Digital healthcare services’ multi-sided platform (MSP) is a digital ecosystem for organizing collaboration and control based on software, hardware, and services, without taking ownership of the services whose exchanges it facilitates through diverse inter-organizational interactions. In this way an MSP creates an effect of shared economy and thus greater accessibility, affordability, security and quality of life. Most famous examples of the multi-sided platforms are services such as Uber, Facebook and AirBnB. Although MSP is a game-changer in different business sectors, it is still very rarely applied in healthcare: only some partially similar solutions have been created in France (Doctolib https://www.doctolib.fr/) and in Germany (Otto Bock Health https://www.ottobock.at/). Thus there is an urgent need to advance research and innovations on the application of multi-sided platform (MSP) in digital health care, in order to utilize digital technologies for the sake of valuebased, learning Healthcare sector. The overall objective of the DiHECO project is to build the capacities for Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) to conduct high-quality research in the field of digital healthcare management and in particular digital healthcare services’ multi-sided platforms. DiHECO meets KTU’s needs through five specific objectives: Objective 1. Implement experience-based learning through carrying out high-quality small-scale research and innovation initiatives in the field of multi-sided platforms of digital healthcare services; Objective 2. Apply for grants to fund respective digital healthcare management research and collaborative projects involving KTU; Objective 3. Develop the capacities for research and innovation management and administration at KTU; Objective 4. Transfer KTU’s research outputs to digital healthcare ecosystem stakeholders; Objective 5. Build capacities for offering better career prospects to early-stage researchers and step up in gender equality.
Project funding:
The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation “Horizon 2020”
Project results:
– Increased proficiency of KTU’s researchers in digital healthcare service MSP research and innovation;
– Increased production by KTU of high-quality, open access peer-reviewed publications based on research done in the field of digital healthcare management.
– Greater experience of grant application for KTU researchers;
– Bigger international, cross-sectoral, and interdisciplinary networks of all types of stakeholders (academic, business, policy maker, and citizen-representative) for KTU;
– Applications submitted jointly with the DiHECO consortium to sustain collaboration.
– New research and innovation management and administration unit in place at the School.
– Better understanding of the digital healthcare services value chain and end-users’ needs;
– Review of the innovation management capabilities of the KTU related research areas;
– Developed strategy and capabilities to align research with the needs of the stakeholders of the digital healthcare ecosystem and facilitate exploitation of research results and technology transfer.
– KTU early-stage researchers’ skills for managing research and innovations, thus their careers improved.
– KTU early-stage researchers’ knowledge of digital healthcare management research up to date with the latest scientific and innovation developments.
– Professional networks of KTU and the consortium early-stage researchers grown.
– KTU early-stage researchers engaged in applying for ERC Grants.
– Gender parity reached in the recruitment of younger researchers.
Period of project implementation: 2020-12-01 - 2023-11-30
Project coordinator: Kaunas University of Technology
Project partners: The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), University of Montpellier, LUNDS UNIVERSITET, Tampere University of Applied Sciences
