New innovation competition seeks novel solutions for everyday care work

Public debate about the social and health care sector often focuses on problems. The Care Work of Tomorrow innovation competition, organized by the CAREFUTURE project, aims to focus on good practices and development in everyday care. The competition aims to find new ways to carry out, organize and manage care work.

"Work communities solve problems and develop work all the time. At the employee level, you don't always notice when your solutions and ways of working could serve as a model for others. The competition can bring to light insights that would otherwise leave in the shadow " says the Leader of the CAREFUTURE project consortium, Chief Researcher Eveliina Saari from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

"In recent years, much of the discourse about care has focused on savings, crises and challenges. Therefore, it is important to highlight practices that make care work better and meaningful," adds Chief Researcher Arja Halkoaho, professor of practice at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Halkoaho directs the project's research into employee- and citizen-driven innovations.

The competition seeks solutions that develop care work and promote good care

The competition looks for solutions that can improve quality, well-being or interaction in care work. The solutions can be related to, for example, the organisation of everyday tasks, working methods, the sense of community or the use of technology.

"We are looking for innovations that have already been experimented or that have been used on a small scale. If distributed to wider use, they could produce even better, ethically sustainable care, as well as increase the attractiveness and appreciation of care work and nursing in our society," says Specialist Researcher and competition director Vilja Levonius from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

The top candidates will be offered the opportunity to gain researched information about their activities and participate in joint development with other innovations across the care sector. In addition, the best innovations will be provided support for the distribution of their solutions until the end of the project in 2031.

"Research can strengthen a positive spiral. It can help to understand why a solution or practice works and encourage others to adopt the solution as well," Levonius concludes.

The competition will be organized from 2 March to 12 April 2026

The Future Care Work innovation competition starts on 2 March and runs until 12 April. The competition is divided into three categories:

1. Employee-driven innovation: A new process, way of working or everyday working practice initiated by employees.
2. Citizen-driven innovation: A solution initiated by individuals or organizations that produces positive social effects or new types of business.
3. Innovation driven by technology, policy and organizations: A reform, such as a strategy, policy or technological solution, initiated by organizations or decision-makers.

The competition is organized by the CAREFUTURE project led by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in partnership with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL, the University of Jyväskylä and the Tampere University of Applied Sciences. 

The project is funded by the Strategic Research Council, which is connected to the Academy of Finland. The project belongs to the programme Skills, Labour Supply and Migration in Future Finland (SKILLS).

Learn more

• Care Work of Tomorrow competition website: ttl.fi/en/the-future-of-care-work-carefuture/huomisen-hoivatyo-innovation-competition
• An information session on the competition will be organized on 2 March at 11.15 a.m. The session will be recorded. Sign up for the information session
• More information about the Future Care Work project: www.ttl.fi/carefuture

Further information

• Eveliina Saari, Director of the CAREFUTURE consortium, Chief Researcher, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, eveliina.saari@ttl.fi, tel. +358 30 474 2712
• Vilja Levonius, Director of the Care Work of Tomorrow competition, Senior Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, vilja.levonius@ttl.fi, tel. +358 30 474 2360
• Arja Halkoaho, Professor of Practice, Chief Researcher, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, arja.halkoaho@tuni.fi, tel. +358 40 660 3307