MEDIA RELEASE July 2, 2020
Ryman backs aged care innovations in HealthTech Supernode Challenge
Ryman Healthcare is supporting the innovators of New Zealand’s best tech-driven aged care solutions as part of a country wide health-tech challenge.
The Ministry of Awesome and the University of Canterbury’s Centre for Entrepreneurship’s HealthTech Supernode Challenge will offer industry support, more than $340,000 prize money and the opportunity to generate commercially viable solutions to healthcare problems in the Aged Care and Rural Care sectors. There is also an open category for general health innovations.
Ryman Healthcare Head of Technology and Innovation Technology Rick Davies said Ryman was thrilled to be part of the challenge.
“We jumped at the chance to be able to support the HealthTech Supernode Challenge because we think it couldn’t come at a better time.
“New Zealand’s population of older people is growing, and this growth is set to speed up rapidly as the Baby Boomers retire, placing extra demand on our health system.
“We’d like to do everything we can to support our best and brightest minds to come up with new technology to help us cope with the demand we see ahead, which will help improve quality of life for older people.’’
The challenge aims to address and solve some of New Zealand’s greatest healthcare challenges including wellbeing, independence and technology in the aged care sector.
Ryman is encouraging entrants to consider how loneliness can be reduced to improve wellbeing, how we can improve healthcare outcomes for older people living independently and how we can make existing and emerging technologies easier for older people to use.
The challenge, which is also supported by ChristchurchNZ and KiwiNet, is open to anyone from students to healthcare professionals.
As many as 20 semi-finalists will be chosen to take part in the HealthTech Supernode Challenge virtual pre-accelerator programme. Semi-finalists with aged care solutions will receive support and mentorship from Ryman’s innovation technology team to help make their idea a reality.
Applicants will be required to explain their idea, address a problem and how their idea will solve it, who customers might be and how money can be made from the idea.
Competition judges will include microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles and New Zealand’s chief science advisor at the Ministry of Health Ian Town.
Applications close August 16 and finalists will be announced on August 19.
