The health clusters Norway Health Tech and Norwegian Smart Care Cluster are merging into one health cluster. 

This has been unanimously adopted by the clusters’ respective boards, and was endorsed by an extraordinary general assembly on 11 November. The merger will formally take effect on 1 January 2025. 

The merged cluster will have 370 members, which is large by international standards. A cluster is the only actor that connects all interests in the health ecosystem in order to speed up innovation, business development and increased productivity in the health service. 

 Uniting the two clusters will provide many positive synergies for the members, and supports the clusters’ common vision, which is to make Norway the world’s best arena for health innovation. 

  – The clusters have a common focus on health technology and medtech, and already have a close collaboration and many overlapping investment areas. Among other things within public-private cooperation, testing, EU consultancy and private capital, says Lena Nymo Helli, who is CEO  of Norway Health Tech. 

Will play an even more important role 

 The health clusters have played – and will continue to play – an important role in facilitating innovation, increased implementation and export of health technology. The clusters’ work with public-private collaboration is mentioned in the Government’s Roadmap for the health industry. 

 Through significant 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 the fact that health is now one of Norway’s next export promotion initiatives. A recent report from the Government mentions the cluster’s test concept HealthCatalyst, which will be an important solution for achieving easier realization of companies’ development, increased value creation and strengthened competitiveness. 

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

Strengthens service offering and presence 

 – Overall, our two clusters form a formidable knowledge base, network and accumulated trust that will be of even greater use to the members, says Kristensen. 

  The merged cluster will have offices in Stavanger, Bergen and Oslo, and maintain and strengthen the good regional cooperation, among other things, with the communities at Gjøvik (HelseInn), Trondheim (Trondheim Techport), I4Helse (Agder), Biotech North (Tromsø), Fredrikstad Medtech , Helsehub (Drammen) and Inovacare (Bodø). 

 Facts:  

• Norway Health Tech and the Norwegian Smart Care Cluster have a total of 370 members from business, municipalities, healthcare organizations and academia. 

• The two clusters deliver services within EU consultancy, public-private cooperation, export and internationalization and testing (the health catapult HealthCatalyst, of which the Oslo Cancer Cluster is also a part). 

• A final merger of the two clusters is planned to take effect on 1 January 2025.