INCA: Innovation in municipal home-based healthcare services

This project aims to produce new knowledge on innovation processes in municipalities. Norwegian municipalities face increasing demand and expectations for healthcare services. At the same time, financial resources and access to qualified personnel are expected to diminish. Therefore, municipalities must utilize human resources more efficiently, offer jobs that attract the professionals they need, and develop service delivery that meets societal expectations.

The project addresses the challenge of sustainable public healthcare service provision by following and analyzing idea generation, development, implementation, sustainment, diffusion and translation of innovative organizational models for the delivery of home-based healthcare services in two municipalities, as well as the realization of benefits from these innovations. It is a collaborative effort by researchers from NORCE (O. Øygarden, L.J. Gressgård & M.Nøkleberg) and Centre for Care Research West / HVL (A. Fagertun & C. Øye), and Bergen and Bjørnafjorden municipalities.

In combination, three case studies cover all phases of the innovation cycle and the outcomes of innovation, and case study findings will be subject to comparative analysis aiming for theory development and knowledge exchange between researchers and practitioners. The main research questions asked are: What are the key needs and challenges that occur in municipal innovation work, and how are these met, managed and solved by actors taking part in municipal healthcare sector innovation? What are crucial competencies at different organizational levels for innovation process management and work, and for the realization of benefits in the municipal healthcare sector? And what are the key elements of translation competence for actors at different organizational levels, is knowledge brokering an element of translation competence and if so, what role does it play, and what is the role of translation competence in innovation process management and innovation work?