This is the autumn of grand openings. This week Terkko Health Hub will open on the Meilahti Campus, offering a new kind of centre for health, medical and life sciences to help the University community build on their ideas and network.
To prepare for Terkko Health Hub, the Meilahti Campus Library building next to Biomedicum was completely renovated into a meeting place for students, researchers and other professionals of health and life sciences. The building houses idea accelerators, start-ups, the Meilahti Campus Library, an office and event space available for rent and, naturally, a café.
From research to business
The University of Helsinki is involved in Terkko Health Hub on many different levels. In addition to the Helsinki University Library and Helsinki Think Company, the University participates in Terkko via the Health Capital Helsinki or HCH. Other Health Capital Helsinki members include the City of Helsinki, the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa HUS, and Aalto University.
HCH develops the life sciences hub formed by its partners and helps them recognise good ideas and process them further. It also coaches start-ups to make them viable targets for capital investment.
“We offer advice customised for this field on product development, commercialisation and finding partners,” explains Tuula Palmén, head of the project office at HCH.
Partners and target group organisations under the University of Helsinki include the five faculties conducting research in health and life sciences at the Meilahti and Viikki campuses as well as the units in HiLIFE.
Tuula Palmén hopes that in a decade, Terkko Health Hub will be an internationally recognised hub of life sciences and health technology, generating innovations and start-ups and creating corporate cooperation.
“Once all the cooperation processes are up and running, there will be more international interest. We’re seeing the first signs of it already.”
Many different kinds of spaces
Terkko Health Hub will also have office space and work stations available for rent. These facilities are intended for start-ups in the health, medical and life sciences. The building also has individual negotiation and event spaces which can be rented outside the partner organisations for a fee.
“At the moment, in addition to Health Capital Helsinki, users have included Disior, Sygeny Ltd, Kandidaattikustannus and SPARK Finland. We will launch the rental facilities properly after the opening,” states Kiira Grönroos, coordinator at Terkko Health Hub.
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Terkko Health Hub opens its door on 2 October. The official opening party will be held on 5 October.