COLUMN: Research-based innovation – it may sound dry, but it saves lives
Research-based innovation is part of AU’s new strategy – and it makes perfect sense, writes Anne-Mette Hvas, Dean of the Faculty of Health. But innovation requires investment, strong leadership and skilled researchers. And that we experience the benefits first-hand – or in the form of greater legal rights.
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“Innovation”. Although the term may be a bit overused and no longer the trendiest buzzword, it’s just as important as it has always been. Ideally, it shouldn’t even need to be mentioned; it should be deeply ingrained in the way we work.
Research-based innovation is a key part of Aarhus University’s new strategy, and we have a strong foundation to build on. But strategy papers and rambling columns aren‘t enough. It requires investment, strong leadership and talented researchers – and, not least, that we actually see and feel the value of innovation.
Without healthcare innovation, we would quite simply live shorter and poorer lives.
Fewer hospital admissions and a better quality of life
At Aarhus University, health innovation doesn’t just take place in laboratories. It’s also evident in research where ideas are translated into disease prevention, earlier diagnosis, better treatment and a higher quality of life.
A good example is the digital solutions for home monitoring of patients with heart disease, which now allow patients to measure their vital signs at home and send the data directly to the hospital. It reduces the number of hospital admissions and increases peace of mind. At the same time, the use of wearables for the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation makes it possible to live a freer and more active life – so that life isn’t confined to spending time alone on the sofa, but also includes family outings to Den Gamle By (‘The Old Town’) or Tivoli Friheden without constant worry about one’s health. All of this is the result of close collaboration between healthcare professionals, engineers and computer scientists.
A matter of legal rights
In addition, there’s the field of forensic medicine, where we now use genetic methods and advanced imaging techniques, enabling us to solve criminal cases both more quickly and more accurately. In this context, healthcare innovation is not just a matter of treatment, but also of legal rights – and thus a matter of trust in our legal system.
Aarhus University also ranks among the world’s best in the field of life sciences when it comes to research-based entrepreneurship. To this end, the university has established a hub with laboratory facilities and offices for spin-offs, ensuring that new companies founded by researchers have the best possible conditions in which to develop the treatments of tomorrow.
Progress made during wartime
Paradoxically, some of the greatest advances in history have been made during times of war. Battlefield triage and helicopter evacuation laid the foundation for modern emergency care, and later wars have contributed to advances in trauma treatment, the understanding of mental disorders, and new surgical techniques. The point is clear: Healthcare innovation saves lives.
At the same time, mental health is high on the political agenda. Here we are seeing new forms of digital treatment, the use of data for early detection, and an ever-improving understanding of complex conditions. But we also know that mental illness cannot be reduced to a single technology or a single solution. It requires an interdisciplinary approach, patience and the courage to think differently.
Breakthroughs and the many small improvements
Healthcare innovation isn’t just about breakthroughs. It’s just as much the many small improvements that, taken together, drive change in systems, people and culture. The university should be a place where ideas are born and tested, whilst keeping an eye on how they can be scaled up and create real value. It calls for openness and cooperation between researchers, students, industry and practice.
Innovation requires substantial investment, and thanks to a broad political agreement reached in 2025, Danish universities have been awarded a significant multi-year funding package for innovation and knowledge-based entrepreneurship. Aarhus University will benefit from these funds as early as this year, and as Dean of Health, I look forward to working with the whole university – and in particular with external partners – to create a future with better health and more years of good quality of life.
This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.