From being a cluster focused on medical technology, Norway Health Tech has become a cluster with members and partners with a much broader base of expertise.

In addition to medtech, areas such as diagnostics, digital healthcare, e-health, biotech, pharma, computational life sciences and human life sciences are covered.

“Our innovation platform has become far more extensive in recent years. Among other things, we established the health incubator Aleap in October 2016 that helps startup companies within all eight areas. In the fall of 2017 we will start an investment network covering the same areas. In addition, we will launch the Angel Challenge Health program in October, together with Startup Norway,” Kathrine Myhre, CEO of Norway Health Tech states.

The name change also involves covering the whole of Norway, and not only Oslo.

“We have received feedback – both from municipalities and regional actors – that they think the name Oslo makes this difficult,” Myhre says. “There are many innovative projects and activities that take place elsewhere than in Oslo. Our member ConceptoMed, based in Lofoten, is an example of business with a very exciting product that has expanded with the speed of light internationally. The name change means that we can be a national facilitator, where we open up doors in the health industry and connect different participants so that it actually makes a difference.”

The health cluster has today exceeded 200 members and aims to lift the Norwegian health industry internationally.