Researcher studies Vision Zero Cancer for future innovation

Are milieus like Vision Zero Cancer a good way to accelerate innovation? At Stockholm School of Economics, doctoral student John-Erik Bergkvist is researching this – the methodology for building a vision-driven innovation milieu.

John-Erik Bergkvist, PhD student at House of Innovation, Stockholm School of Economics

Vision Zero Cancer aims to be an innovation milieu that engages actors from different sectors and disciplines to achieve a common vision: that no one should have to die of cancer. The phenomenon of vision-driven innovation milieus is not new – but there is not much research on it, yet. Doctoral student John-Erik Bergkvist, at House of Innovation, Stockholm School of Economics, is working on changing that.
"Vision Zero Cancer is an exciting organization," he says. "They are based on a call from The Swedish Innovation Agency, Vinnova, around vision-driven health. Based on ideas that innovation can be accelerated through cooperation and a clear direction."

It is based on the idea that it's rarely one actor that accounts for the entire value. In the case of cancer care, there are many actors. The pharmaceutical industry, the medtech industry, doctors, nurses, IT-functions – all that is required for good cancer care. The idea is that these actors should not innovate individually but explore joint missions in a broader ecosystem.

Previous research has mainly focused on collaborations between organizations or ways of coordinating ecosystems that are centered around a certain product. Vision Zero Cancer is more about creating an arena and conditions for long-term dialogue – so that collaboration becomes natural. Preferably in slightly unexpected constellations.
"Theoretically, it's about changing informal and formal institutions. The assumption in Vinnova's call is that broad arenas for knowledge exchange can give birth to new ideas and increase innovation capacity in the ecosystem as a whole."

Words such as cross-sectoral, cross-disciplinary, flexible, and dynamic permeate the call.
"It is based on the idea that it's rarely one actor that accounts for the entire value. In the case of cancer care, there are many actors. The pharmaceutical industry, the medtech industry, doctors, nurses, IT-functions – all that is required for good cancer care. The idea is that these actors should not innovate individually but explore joint missions in a broader ecosystem. And try to get the ecosystem to bring about system transformation.”

Healthcare is more than just the treatment itself; it is also a matter of organizing to carry out the treatment. In which knowledge of how to do it effectively is needed.

John-Erik Bergkvist will follow how Vision Zero Cancer is built up and received, which drivers and hindering factors there are. A longitudinal case study. This will be the theme of one of the articles in his doctoral thesis, which usually contains four to five articles.
"The rest is made up of experimental studies around what factors matters to those who are going to engage with the ecosystem, how innovative ability is affected by education and how receptive different professions are to the ideas of other professions”

The fact that Vision Zero Cancer is an innovation milieu within healthcare was something that attracted John-Erik Bergkvist, who has experience within healthcare from before. His CV includes positions as an analyst at the Swedish Agency for Health and Social Care Analysis and analyst at the Swedish Government Offices' writing an Official Government report on the subject ‘The future specialist nurse – new role, new opportunities’. He is well versed in the challenges facing healthcare. Organization is one of them.
"Healthcare is more than just the treatment itself; it is also a matter of organizing to carry out the treatment. In which knowledge of how to do it effectively is needed."

There is certainly scepticism about initiatives perceived as "external" fabrications. However, Vision Zero cancer exhibits characteristics that are beneficial. They consist of a wide mix of people "from within" healthcare. And not only from the profession, but also patients, the pharmaceutical industry and the medtech industry

By studying Vision Zero Cancer and the conditions for innovation, John-Erik Bergkvist hopes to be able to generate knowledge about its way of organizing and draw general conclusions that can be used for similar milieus. To learn if vision-driven innovation environments are something for the future. In this he is supervised by Associate Professor Anna Essén.

Anna Essén, assistant professor at House of Innovation, Stockholm School of Economics

Anna Essén points out that innovation milieus are nothing new but have existed in different contexts in the past. With varied results.
"There is certainly scepticism about initiatives perceived as "external" fabrications. However, Vision Zero cancer exhibits characteristics that are beneficial. They consist of a wide mix of people "from within" healthcare. And not only from the profession, but also patients, the pharmaceutical industry and the medtech industry.”

Vision Zero Cancer matches actors with complementary ideas – it thereby reduces transaction costs and allows actors to leverage their investments. No one can build a complete solution for a transformation of cancer care themselves. A viable approach is therefore to enable actors to combine and recombine their nisched ideas and offerings with other's contributions. I think Vision Zero Cancer is making a difference here already – by facilitating such combinations.

The network of actors is something that Anna Essén sees as a strength.
"Vision Zero Cancer matches actors with complementary ideas – it thereby reduces transaction costs and allows actors to leverage their investments. No one can build a complete solution for a transformation of cancer care themselves. A viable approach is therefore to