| Deadline: 6 May 2022 at 12 CET |
| Budget: NOK 2.500.000 |
About Nordic Innovation
Nordic Innovation is an organization under the Nordic Council of Ministers working to promote cross-border trade and innovation, located in Oslo. The Nordic Council of Ministers is the official intergovernmental body for cooperation in the Nordic region. With 26 million inhabitants in the Nordic region, Nordic Co-operation is one of the most comprehensive regional partnerships anywhere in the world.
Nordic Innovation is contributing to taking part in implementing the Nordic Prime Ministers vision for the Nordics as a stronger and more sustainable region which is the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. Its mandate is to contribute to making the Nordics a leading region for sustainable growth and to increase entrepreneurship, innovation and competitiveness in the Nordic region. Nordic Innovation supports projects and programs to stimulate innovation and works to improve the framework conditions for Nordic markets and exports.
Nordic Innovation is situated in Oslo, Norway, with 20 highly qualified employees from all the Nordic countries with expertise from different business fields. Nordic Innovation’s annual budget is approximately NOK 100 million.
For further information, please refer to the following webpages:
Purpose and context
The purpose of this call is to strengthen Nordic value chains, cluster organizations and eco-systems in the fields of health technologies and medical technologies. Through this initiative, Nordic Innovation sets out to promote sustainable growth, innovation, entrepreneurship and global competitiveness of Nordic companies.
By supporting the value chain collaboration between the Nordic cluster and eco-system organizations and the Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) in the UK, export of Nordic Health Tech and Med Tech solutions to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). Furthermore, the aim is to stimulate innovation collaboration both in the Nordics and with UK innovation environments.
Nordic Innovation has for the past year worked with the AHSN to develop and establish the framework for the initiative.
For a period of two years, the winning Nordic consortia will work with Yorkshire & Humber AHSN in the UK to annually facilitate 10 highly relevant Nordic companies’ participation in an intensive week of training and access possibilities to bid for contracts with the NHS in addition to explore innovation possibilities together with UK firms. As part of the exit strategy for this project, the winning Nordic consortia will by the end of the two-year period also have established collaboration with two additional Academic Health Science Networks in the UK.
Training camps
The winning Nordic consortia will together with Yorkshire & Humber AHSN develop a training week in Leeds. It is a week of activities for Nordic based Health Tech Providers and the aim of the training week is to support, advice and provide Nordic companies with a strong "landing pad" to move into the UK NHS market.
Yorkshire and Humber AHSN is supporting the call with additional background information about the training week. In the Yorkshire & Humber AHSN documents you can read more about the structure of the training week and the ideas behind it. The final content, timetable and dates are to be decided in collaboration between the Nordic Consortia and Yorkshire & Humber AHSN.
Background
The Life Science & Health Tech program is one of eight initiatives launched by the five Nordic Ministers working to promote cross-border trade and innovation. The initiatives represent a determined advance towards a stronger and more sustainable Nordic region and support the vision for the Nordic region to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. The aim is to strengthen the Nordic companies' opportunities in the field of life science and health technology to create new products and solutions for the benefit of Nordic citizens.
Read more about the Life Science and Health Tech program
To achieve this ambition, the Nordic healthcare systems need to evolve. We would like to keep the Nordic citizens healthy and to live long without necessarily “ever” becoming hospital patients. From an innovation and business policy point of view, it is beneficial to highlight the concrete opportunities that a common data platform could offer both related to development of new technical solutions and the possibilities for scaling.
Nordic life science and health tech business ecosystems are crucial for understanding needs and possibilities for Nordic life science and healthcare SMEs. Access to testing of solutions and products are one of the common challenges for companies. Multiple testing facilities, living labs, along with testing in hospitals gives better results and solutions while supporting the growth of innovative companies.
In relation to scaling the Nordic solutions, the program aims to increase the possibility to link Nordic value chains to international ecosystems and introduce solutions and businesses to potential international customers and partners and attract international talent and investments.
The Nordic countries will not achieve transformative change by acting alone. A Nordic approach to life science and health tech will support and contribute to the realization of the Nordic Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Funding
Nordic Innovation will provide funding of NOK 2.500.000 for a consortium of cluster or eco-system organizations within the field of health technologies or medical technologies. There is a minimum requirement of 50% co-funding. The project timeframe is two years.
