Seeking new solutions to the care crisis: 36 promising innovations for research and development

Organised by the Future of Care Work (CAREFUTURE) research project, the competition looked for new ways to carry out, organize and lead care work. The objective was to find solutions that had already been experimented in practice and had the potential for wider adoption.

The interest in the competition surprised the organizers.

"We received 150 suggestions from different sectors of care. This shows that there is a great deal of desire to renew care work and that new solutions arise in a wide range of environments," says Vilja Levonius, Specialist Researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, who leads the innovation competition.

Promising solutions were found in everyday care

The competition consisted of three series: employee-driven, citizen-driven and technology-, policy- and organization-driven innovation. The award-winning solutions cover a range of themes, including support with everyday tasks, work organization, interaction, diversity as well as digital and AI solutions.

There was one clear surprise in the results: the innovations selected as the best represented a wide range of approaches, with technology and AI far from dominating as solutions.  

"Artificial intelligence and digitalization are important, but they need to be complemented by solutions that emerge from everyday care work. The competition showed how much development work is already being carried out by employees, NGOs and communities," says Consortium Director Eveliina Saari, Chief Researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

Many proposals emphasised encounters, interaction and peer support, which are the most important elements of care.

Awards are just the beginning

The competition does not end with presenting the awards. CAREFUTURE researchers will support and examine the development of the selected innovations throughout the project, even up to the year 2031.

Joint development networks will be built around the innovations, involving not only researchers but also societal stakeholders, nursing students and international researchers.

"This is where our joint journey of exploration begins. The aim is to help the innovations learn from each other, support their spread and create a new kind of innovation culture in care," says Eveliina Saari.

Learn more

• Award-winning innovations in the Care Work of Tomorrow innovation competition. 
• The Future of Care Work (CAREFUTURE) project. 
• The Future of Care Work (CAREFUTURE) consortium project is led by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in partnership with the University of Vaasa, 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.
  
  

Further information

• Eveliina Saari, Director of the Future of Care Work (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