World-class expertise and close-knit networks drive the health sector forward

In North Savo, expertise in wellbeing and health technology is concentrated around the region’s higher education institutions and the university hospital in Kuopio. Both startups and international businesses are thriving in the region.

North Savo has an ambitious goal: to make the Kuopio region a centre of excellence in health and an attractive hub for both Finnish and international top talent.

One of the key strengths of Kuopio from the perspective of wellbeing and health tech companies is that it is easy to reach the right experts in the city and discuss things directly with them.

“We have the capacity to serve both large and small customers and get projects off the ground quickly. We already have world-class expertise in the city in certain priority industries, such as clinical research, gene therapy and medical physics,” says Mikko Juuti, Key Account Manager at Labquality Ltd.

Juuti has been involved in building Kuopio Health, a strong regional network that creates meeting points for operators and builds models for cooperation. This lowers the boundaries between different operators and makes cooperation natural and versatile.

The benefits of the network are also confirmed by Saara Rissanen, CTO and co-founder of Adamant Health.

“Kuopio is just the right size as a city and the people in this industry know each other. The city has a positive atmosphere of working together, and Kuopio Health is a strong player that has helped build this culture. It allows us to come up with models for smooth cooperation. I think this is one of the major advantages of Kuopio.”

Rissanen also mentions the importance of support for financing. Cooperation with public funding organisations works well, and it is easy to find a sparring partner to discuss financing issues.

“Startups often face challenges in securing financing. Especially in our health tech sector, where there is little or no revenue stream at the start and the product still needs to be developed to completion. It is easy to call a local at Business Kuopio, ELY Centre or Business Finland and ask them to help you explore funding options,” says Rissanen.

Expertise at universities and university hospital at the heart of everything

The expertise at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital has created a fertile ground for the development of the health tech sector in the Kuopio region. In addition, Kuopio has active RDI activities, and the local university of applied sciences, for example, provides access to good test environments.

“The hospital has also engaged in excellent development work for a long time, and various types of living labs have formed around it. All this innovation capital has given rise to interesting commercial opportunities and startups. The high-growth company Marginum is a great example of a company born out of the expertise at the hospital,” says Juuti.

The development has been reflected not only in the funding granted to startups, but also in larger investments in the region.

For example, FinVector, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of viral-based gene therapy drugs, is currently building a new manufacturing facility in Kuopio. Another example is Charles River, which has expanded its operations in Kuopio and provides research services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

“Expertise in our region has grown and diversified tremendously over the last 10 years. Although we have a lot of good cooperation, the ecosystem between universities and industry is still under construction. For example, there is still a lot of potential for increasing cooperation on innovation and bringing in international talent,” says Juuti.

Juuti believes that the Kuopio region should consider which industries have the capacity to build an international ecosystem that will attract more talent and export companies to the region.

“Health tech is already a strong priority discipline at our universities. If we continue our efforts, we have a bright future ahead of us.”

Growing need for professionals

The developing wellbeing and health technology sector is in constant need of more high-level special expertise. Businesses in the sector have many recruitment channels, from targeted training to international recruitment.

“Businesses have received help with international recruitment from the TE services and the ELY Centre. Smaller businesses still need support to hire their first international employees, as this requires a change in culture,” says Juuti.

Adamant Health, a company developing a measurement and analysis service, has five employees in Kuopio and another 10 in other locations around Finland.

“It is important to us that our company is headquartered in Kuopio. A lot of talent in our field is educated here, but it has been challenging to find professionals in fields such as regulation, quality management and software development,” says Rissanen, CTO of the company.

Rissanen admits that a small company may not be able to offer all the same benefits as its larger competitors. However, small high-growth companies have other unique attractions for ambitious professionals.

“We can offer extremely interesting roles in a growing company,” says Rissanen.

Mikko Juuti, on the other hand, hopes to see more international talent and skills-based collaboration in the future.

“We could form skills-based teams and increase dialogue between industry and universities. This is, of course, already happening, but I still see a lot of potential for collaboration.”

When it comes to the strengths of Kuopio Health, Juuti mentions the combination of research, education and business. Especially as education in technology is developing in the region, now is an excellent opportunity to enhance cooperation with international talent.

“It is important to ensure that we attract and retain this talent in order to strengthen our innovation ecosystem and foster long-term growth. This will require the input of educational institutions, companies, business organisations and the city’s operators. The overall strategy should be based on a model establishing a concrete structure for cooperation,” he says.

Increasing knowledge together

The greatest benefits for the entire community come from bringing different operators and professionals around the same table. Kuopio Health plays a key role in making these encounters possible.

“The events organised by Kuopio Health provide great opportunities for meeting people and building networks. The same could be said about our company’s facilities at Hub Panostamo, where many startups are under one roof. It’s easy to exchange ideas over a cup of coffee when you’re surrounded by companies and experts in a similar situation,” says Saara Rissanen.

Startups, in particular, benefit from a close-knit network. When your business is just getting started, it is important to be able to share experiences with others in the same situation. In the health tech sector in particular, the challenges that startups face are often similar, as regulation imposes certain requirements on everyone.

“There are many times along the way when you are not sure how you will overcome a challenge. It’s good to know that there are people who can help. Sharing your own experiences and learning from others is extremely valuable for the community.”

The same spirit of cooperation also extends beyond regional borders.

“We work closely with other regions, such as Oulu, Turku and Tampere. We do not see it as a competitive situation, but an opportunity to showcase our special expertise in a wider context. Our playground would be pretty small if we just stayed here,” says Juuti.

The wellbeing technology and health (health sector) is one of the four priority industries of the Talent First project. The project aims to improve the availability of talent in North Savo through appeal and retention strategies, as well as by building regional cooperation.