Who can apply?
Consortia consisting of a minimum of three Nordic cluster organizations or eco-system organizations registered in a Nordic country within the field of health technologies or medical technologies.
Deliverables
- Facilitate and organize the Nordic part of the collaboration with Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network (AHSN)
- Collaborate with AHSN to ensure the program is relevant for the Nordic companies and explore further collaboration on innovation and export
- Reach out and choose 10 relevant Nordic companies to participate in the initiative annually. In total 20 companies. There shall be a balanced national distribution of participating companies, and at least one company from each of the five Nordic countries each year
- Organize and ensure a functional financial model in relation to the collaboration and the participation of Nordic companies
- The Nordic cluster organizations will strive for an annual net promotor score above 70%
- By the end of the project period a collaboration with two additional Academic Health Science Networks in the UK shall be established
General eligibility criteria
- Cluster organization or eco-systems that are registered in the Nordics
- The consortia of cluster organizations or ecosystems must consist of partners from a minimum of three Nordic countries
- Be able to ensure a 50% co-financing of the initiative either through own (in-kind or cash) or through participating company financing (cash).
The selection of the winning consortia
Nordic Innovation will select the consortia of cluster organizations and ecosystems that Nordic Innovation deems best suited to deliver on the tasks described in this call.
The project proposals that meet the conditions set out in this call will be examined and evaluated by an expert panel. The expert panel consists of three external experts and two senior advisors from Nordic Innovation. Each expert/advisor will individually evaluate each proposal based on the assessment criteria specified in the call text and rank them with the best proposal ranked highest. All applicants that submit a project proposal will receive a short, written feedback from the panel.
Evaluation criteria
All applications/projects will be evaluated based on the following four criteria:
• How many Nordic countries are represented by the consortia of clusters and/ or ecosystems?
• Does each of the consortia clusters and/ or ecosystems represent companies that are mature enough to export to the UK?
• Does the consortia partners demonstrate an ability to deliver Nordic added value in the project proposal?
• Based on the application, is it convincing that the network demonstrates necessary and relevant implementation capacity and competence?
All evaluation criteria will be valued equally.
Formality Requirements
The project proposal shall be in English and submitted in a pdf file. The budget template can be submitted separately.
The project proposal must be valid until four weeks after application deadline.
Signed letter of commitment from all participating partners shall be included.
By the end of the project a formal report is to be written up and send to Nordic Innovation, describing both results, and learnings.
The application deadline and important dates
The application deadline is 6 May at 12:00 CET.
The project proposal must be submitted electronically to Nordic Innovation at: info@nordicinnovation.org and labelled <Project proposal – LS&HT Export initiative towards the UK >.
Important dates
| Activity | Date |
| Call is open | 17 March 2022 |
| Deadline for asking questions regarding the call | 31 March 2022 |
| Deadline for submission of proposal | 6 May 2022, 12:00 CET |
| Evaluation process | 9-20 May 2022 |
| Choice of project partners notified | No later than 23 May 2022 |
| Contract award | No later than 24 May 2022 |
Please note that dates are subject to change.
Miscellaneous
The submitter of the project proposal is responsible for ensuring that all questions, requirements and clarification points are answered / highlighted and documented in the project proposal. Project proposals and other information received after the application deadline will not be considered.
Nordic Innovation may refuse all project proposals if the result of the evaluation process gives a reasonable ground for doing so. If all the project proposals are refused, Nordic Innovation will notify those who have submitted proposals of the refusal.
The decision about to whom the contract is awarded, will be published on Nordic Innovations’ website.
Please note that Nordic Innovation’s Standard Terms and Conditions apply to this call Nordic Innovation - Standard Terms and Conditions
Please note that the project partners and other participants to the project that receive funding from Nordic Innovation must be eligible for de minimis state aid under Regulation 1407/2013 or 360/2012 (de minimis Regulations) of 18 December 2013.
Contact information
Rasmus Malmborg
Senior Innovation adviser, Program lead - Life Science & Health Technology
R.malmborg@nordicinnovation.org
Mob: +47 95 12 14 80
Thordur Reynisson
Senior Innovation adviser, Program Lead – Sustainable Ocean Economy
T.reynisson@nordicinnovation.org
Mob: +47 91 57 65 79
