How does Norwegian Smart Care Lab work?

Norwegian Smart Care Lab (NSCL) is an international test center and Living Lab for welfare technology. - We help you test tomorrows welfare technology solutions.

In this text, Marit Hagland, manager of NSCL, describes the function of the Lab and the value it can provide.

Norwegian Smart Care Lab is involved in the entire innovation process. The lab is a resource center for companies that develop new solutions, and actors who want to use the solutions.

What is a Living Lab?

It is a method for user-involved innovation based on actual needs in everyday life. A Living Lab tests products and solutions in a real environment with users.

Why do we need NSCL?

The market for welfare technology is new and immature. This creates many complex challenges that affect everything from GPs, hospitals, municipal care, companies to research and the government. Entering the market with the right solutions is difficult. It can be challenging to get the solutions tested in a good way. There are many small pilots in the municipalities, but few real implementations where the benefits of new products and services are fully utilized.

New ways of delivering health services are crucial for a sustainable health and care sector in the future. Within technology, there is a sea of new opportunities. The activity in the area is large, but there are several technical, practical and legal obstacles that one must overcome before solutions can be used on a large scale.

At Norwegian Smart Care Lab, we have developed a methodology and service offerings for verification of products, prototypes and product ideas. Our services contribute to faster development and commercialization of products and solutions.

We do this by ensuring that the solutions are tested and adapted to customers, requirements and needs. At the same time, we ensure that the product or service satisfies laws, standards and norms.

NODE: Norwegian Smart Care Lab’s test center is a hub between companies, users and municipal / public actors. We test in five phases.


We test in five phases

Idea and needs: We test ideas as early as possible on real users. An early test provides clarification of the potential and where in the value chain the idea fits.

NSCL contributes with the following in this phase:

  • Broad knowledge of the health service
  • We help companies test market needs and clarify willingness to pay
  • We help find the right test resources

READ MORE : Phase 1 - Idea and development phase

Development: It is important to test frequently in the start-up phase before the company spends a large amount of resources on development tasks. We help develop prototypes that can visualize the concept for users. We find the users and help to carry out the tests.

READ MORE: Phase 2 - Development

Testing and piloting: When the product is nearing completion, it is crucial to optimize the details. This is how we ensure that the product provides optimal effect for the health service and users. NSCL implement tests that adjust and verify solutions.

READ MORE: Phase 3 - Piloting

Certification: There is a range of various requirements that new health solutions must satisfy. At NSCL, the companies receive the help they need to certify solutions in accordance with current regulations.

READ MORE: Phase 4 - Certification

Implementation: Implementing new solutions in the health and care sector is demanding. We have developed a number of services that streamline the implementation process.

READ MORE: Phase 5 - Implementation

USER-CENTERED: The lab uses different methodologies to ensure that the user is involved when we develop new services or products.

Reference Project

Norwegian Smart Care Lab is a test partner for Norway’s first innovation partnership in Stavanger municipality.

The innovation project is about activation and self-mastery for users in short-term stays and follow-up of the user at home. Through frequent tests in the innovation process, we can contribute to solutions that are both good for the users and that provide benefits for the municipality.

READ MORE: The journey of the activity robot Berntsen together with NSCL