Norway Health Tech made an impact at Arendalsuka 2025

Norway needs a broader perspective on priorities

– What is at stake is that the healthcare system as we know it may collapse.
That was the powerful message from our CEO, Lena Nymo Helli, when she took part in the health debate on the main stage hosted by Dagens Medisin. She emphasized the need for a shared understanding of what is truly at stake, so that decisions are made from a holistic perspective.

– Norway needs a broader prioritization perspective, where patients’ needs and the overall societal benefits guide the choices we make, said Helli. She pointed out how health technology – combined with user involvement, good structure and clear change management – can help solve many of today’s challenges: increasing capacity across the health service, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, improving prevention, enabling follow-up in municipalities, and giving citizens stronger ownership of their own health.

From value-based healthcare to export

Norway Health Tech, together with partners, hosted several key debates that addressed patient value, export growth and digital transformation.

There was a full house – with more than 400 also following online – when Health2B asked the questions “Where are we succeeding?” and “How do we move forward?” in two sessions on time thieves, technology and transformation in the health services on Arendalsuka’s opening day.

– We need more dialogue. And we need more trust between actors, between organizations and between individuals if we are to succeed, said Elen Høeg, head of Health2B. The program showed that solutions already exist – in the form of technology, new ways of working and stronger collaboration. The challenge is to adopt them faster and to give leaders, clinicians and patients the support they need in a demanding transformation.

– The willingness to change is there, but we need a shared understanding and direction, said Hilde Therese Hamre, district director in Oslo.

In the debate “Value-Based Healthcare – Why Norway Needs to Wake Up Now”, co-hosted with Rud Pedersen Public Affairs, the need to rethink resource use and patient value was clear. Brage Sollund Larsen from the Norwegian Cancer Society reminded the audience that the most expensive medicine is the one that doesn’t work, and highlighted that both precision medicine and digital home monitoring require better facilitation and strong leadership.

– I believe that the public sector must, to a greater extent, think like the private sector and emphasize future gains when making investments. We must look at the societal value at the other end – when people recover, achieve good quality of life and can return to working life, said Tobias Hangaard Linge, Member of Parliament for the Labour Party.

In the export session “From Startup to Export Company – How Do We Create Export Growth in Health and Life Science”, both opportunities and challenges were on the table. GE Healthcare, Sensio and DoMore Diagnostics called for better access to growth capital, the establishment of a national health “catapult” center, and stronger framework conditions for production and scaling in Norway.

– I don’t need help with marketing. What I need are incentives that make our global leadership choose Norway over Ireland or China when deciding where to invest, said Cathrine Thomassen, Managing Director of GE Healthcare Norway.

Politicians showed a willingness to act more boldly: Venstre’s Alfred Bjørlo pointed to the need for tax reforms and capital access, while Arbeiderpartiets Bhanuja Rasiah highlighted the use of the healthcare budget as a driver for innovation. Both agreed that the health industry must gain a much stronger position in Norwegian industrial policy.

A solid footprint

Being present across so many arenas gave us the opportunity to build relationships, highlight the role of industry, and position the cluster in key discussions about the future of healthcare. But Arendalsuka is about more than the big stages: networking, relationship-building and creating opportunities for our members to be part of important discussions are equally essential.

Arendalsuka 2025 demonstrated that solutions exist – in technology, in industry and in collaboration between actors. The challenge now is to unite our efforts, make bold decisions, and create a healthcare system that delivers more value for patients, new export opportunities for the industry, and a more sustainable society for everyone. Norway Health Tech will continue to be a strong voice for transformation – both in the public debate and through our daily work with members.

See recordings from some of the sessions we participated in below:

👉🏼 Main stage: Hvordan bygge en helsetjeneste for fremtiden?

👉🏼 Verdibaserte helsetjenester - hvorfor Norge må våkne nå

👉🏼 Fra gründerbedrift til eksportselskap. Hvordan får vi eksportvekst innen helse og livsvitenskap?

👉🏼 Tidstyver, teknologi og transformasjon i helsetjenesten: Hvor lykkes vi?

👉🏼 Tidstyver, teknologi og transformasjon i helsetjenesten: Hvordan kommer vi videre?

👉🏼 Helseberedskap - skal vi snakke sammen før det smeller?