The prize is awarded by the Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS) to initiatives that demonstrate how standardisation can be used as a lever for innovation, societal benefit and enhanced competitiveness.
– It is incredibly gratifying that our work is being recognised in this way. From DigitalWell Arena’s perspective, it is crucial that Sweden has a uniform framework for quality assurance of health apps in place. Without such a framework, each region and municipality is forced to make an independent assessment, which creates a fragmented market that slows down both innovation and the use of digital health technology,” says Marie Granander, project manager at DigitalWell Arena.
Other nominees for the Standardisation Award are the Renewable 2030 project and the company MannTek. The winner will be selected by a jury and presented on 21 October. In addition to the honour, the winner will have the opportunity to donate SEK 25,000 to a charity of their choice.
– “This year’s finalists show how standardisation can be translated into concrete benefits for people, businesses and society. Whether it is digital health innovation, energy transition or sustainable infrastructure, we see how standards drive development,” says Annika Andreasen, CEO of the Swedish Institute for Standards, SIS.
Evaluating possible path for Sweden
DigitalWell Arena is now working to evaluate whether the international technical specification ISO/TS 82304-2 can form the basis for a Swedish framework for quality assurance. The work has resulted in, among other things, a seminar series that strengthens knowledge in the public sector. In addition, a number of applications will soon be quality reviewed according to the technical specification – to provide practical experience and contribute to future guidance.
The initiative is run in collaboration with ten partners: Leap for Life, Linnaeus University, DigitalWell Ventures, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the Swedish Medical Products Agency, Swedish Medtech, Arvika Municipality, Region Värmland and Region Stockholm.
Stopped at honourable mention
This time it came down to an honourable mention. When the winner of the Standardisation Award was announced on 22 October, it was MannTek, recognised for its pioneering coupling technology for sustainable cryogenic fuels – from the world’s first LNG-powered passenger ferry to new solutions for liquid hydrogen.
Although it didn’t go all the way this time, Marie Granander sees the nomination as a step towards more systematic and trust-building work with digital health in Sweden.
“It helps to create attention and legitimacy for our work. Several other countries have come further, but our view is that more and more people in Sweden also recognise the value of a more uniform assessment of the quality of health apps. Ultimately, it’s about increasing the availability and usefulness of technology that can contribute to better health.”
