How to build healthier society with health technology

Advances societies need to reboot their health care with innovative solutions. Both Finland and Hong Kong face similar challenges regarding health care and wellbeing: citizens are ageing rapidly and wellbeing trends are emphasizing preventive care. Together, we can learn from each other and find common solutions.

When pushing 100 you need to think of your health! The next lecture in the Finland 100 series, organized by Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation and Consulate General of Finland together with PolyU, will highlight the new ways Finland plans to tackle these challenges.

The Finland 100 lecture series is one of the highlights to celebrate the centenary year of Finland here in Hong Kong with themes focusing on our strengths and aiming at meaningful partnerships with local actors.

The proposed solutions for ageing society in Finland include combining information and communications technology with health and well-being solutions. This gives possibilities to create new types of scalable tech-based services that have resonance wordwide.  The close collaboration among health-tech companies, top-notch researchers and world-class hospitals has created a strong health eco-system to which e.g. General Electrics and IBM have both recently connected with their health tech divisions. Finland’s IOT Hospital vision represents revolutionary thinking such as how bring the number of hospital beds into minimum with the help of technology and preventive care.

You are cordially invited this Thursday to attend the  “Centennial Lecture”, given by Mr. Anssi Pulkkinen, Director of Wellbeing and Health, TEKES, The Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation. The title of his presentation on March 9 is Finnish Innovations in Healthcare and Health Technologies.

Mr. Pulkkinen has an interesting track record also in technology transfer. He was in a team negotiating with IBM to introduce its Artifial Intelligence “Watson” to interact with Finnish know-how and to establish a Center of Excellence in Finland. Watson cognitive computing helps Finnish doctors improve the health of citizens, and strengthen Finnish innovation and business ecosystem.

Tekes is strongly involved in the work modernizing Finland. It is the main public funding organisation for R&D and innovation making annually more than 2000 positive funding decisions totalling several billions of Hong Kong dollars. In 2015 alone these contributions generated 1,880 new Finnish products, services or processes.

“Finnish Innovations in Healthcare and Health Technologies”

• Date: March 9th, 2017
• Time:  14:00-16:30      (14:00 Registration, 14:30-16:00 Lecture, 16:30 Finish)
• Venue: Polytechnic      University, Building Y (Lee Shau Kee Building) room Y302

The subsequent Finland 100 lectures will include

April 21: Finnish Start-up ecosystem, Digital and Gaming Innovations

Mr. Peter Vesterbacka former Chairman of Rovio - company that hatched the “Angry Birds” - and Mr. Antti Saarnio, Chairman of Jolla, developer of the only “non-American” operating system for mobile phones that recently released a major lisencing deal in mainland China.

May 9: Finland Innovation for Food and Food Safety Technology

Ms. Jaana Husu-Kallio, Deputy minister of Agriculture and Forestry.

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The Finland100 centennial lecture series was inaugurated in February by Tekes CEO Pekka Soini who elaborated on the innovation trends of the digital era.