The healthcare sector is undergoing tremendous changes throughout Europe as the systems are facing increasing demand due to aging societies. In this context, decision-makers recognise innovation as a means to respond to these challenges and to support high quality, safe, and effective care. However, healthcare innovations rarely achieve widespread uptake despite evidence of their benefits. The CHERRIES project aimed to open innovation processes to improve the fit of developed innovations and to align the expectations of society with the outcome of innovation processes, to increase the likelihood of adoption. By including a wide range of stakeholders, we aimed to develop innovations in a responsible way, which means in an open, transparent and democratic process. We did that in a process that we call the CHERRIES Model.
The CHERRIES model, building on Responsible, Research and Innovation (RRI) and Open Innovation, has been tested in the context of policy experiments in the healthcare sector in three European territories - in Murcia (ES), Örebro (SE) and the Republic of Cyprus (CY). The foundation of RRI-based values ensured that the actions taken were not only effective but also ethical. At the core, the CHERRIES experiments consisted of the following: 1) An open Call for Needs was launched to identify innovation needs, which arise from stakeholders’ daily experiences. 2) In each region, we selected one Need and translated it into an Open Innovation Challenge. Solution Providers could apply with their innovative solutions to this Call. 3) A selected Solution Provider received a grant for co-creating the proposed solution together with the Need-Owners. During the implementation of these real-life experiments in three regions, we collected evidence about the CHERRIES Model’s characteristics. The main positive aspects of the model are:
• Speed: The process from identifying a Need to testing a co-created Solution took approximately one year in all three regions. The rapid prototyping and testing provide benefits for all involved stakeholder, but especially for businesses providing Solutions, as they can quickly assess how their Solution is performing under real-life conditions.
• Fit: The demand-oriented approach and co-creation warrants that the solution is suitable to the requirements in a specific context. The Model provides fit-for-purpose and fit-for-context by addressing a specific Need in a given context, whereby the co-creation aligns preferences and requirements in order to improve the Solution.
• Coalitions: The CHERRIES model is an efficient way of building topical coalitions around a perceived problem. The co-creation and testing process brings together the quadruple helix partners within a new and open network in a solution-oriented collaboration that supports the building of shared understandings, trust, and visions.
• Flexibility: The model proved to be very flexible. It can be adopted to varying contexts, and can and should be adjusted to regional cultural and institutional contexts in order to provide value-added to existing initiatives.
With these value propositions, the CHERRIES Model can be a great addition to the innovation toolboxes of actors aiming to change healthcare practices. However, when replicating the model, the lessons-learned from the CHERRIES experience should be taken into consideration. The main challenges identified are the needed Institutional ownership, arena for deliberation, and the sustainability after pilot. In order to maintain the strengths and mitigate the issues outlined above, a “Future CHERRIES Model” was created.
