Denmark as a Living Lab: UCPH Network on Digital Preventive Health

Denmark as a Living Lab graphics

View a presentation of the network (PDF format) by clicking on the image or on this link

Vision

Our vision is to realise Denmark as a living lab for digital preventive health. This is based on the idea of a nation-wide innovation platform for digital health, which makes it easier to setup and run large-scale research and development projects. The digital health innovation platform will simplify engagement of hundreds or thousands of Danish citizens and related healthcare professionals, while creating value for them during and after the innovation process.

Motivation

Denmark is renowned for its extensive public health research and its healthcare data. However, turning research findings into innovation is complicated and resource intensive. Setting up and running trials that engage citizens and health professionals at scale is ill-supported and there is a long way for translating scientific discoveries into valuable digital services for citizens, health professionals, and society.

While Denmark has a well-functioning public digital health infrastructure, it is currently Big Tech who are leading large population-based studies with AI and mobile health technologies. Nonetheless, the existing public digital health infrastructure provides a unique opportunity for conducting responsible innovation and research at scale.

Mission

Our mission is to identify the requirements for a national digital health innovation platform. We will do this by engaging with researchers across UCPH and key stakeholders from public institutions and companies as well as building on existing initiatives.

The aim of the network is to:

  • Understand current challenges when undertaking large-scale digital health experiments.
  • Simplify recruitment and engagement of participants.
  • Ensure ways of providing value back to them during and after their participation in a study.

Objective 1: Platform requirements

During the first phase of the project, we wish to develop an understanding of the challenges, needs, and requirements for undertaking large-scale studies for digital preventive health. This will involve interviews and surveys as well as workshops with researchers, GDPR experts, IT engineers, government officials, citizen groups, patient associations and relevant stakeholders. The aim is to apply for funding for two research assistants and two PhD students, and/or postdocs.

Objective 2: Prototype of platform

The second phase of the project consists of developing a prototype of the digital health innovation platform that enables pilot projects to run by making an eco-system and infrastructure for recruitment. This is an ambitious effort and will require interest from industry and investments from public-private funding. Building on the results of objective 1, funding applications will be prepared.

Objective 3: Pilot projects

In the final phase, the network will identify and support 1-5 research and development projects that can run on the platform. Further to recruitment of participants, emphasis will be on developing ways of continually providing valuable ‘real time’ feedback for participants. This will provide evidence of impact and further input for improving and expanding the platform.

Network

By taking part in the UCPH Network for Denmark as Living Lab you will be invited to participate in reaching the objectives of the network and you will receive news about activities.

Members of the Network

Tariq Osman Andersen
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science
tariq@di.ku.dk 

Theis Lange
Head of Department, Professor
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
thlan@sund.ku.dk  

Kasper Rømer Villumsen
Assistant Professor
Department of Veterinary Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
krv@sund.ku.dk  

Ayo Wahlberg
Head of Department, Professor with Special Responsibilities 
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences
ayo.wahlberg@anthro.ku.dk  

Sarah Frances Homewood
Tenure Track Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science
sfh@di.ku.dk  

Mads Nielsen
Professor
Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science
madsn@di.ku.dk  

Contact

Tariq Osman Andersen
tariq@di.ku.dk 
+45 2614 9169