"We expect synergies in our offer of access to test facilities," says CEO Lene Merethe Liodden of Mechatronics Innovation Lab Ltd.
The shares of I4Health Ltd were sold to MIL in December, and the merger was completed by the end of February. I4Health was wholly owned by the University of Agder, whereas MIL Ltd is jointly owned by the university and the research institute NORCE.
"We believe it will be attractive to more players that we can offer them the opportunity to test their technology in both the mechatronics lab and the test facilities at I4Health," says Liodden.
The mechatronics lab is well-suited for solving technological challenges in the concept phase before concepts can be tested in the home simulator. In this way, the merger can support health technology development over a longer phase.
The I4Health building also houses other facilities, such as the XR lab (extended reality) and the user testing lab, where testing and piloting of various solutions can be made available for both new and existing collaborations.
Collaboration between public and private
Moving forward, MIL will continue its efforts to organize regional stakeholders in health technology into a network, commissioned by the university.
"We believe this merger is the right move and important for the development of health technology in our region. By combining applicable knowledge about health and technology with infrastructure, we can accelerate the much-needed transformation in how we as a society deliver health services in the coming years," says University Director Seunn Smith-Tønnessen.
"Locally, we are also looking forward to the planned university nursing home in Grimstad becoming a reality. Future health and care services will be developed and tested there," says Liodden.
Synergies between the labs have already been tested, such as in testing AR/VR (augmented reality/virtual reality) technologies and prototyping. A larger project focusing on service robots for home nursing is also underway. Now such collaboration will be easier.
"Through I4Health, concrete experience has been gained collaborating with the public sector, while we in MIL have extensive knowledge of collaborating with the private sector. Both are essential for contributing to technology development," says Liodden.
Press contact
- Lene Merethe Liodden, CEO of MIL Ltd, 993 53 222, lene@mil-as.no