Research Strategy

Research and innovation at Helse Fonna shall contribute to:

• Strong professional environments that deliver high-quality specialist health services
• Services tailored to patients’ needs
• Strengthening Helse Fonna’s reputation
• Recruiting and retaining skilled health professionals and researchers
• Pride in working at Helse Fonna
• Becoming a partner for other research institutions at local, regional and national level
• User involvement in all research and innovation projects

Vision

To promote health, competence and quality of life through research and innovation of high quality.

Helse Fonna will fulfil its responsibility for research in line with legislation and national, regional and local guidelines.

We shall further develop an inclusive, competent and recognised research environment with clear leadership, closer integration between clinical practice and research, and good infrastructure.

In line with national policy, the health trusts shall facilitate leadership of, and participation in, clinical treatment studies. This requires close cooperation between research, clinical services and support services.

“It is a management responsibility to ensure that research is integrated into patient care, that time for clinical work is balanced with time for clinical research, that support staff are provided, and that a culture and room for action for clinical research and other development work are created.”

(National Health and Hospital Plan 2020–2023)

An important priority area for research and innovation is cooperation between primary healthcare services and specialist health services. There is a need for more knowledge on how patients can receive coordinated and tailored services.

In accordance with the National Health and Hospital Plan, health communities shall be established to improve cooperation between hospitals and municipalities for the most vulnerable patients.

Four patient groups are prioritised:

• People with severe mental illness and substance misuse problems
• Frail elderly people
• Children and young people
• People with multiple chronic conditions

Research collaboration shall be developed in connection with these health communities.

Helse Fonna aims to make use of the innovation potential created through research, with particular emphasis on innovation that contributes to new treatment methods and new ways of delivering services.

Cooperation between clinical divisions, research and innovation environments, municipal actors and the private sector is essential for service development. Research and innovation shall help make health services effective, efficient and forward-looking.

Helse Fonna shall build an innovation culture that promotes sharing of good ideas and development of new solutions across clinics and departments.

The main focus at Helse Fonna is health services research and clinically oriented research and innovation that benefits patients and next of kin.

Close collaboration with clinical units, shared positions between clinical work and research, and knowledge exchange between clinical departments and researchers shall ensure research with high clinical relevance and contribute to professional development.

This will strengthen the knowledge base for good patient care.

Goal

Strengthen cooperation between clinical services and research.

Measures

• Annual reporting of research and innovation to the executive management and board (September).
• Annual clinic-based review of ongoing research and innovation projects with clinic directors, including presentations from the Research and Innovation Department and dissemination of relevant research results.
• Co-location of research and clinical services, and provision of facilities and infrastructure for patients participating in clinical studies.

Clinical studies involving patients require access to biobanks, laboratory services and radiology services. Capacity and organisation of these services shall be strengthened during this strategy period.

Goal

Strengthen competence, capacity and availability of research-related laboratory and radiology services.

Measures

• Establish incentives and competence development in dedicated positions in laboratory and radiology departments.
• Establish infrastructure and routines for biobanks in research projects.

In line with national priorities, Helse Fonna shall facilitate clinical treatment studies that offer patients access to new and experimental treatment options.

Increasing the number of such studies requires cooperation with clinical units and adapted support services from laboratories (including biobank facilities) and radiology departments.

Goal

Helse Fonna shall act as lead applicant or active research partner in at least eight regional or national research applications per year. At any given time, there shall be six ongoing clinical treatment studies.

Measures

• Establish routines and guidelines, together with clinic directors, for assessing and entering into agreements on clinical treatment studies.
• Agreements with the staffing centre on recruitment and training of research nurses and appointment of a research coordinator.
• Trust-level guidelines ensuring access to necessary support services, such as radiology and laboratory services.

Innovation at Helse Fonna shall provide better health services for patients through new or improved diagnostics, treatment, patient pathways or organisation of services. Innovation shall help address the challenges that the health service will face in the future.

Research and innovation help make the health service effective, efficient and forward-looking. A strong culture for innovation helps ensure that services are developed based on real needs, and that good solutions are made visible, shared and put into use. This requires good infrastructure and close cooperation between the Research and Innovation Department, clinical units, user organisations and other partners, including the private sector.

Goal: An innovation culture that ensures services are developed based on needs, and that good solutions are made visible, shared and put into use.

