Health clusters join forces

The decision was unanimously approved by the respective boards of the two clusters and was formally adopted at an extraordinary general assembly held on November 11. The merger will officially take effect on January 1, 2025.

The newly merged cluster will represent 370 members – a significant number by international standards. A cluster is the only actor that brings together all parts of the health ecosystem to accelerate innovation, business development, and productivity in healthcare services.

Bringing the two clusters together will generate strong synergies for the members and supports the clusters' shared vision of making Norway the world’s leading arena for health innovation.

“The clusters share a common focus on health technology and medtech, and already have a close collaboration with overlapping strategic areas – including public-private partnerships, testing, EU advisory services, and access to private capital,” says Lena Nymo Helli, CEO of Norway Health Tech.

A Stronger Role to Drive Change

The clusters have played – and will continue to play – a crucial role in facilitating innovation, implementation, and export of health technologies. Their work in public-private collaboration is highlighted in the Norwegian Government’s Roadmap for the Health Industry.

Through substantial international activity, the clusters have built a strong export network in collaboration with The Life Science Cluster and Oslo Cancer Cluster. Together, they have contributed to making health one of Norway’s emerging export growth areas. A recent report from the Government mentions the clusters’ test concept HealthCatalyst as a key initiative to streamline the innovation journey for companies, strengthen value creation, and boost competitiveness.

Arild Kristensen, CEO of Norwegian Smart Care Cluster, says the merger will position the new cluster as an even more important driving force for change and development.

Strengthening Services and National Presence

“Together, our two clusters represent a tremendous knowledge base, network, and accumulated trust that will now be even more valuable for our members,” says Kristensen.

The merged cluster will operate offices in Stavanger, Bergen, and Oslo, while maintaining and strengthening strong regional collaborations with ecosystems in Gjøvik (HelseInn), Trondheim (Trondheim Techport), I4Helse (Agder), Biotech North (Tromsø), Fredrikstad Medtech, Helsehub (Drammen), and Inovacare (Bodø).

Facts about the Health Clusters:

Norway Health Tech and Norwegian Smart Care Cluster together count 370 members from industry, municipalities, hospitals, and academia.
They offer services in EU advisory, public-private collaboration, internationalization and export, and testing (through the HealthCatalyst program, in which Oslo Cancer Cluster is also a partner).
The merger is scheduled to officially take effect on January 1, 2025.