Concerns have been raised that companies in the field of health cannot carry out tests and pilots in a suitable manner. To address these concerns Meld. St. 18 (2018-2019) proposed to conduct a study of the health industry’s needs and opportunities for utilizing any remaining capacity in existing laboratories and other infrastructure in the public sector. On behalf of the Ministries of Health and Care Services, Oslo Economics has mapped residual capacity in public laboratories and infrastructure that can be of use to private actors in the field of health research and development.
Our study shows that private companies usually get access to public facilities when needed. However, accessibility is to a greater extent limited at the hospitals, especially because of emergency preparedness considerations. In addition, a number of new tailor-made institutions have emerged in recent years, aimed specifically at private users of research laboratories, test production and test facilities. The challenges associated with access to facilities are mainly due to a lack of a comprehensive overview, coordination and a clear organizational framework, not a lack of capacity.
Based on the identified barriers, Oslo Economics puts forward proposals for possible measures that can improve the situation. However, there seem to be other challenges that are more inhibiting for private companies than lack access to laboratories and other infrastructure.
