A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN E-HEALTH AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING INNOVATION DISTRICT FOR THE SOUTHWEST REGION

Tender description

Covid-19 and recent cyber-attacks have placed a spotlight on healthcare. There is an unprecedented increase in awareness and value on community and front-line health care services. Once taken for granted and considered low innovation and entrepreneurial domains services such as health testing (e.g. Covid-test, blood tests), physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise prescription and rehabilitation, personal training, GP and community nursing and pharmacy services (prescriptions & vaccinations), medical supply and patient records and security all came under intense focus when inaccessible and or dysfunctional. This has driven huge levels of opportunity, innovation (product and service) and digital transformation of the health care system – with SMEs and start-ups emerging to provide new technologies, products, solutions, and services to public and private health care providers and direct to consumer. The proposed development “An Oileán” has the potential to establish and scale a pioneering regional health care innovation ecosystem via the deployment of the Innovation District model of best practice in urban regeneration. This feasibility stage will explore and potentially validate An Oileán’s potential to integrate activities in community health care service and technology innovation, enterprise and talent development, community engagement and placemaking that is multi-generational in community relevance and appeal.