Innovation in a aging world: A multiple case study approach to the development of a regional health innovation ecosystem framwork

1. Innovation in an aging
world:
A multiple case study
approach to the
development of a regional
health innovation
ecosystem framework
Winnipeg, Manitoba
October 19, 2017

2. 2
OUR TEAM
Paul Stolee Don Juzwishin – WP7 Team Leads
Josephine McMurray, Heidi Sveistrup – DRiVE Co-PIs
Heather McNeil Kathy Kuschel Marlou Windeler

3. 3
ABOUT US
Understand how regional ecosystems can
contribute to the creation of a fertile
environment for health and ageing technology
innovation (from conceptualization to
commercialization)

4. 4
What is an innovation ecosystem?
• A dynamic, interactive network (system of systems) that
breeds innovation (Oksanen, 2014)
• It also has roots in industry and business clusters (Porter,
1998; Estrin, 2008)
• Innovation systems are hierarchical and intersecting
(Crescenzi, 2005)
• Innovation ecosystems can successfully drive
innovation in local areas (Carlsson 2006; Capello 2013; Leydesdorff and Strand 2013;
Yusuf 2009; iNNOVAHEALTH 2012; Pyka and Janiszewski 2014)

5. INTRODUCTION

6. 6

7. 7
Health Care and Innovation Ecosystems
• There is no “one size fits all”
• Innovation processes are strongly shaped by their
specific knowledge base and regional context (Asheim &
Coenen, 2005)
• Key ecosystem “actors” & trends that uniquely
shape health and age tech innovation:
• Sectoral silos, professional tribes & many stakeholders
(Long, 2013; Herzlinger, 2017)
• Conservative economic and risk profiles
• Highly regulated (Fried, 2017)
• Funding challenges & long investment cycles (Herzlinger, 2017)
• Growing pressure for “openness”
• Rapidly aging population

8. METHODS

9. 9
International Case Study sites

10. 10
Case Studies
1. Surrey, Canada
– Planned
– Early-stage, no history of innovation
2. Capital Health Region, Denmark
– Emergent
– Early-stage, rich history of health innovation
3. Cambridge, United Kingdom
– Emergent
– Mature, rich history of analytic innovation (biomed)
4. Boston, United States
– Planned
– Mature, history of analytic & synthetic innovation

11. SELECTED INSIGHTS

12. 12
Components of successful regional innovation ecosystems
• Regional “social capital” & infrastructure
• Entrepreneurial culture (rich history)
• Specialization
• Interactive, dynamic companies
• Public financing for research and development
• Regulatory framework for starting a business
• Demand – both public and private
• Access to finance & specialized services
• Skilled human resources & vocational training
• Collaboration between the various helices &
networks
• Internationalism

13. 13
Health is ”complicated”
It was the political ambition in the regional
council … that had this health driven growth
ambition so it's a part of a regional strategy that
is confirmed and decided in the council… it's
hard not like the idea about health driven
growth - its health and its growth. It's for most
people two positive things… but the question is
of course, how you do it because you see it's
very easy to have that ambition but it's very
complicated to turn it into reality.
CEO, INNOVATION BROKER

14. 14
Successful systems have a “community of fate” (Hautamaki, 2010)
“From my perspective, I see this as a
network of health institutions of
businesses that are already here, the
universities, and highly qualified
people.
I see it's a hospital to achieve
better health for everybody,
intelligent solutions… attracting
great people, top medical
scientific talent, and of course
companies in the health
technology and services
sector.”
CEO, INNOVATION BROKER

15. 15
Public procurement is a real barrier
[Government health departments] will look
around and say, "Well, we want to buy
something, and, uh, we want to buy it from
vendors that we can trust will be there for a
long time, and will provide good value. And so
we want reference customers, and we want to
know that this, whatever this in, this, this, uh,
product is has been used, well, let's say for
10 years by people who are just our size." You
know, well, okay, used for 10 years? But this is
brand new.
FOUNDER, HEALTH START UP

16. 16
Civic engagement is critical to successful outcomes
We do things like take prototypes to lines at city
hall and show people things and ask for their
feedback and do that kind of ad hoc user
testing. We go to different neighborhoods and
go to community centers. We go to places
where we know we will see a broad
representation of the population of the city, and
we really try to engage to make sure that
we're capturing their perspective and their
needs
CTO, CITY HALL

18. 18

19. 19
Changing health research perspectives
Any collection of academics that are really on the
input side of the equation like, "I'm going to do this
because I know this is a real problem, dementia in
care homes is a real problem, and so I'm going to
do this," if they are looking about what it is
they're going to do instead of what it is that's
going to happen as an impact result, then
you're probably still going to see a challenge.
PROFESSOR/University

20. 20
RHIE’s should have access to diverse populations
We've done focus groups and just have been
really surprised about the kind of feedback that
we're receiving. It really guides our research to
be more appropriate and targeted... What's
interesting about Boston is that many of the
subcultures are actually from the Caribbean.
They're very, very different than the established
African American community here… we want to
become more culturally sensitive in the design
and the interfaces
CEO/Senior’s Retirement Living
.

21. 21
Gendered professions are not prepared to innovate
We basically leave nursing school with a
stethoscope, but we've never left anything with
any business acumen... And the truth is, is in
nursing, in general, they've been taught that they
basically operate within a box... [yet at]
medical hackathons, 2% of attendees were
nurses, but they went on doing 90% of the
challenges that were put forward. 90%. 2% were
nurses, 90% of medical hackathons, the teams
that won were composed of nurses. I want to do it
in nursing.
FOUNDER, HEALTH START UP & NURSE

22. NEXT STEPS

23. 23
International Survey this Fall
• Using the DRiVE database of international health
and aging innovation ecosystems ( N=212)
• Explore “best practices”, performance measurement
• Grants to advance women in regional health &
agetech innovation ecosystems

24. Discussion
“When you're in a cluster, the risk trying to do something really
hard is a lower risk. The real risk is lower, because there's all
the other people around you who are doing the same thing and
helped you feel less lonely, there are all the people who will
help you, they'll encourage you. If it doesn't work, they won't
judge you”

25. THANK YOU
jmcmurray@wlu.ca
@AgeWell_DRIVE
www.drive-health-ecosystems.ca
519.242 7477