Measures:

• Prioritise innovation projects based on the development plan and the needs of the clinics, through presentation of projects in the Strategic Forum for Innovation and ICT.
• Clarify organisational arrangements, roles and guidelines for the innovation area.
• Identify potential collaboration partners for innovators at an early stage, including regional functions within Helse Vest, the Innovation Department at Helse Vest IKT, InnoMed and TTO.
• Facilitate the use of tools such as innovation camps, the “Innovation Clinic” and TEKprat, in cooperation with relevant stakeholders and regional industry.

Research and innovation depend on predictable, stable and long-term funding. Helse Fonna aims to gradually increase the share of the total budget allocated to research, in line with national priorities.

Funding comes from internal base financing and from external research and innovation grants.

Some projects require legal expertise, budget planning, financial follow-up and HR services related to employment and staffing.

Goal

Research in all clinical units.

Measures

• Gradually increase the proportion of the total budget allocated to research.
• Increase the number of available research positions, internal postdoctoral and PhD fellowships, and internal incentive grants.
• Strengthen competitiveness for external funding through the establishment of a Scientific Advisory Board with representatives from universities, higher education institutions and health trusts in the region.
• Assess the need for support functions such as legal, HR and financial services.

Helse Fonna shall make research career paths visible and supported within the organisation. Competent researchers shall be retained, for example through advertised part-time positions.

Flexible transition arrangements, such as incentive grants, are needed to retain research competence. Dual competence pathways combining PhD training and clinical specialisation for doctors and psychologists shall be facilitated.

Goal

Establish predictable frameworks for research careers.

Measures

• Annual staff appraisals focusing on career planning for research fellows and established researchers.
• The Research and Innovation Department shall initiate career planning with clinic directors after completed PhDs.
• Facilitate shared positions between research and clinical practice.

During the previous strategy period (2016–2020), two thematic research groups were established: internal medicine and geriatric medicine. These groups strengthen research in priority areas.

New research groups shall be based on existing competence, research themes and methods, and priority clinical areas.

Goal

Further develop thematic research groups.

Measures

• Announce incentive grants targeting areas with weaker research activity.
• Announce incentive grants linked to thematic research groups.
• Establish one new thematic research group during the strategy period based on identified needs and competence.

Helse Fonna shall carry out planned and active communication of research internally and externally to strengthen reputation, public trust and staff engagement.

Communication shall be an integrated part of researchers’ work. Research competence and results shall be made visible in clinical departments to promote professional development and rapid implementation of new knowledge.

Research communication shall make up a larger share of content in Helse Fonna’s communication channels. Cooperation with the Communications Department shall be further developed.

Researchers shall publish in peer-reviewed journals, participate in conferences and seminars, and be visible in the media and professional press.

Goal

Communication of results from ongoing research and innovation projects.

Measures

• Facilitate Open Access in all research projects
• Regular meetings between the Communications Department and the Research and Innovation Department
• Establish an annual internal research award
• Offer regular training in research communication

Goal

Communication skills among researchers

Measures

• Capacity‑building activities in research communication shall be included on the agenda of the annual research seminar.
• Research communication courses shall be offered on a regular basis.

All research and innovation projects shall involve relevant users. Four main user groups are identified:

• Patients and next of kin
• Health professionals
• The general population
• Industry and public authorities

User experience increases research relevance, quality and understanding of data and dissemination.

Goal

Active user involvement in all research and innovation projects.

Measures

• Further develop the user panel for research and innovation and cooperation with user organisations.
• Ensure competence through courses and e-learning for researchers and users.
• Mandatory e-learning for new researchers and co-researchers.
• Annual reporting to the User Committee.

Universities, university hospitals and higher education institutions are key partners in research and innovation of high quality.

Helse Fonna shall maintain close cooperation with universities and colleges in education of health personnel and researchers. Cooperation agreements with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences shall be established.

Helse Fonna participates in the “Vestlandslegen” project with the University of Bergen and cooperates on qualification for professorships for staff.

Goal

Established frameworks for cooperation.

Measures

• Enter into a level 2 cooperation agreement with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.
• Active participation in planning of the “Vestlandslegen” programme.
• Facilitate qualification for professorship competence.
• Targeted collaboration on shared and adjunct positions for staff with doctoral competence.

Over the next five years, Helse Fonna shall strengthen its position as a research institution through increased cooperation with clinical units, user groups, academia, other health trusts, primary healthcare services and industry.

Goal

Facilitated frameworks for collaboration in research and innovation.

Measures

• Enter into cooperation agreements in line with national guidelines for health communities.
• Annual research networks for primary and specialist healthcare services in the catchment area.
• Meeting arenas for public and private research actors to support idea generation and collaboration.