Cross-Border Horizons: Uniting Finnish & Estonian Stakeholders for Healthcare Breakthroughs

Join us for a collaborative event organized by the Tehnopol HealthTech Community, in partnership with the Finnish Embassy in Estonia, Business Helsinki, Helsinki Health Incubator, Tehnopol Startup Incubator, and the Estonian Investment Agency, scheduled for the 23rd of January from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM.

Our primary aim is to foster stronger ties between Estonian and Finnish companies and organizations. This event seeks to inspire new collaborations, facilitate the exchange of best practices, and expand the scope for testing and piloting initiatives between both countries. By engaging in these activities, we aim to bolster healthcare system development in both nations and pave the way for innovative cross-border partnerships.

The event will host a diverse array of attendees, including representatives from government bodies, startups, SMEs, corporations, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and investors. It serves as the inaugural step towards a sustained collaboration between both countries within the health innovation sector.

Event topics and focus areas:

• Telemedicine and Remote Patient monitoring platforms for different health issues
• AI driven technology (to support work efficiency, data management, decision making, treatment plan and communication etc)
• Digital Health Platforms and Apps, inc. wearables (disease prevention, patient engagement, real time health monitoring, etc)
• Personalized Medicine and genome data (genomic sequence technologies; personalized medicine based on individuaal genetic profiles)
• Precision Medicine, redesigning the approach to diagnosis and treatment
• Use of Blockchain in Healthcare (health data and interoperability)
• Technology focused on mental health
• Assistive Technologies (for surgery, different procedures etc)

Event Outcomes:

• Direct contacts with different stakeholders;
• Support from partners to foster cross-border collaboration (mentoring etc);
• Sharing and gaining knowledge for/from different stakeholders;
• Insights of Estonian/Finnish innovation tackles and collaboration points;
• Overview of cross-border funding opportunities.

Speakers:

• Mr Vesa Vasara, the Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the Republic of Estonia
• Mrs Signe Riisalo, Minister of Social Protection of Estonia
• Mr Markku Heinäsenaho, Deputy Director General Markku Heinäsenaho, Digitalisation and Information Management, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland

The Moderator for the event will be Timo Nieminen, who is the Executive Manager for Finnish-Estonian Chamber of Commerce.

Agenda:
12:45-13:00 Registering
13:00-13:05 Opening words by Vesa Vasara, the Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the Republic of Estonia

13:05-13:15 Greetings/Keynote by Signe Riisalo, the Minister of Social Protection of Estonia
13:15-13:25 Greetings/Keynote by Markku Heinäsenaho, Deputy Director General Markku Heinäsenaho, Digitalisation and Information Management, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland.
13:25-13:40 Insight of Estonian health innovation projects/collaborations. Karl-Henrik Peterson, Executive Board and Head of IT Systems department, Estonian Health Insurance Fund
13:40-14:00 Insight of Finnish health innovation projects/collaborations. Jukka Lähesmaa, Senior Specialist, Department for Steering of Healthcare and Social Welfare/Unit for Digitalization and Information Management, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland
14:00-14:15 Coffee and Networking break
14:15-14:20 Introduction of Estonian/Finnish companies

14:20-14:30 Estonian company – Dermtest: "Dermtest – the visual-first medical software – from skin cancer detection and medical photography to outcome based psoriasis monitoring DTx" (Priit Kruus, CEO and co-founder)
14:30-14:40 Finnish company – MedicubeX Ltd "Automating the screening of cardiovascular diseases and solving the nursing crisis" (Vili Kostamo, CEO)
14.40-14.50 Estonian company – Gelatex "Revolutionizing the production of nanofibers" (Märt-Erik Martens, co-founder and CEO)
14:50-15:00 Finnish company – Verso Vision "AI based fall management system" (Mikko Järveläinen, Head of Sales and Marketing)
15:00-16:30 Brunch and networking

We look forward to welcoming you to this insightful event fostering innovation and cross-border partnerships in the healthtech sector!

