Digital Health Testbeds, innovAId innovation spaces

Testbeds and related concepts as ‘living labs’ or ‘field labs’ are real-word laboratories that foster innovation. Testbeds provide the environment and the methods to test and validate in real-world settings innovative products and services. In innovAId in each HEI testbeds are developed and opened to support innovation teams specifically focused on the use of digital technology to improve patientcare and healthcare workers practices.

From an idea in research to an actual and lasting application in healthcare is a long bumpy road and many good (!) ideas end prematurely. Innovation is risky, expensive, takes a lot of time and involves many uncertainties. A structured approach and collaboration (co-creation) with users helps to shorten the process from idea to implementation and helps to efficiently use available resources for ideas that are most promising and add most value. A digital health testbed provides the structured approach in an environment that represents the real world.

Innovation teams consisting of alternating students, staff members, technicians and SME’s may make use of the facilities of a digital health testbed. In the testbed they can test, develop, test, and validate their innovative ideas in the field of digital care in collaboration with the (end)users. This structured environment and way of working should shorten the time-to-market of innovations and increase the number of innovations that will be actually used. The environment in which the testbed is made available is expected to become a frontrunner in the field of digital innovation in healthcare. It is expected that testbeds become a magnet for new initiatives.

The digital health testbeds developed in innovAId will be presented at the innovAId website.