Envisioning the future in the Catalysing Innovation event
The University of Vaasa arranged the Catalysing Innovation hybrid event as a prequel to the Wasa Future Festival on the 5th of August 2021. The event was attended by internationally known innovation experts, as well as the university's new Innovations and ecosystems team.
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The Catalysing Innovation event was opened by Ari Tulla, an entrepreneur from Silicon Valley, the co-founder of Elo Health and a former student of the University of Vaasa. He envisioned that in the future data is more important in the health care business. Tulla estimates that for example home testing and the use of artificial intelligence will become common in health care. Digitalisation is the new normal in many lines of business and so it will be in health care too. According to Tulla, this can mean big savings for society as well as people's longer life expectancy.
The Innovation and ecosystems team, set up last autumn, also presented itself at the event. The team was established because the university wants to strengthen its innovation and commercialization activities, promote the innovation culture, support entrepreneurship and be an active player in region's networks, i.e. ecosystems. The aim of the team is to act as a catalyst for innovation and ecosystems. At the event, the team said that as concrete actions they will be assisting in applying for research projects as well as setting up a pilot project for students. The project helps students to get an extra kick with the working life.
On panel discussions researchers talked about what innovations and the ecosystem can look like in Vaasa. The panelists discussed what makes the Vaasa area special and how benefit from areas strengths in the future. The role of smaller startups in creating innovations was also discussed.
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You can watch the event afterwards on Wasa Future Festival YouTube channel.
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