Dermtest, is the visual-first medical software helping doctors and nurses to manage dermatological and other body surface conditions. The digital toolbox is used by more than 80 hospitals and clinics in Estonia and Germany and enables clinicians to capture, track, document, consult or remotely monitor diseases such as skin cancer, chronic wounds, psoriasis and many more in 15 different specialties. Priit Kruus, the CEO and co-founder of Dermtest, will talk about their most recent release on the platform, an outcome-based remote monitoring application and future DTx for better management of psoriasis – a complex chronic autoimmune disease with more than 60 million people suffering world-wide. The new care model for psoriasis management was built together with top clinicians for the Estonian Health Insurance Fund’s remote care leadership program, based on the premise of value based care and aimed to support the increase of quality, access and person centeredness in healthcare. Recently the psoriasis patient-application was further improved to become a supportive near-AI companion for patients in the future. Until that, the functionalities of value-bringing remote monitoring can be actively used in real-life settings by a number of Dermtest’s clients.

MedicubeX Ltd, is a Finnish HealthTech start-up developing healthcare automation and telehealth solutions. Founded in 2020, MedicubeX aims to revolutionize outpatient care delivery with the eHealth Station – a fully autonomous self-service solution for the measurement of vital signs and cardiovascular risk factors. Our aim is to automate the screening of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors and help healthcare systems survive with staff shortages.

Gelatex, employing their patented halospinning technology, is a pioneer in the high-speed production of nanofibrous materials. Halospinning is the world’s fastest and most efficient nanofiber technology reducing production costs up to 90%. Gelatex’s nanofibrous scaffolds replicate the natural cell growth environment advancing 3D cell culture and tissue engineering. The versatility of nanofibers extends to diverse applications, including controlled drug delivery, wound care, and regenerative medicine.

VersoVision, fall-prevention solution and software uses video analytics and AI to deliver fall-prevention for healthcare, care, safety and other fields. Our solution identifies and monitors human actions and movements, sending automatic alerts through a safety system when a risk or danger is detected. Verso Vision has been developed and tested for years in various hospital wards in close cooperation with HUS Helsinki University Hospital. Verso Vision has been in wide hospital production use in HUS and other hospitals since 2017.

Tehnopol HealthTech Community, led by Tehnopol Science and Business Park, is the largest HealthTech community in the Baltics. Tehnopol HealthTech Community used to carry the name Connected Health Cluster, which successfully facilitated 26 joint projects between various stakeholders in Estonia during 2015-2023. Currently, the Tehnopol HealthTech Community is focusing on supporting the companies and organizations through innovation funding, prioritizing cross-border collaboration, supporting with export markets and building the community. Tehnopol is part of various EU projects (e.g. through Horizon and Interreg) to support digital health collaborations and developments.

Tehnopol Startup Incubator creates a strong growth environment for startup companies. The growth program offers the participating companies meaningful and practical training and expert support from the best mentors in Estonia and Europe, with the aim of finding an initial investment or reaching export markets. Tehnopol Startup Incubator is part of the comprehensive support service of Tehnopol, the largest science and business park in the Baltics.

Health Incubator Helsinki is a unique three-year incubator program for research-based health sector teams and startups. The program was initiated in 2019 by the City of Helsinki and the University of Helsinki to drive the transformation of health innovation, research findings and expertise into international business, and to attract new talent and companies to Helsinki, Finland. Health Incubator Helsinki is embedded in a wider collaborative health ecosystem spanning the Helsinki capital region and it is supported by a broad network of healthcare industry experts, entrepreneurs and investors.

Business Helsinki provides a wide range of services catering to the city’s business, innovation, tourism and employment services. Our goal is to support and accelerate the sustainable growth of the city, Helsinki-based companies and their employees.

Estonian Investment Agency is Estonian goverment organization, part of Enterprise Estonia that offers comprehensive, one-stop consultancy services, free of charge, which are always tailored to meet potential and existing companies precise needs. Our objectives are to increase Estonia’s international competitiveness and to develop entrepreneurship and the living environment.

Enterprise Estonia is a public sector institution that seeks to promote the Estonian business and economic environment by providing services that promote entrepreneurship and internationalisation. Our activities contribute to achieving the long-term strategic goals of the Estonian economy and our further aim is to facilitate the process of Estonia becoming one of the most competitive countries in the world.

The event organizer holds the right to choose the participants according to the interest areas of the event.