between Kuopio Health, the University of Eastern Finland, and ThingLink was a significant achievement. This award highlights that we have genuinely been developing solutions that benefit businesses. More broadly, the initiatives we undertake in our project activities have a tangible impact.
The State and Future of the Health Sector Ecosystem
Kuopio Health’s membership includes businesses, research institutions, and public sector actors. The University of Eastern Finland, the Wellbeing Services County, and Savonia University of Applied Sciences play of course important roles, as they are engaged in multiple projects that we hope will generate novel innovation ideas.
However, the number of research-driven innovations has been declining, making investments in the early stages of the innovation chain more crucial than ever. Our goal is to ensure that new ideas can progress efficiently and receive the necessary support for commercialization.
Collaboration between companies has increased, and we will be able to share the outcomes of these efforts in due course. At the same time, international networks such as ECHAlliance and the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP) offer even more opportunities. Our objective is to leverage these networks more actively—especially in securing direct EU funding.
Towards Greater Impact
The impact of Kuopio Health’s activities stems from collaboration and collective action. This year, we are focusing particularly on international visibility and leveraging networks. Our cooperation with Estonia is one example of this: we are developing the content of the Kuopio Health Insights 2025 event together, and in return, we will participate in the Estonian Healthtech Week program.
I encourage you to visit Kuopio in August to experience the unique atmosphere of the Insights event, meet industry experts, discuss current health sector topics, and build new networks. As always, the program will be of high quality, yet the atmosphere will remain relaxed.
Even though our resources are limited, active participation from our members can exponentially increase our impact. For instance, the planning of our event content would greatly benefit from the expertise within our network—we have an incredible amount of knowledge that we can collectively utilize.
The work of our working groups has been highly valued, and we will continue to use this co-development tool. We strive to address interesting topics that our members find beneficial. Additionally, we will be present at major international events, such as Nordic Life Science Days 2025, where we will showcase our work alongside Business Finland and other ecosystem players.
The Power of Community
The strength of Kuopio Health lies in its people and collaboration. Our ecosystem will only thrive if members actively participate and voice their needs. This is why we encourage open dialogue and feedback—the more we understand our members’ expectations, the better we can respond with high-quality services and engaging content.
Last year, we succeeded not only in growing our membership and increasing international recognition but also in communication. We have gained visibility, which has led to new partnerships. The feedback we receive—especially at industry events—often emphasizes the dynamic development of our ecosystem and the high level of expertise within it. This shows that when we tell our story effectively, it reaches the right people and inspires new actions.
The year 2025 is full of opportunities. Let’s continue working together to make Kuopio Health an even more impactful ecosystem!
Aki Gröhn, CEO, Kuopio Health
