Startpage / News

Strong interest from companies to participate in unique innovation procurement

Karlstad Municipality has procured seven companies to participate in a unique development effort to increase care’s understanding of cognitive impairment. The procurement is the first in collaboration with DigitalWell Arena’s demand accelerator. “That so many qualified companies want to participate is a sign that we are on the right track,” says Lina Svensberg, project manager for the demand accelerator.

Through the demand accelerator, DigitalWell Arena – in collaboration with Vinnova and Karlstad Municipality – wants to find new ways of creating conditions for innovation within the framework of public procurement law. Karlstad’s procurement is the first where multiple companies are engaged to develop a digital solution that does not yet exist on the market, together with the municipality.

Currently, approximately 150,000 people in Sweden have a dementia diagnosis – adding other forms of cognitive impairment, the number is far greater. To be able to provide individualised health and social care, the care sector needs to increase its understanding of what it is like to live with cognitive impairment.

A broad mix of expertise

Seven companies submitted tenders to participate in the development work: Condesign, Minnity, Remedicore, Sticky Beat, Virotea, dimh, and Koncepting. The companies submitted a video describing a proposed solution concept. All companies have now been offered a development contract that initially involves compensation of SEK 25,000, with the possibility of extension.

Lina Svensberg, project manager for DigitalWell Arena’s demand accelerator, is very positive about the strong interest. She believes the companies’ different expertise in areas such as Virtual Reality, gamification, and digital training ensures a valuable mix of input that can ultimately contribute to a better solution.

– These are strong innovative companies that have applied, which means great opportunities for the development work to result in an innovative and commercially successful solution. It is also gratifying that the companies have shown such interest in co-creating and participating in an entirely new type of procurement process, says Lina Svensberg.

Lina Svensberg is pleased about the strong interest in participating in Karlstad Municipality’s procurement – the first in collaboration with DigitalWell Arena’s demand accelerator.

The companies will now meet representatives from Karlstad Municipality’s Health and Social Care Unit to collaboratively develop their solution proposals. An assessment will then be made of the companies and their potential to take the solution forward, before a number of companies are selected to continue the development work in the next phase.

– Even though the solution proposals are still at concept level, they trigger insights about needs and possibilities. Regardless of who receives the final assignment, all companies contribute to developing the process with valuable knowledge and insights, says Lina Svensberg.

Designed to facilitate spread to more customers

A requirement for procurements carried out through the demand accelerator is that a potential solution must be economically sustainable. This means that the companies participating in the procurement do not only develop a solution that is relevant for the first ordering customer, but one that is also scalable and can spread to more customers. The rights to the services and products created belong to the developing companies.

Despite the development process being at an early stage, several municipalities have already shown interest in the procurement and the service or services that will result from the development work.

– This strengthens the thesis that there is significant market potential if the companies succeed in shaping a good solution. The fact that the companies are not only developing a solution based on Karlstad Municipality’s needs but can simultaneously be in dialogue with other potential customers also provides the opportunity for a different type of input, says Lina Svensberg.