‘Virtual’ laboratory a hive of activity

Media release from National Institute for Health Innovation: September 30,2009

‘Virtual’ laboratory a hive of activity

Innovation needs a central place to thrive and this is the basis of the idea networking site (www.hive.org.nz), being launched on September 30th by the National Institute for Health Innovation (NIHI).

‘Innovation is critical to the future of the health sector, and it needs a place that nourishes collaboration, nurtures new thinking, enabling the extraordinary to occur,’ says Malcolm Pollock, Director of NIHI. This place, he says, is the Health InnoVation Exchange: the hive.

‘Think of it as a virtual laboratory where people with an interest in what’s going on or an idea they want to develop can get together’.

‘We’re using technology to recognise innovative thinking and projects within the health sector,’ adds Research Fellow Dr. Chris Paton. ‘This is the place for health innovators to share their ideas, experiences, initiatives and aspirations in an open, non commercial environment.’

Unlike some social networking sites, the hive has no commercial agenda. The not-for-profit site provides a platform for health innovation in New Zealand, supported through the communities of professionals involved in the sector.

www.hive.org.nz is a collaboration led by the National Institute for Health Innovation and has been commissioned by the Ministry of Health.

‘Working with NIHI on the Hive Web 2.0 initiative was a simple and easy step that we could take towards supporting innovation in the health sector,’ adds
Dr. Andrew Holmes, the Ministry of Health’s Principal Clinical Advisor, Health Information. ‘ With the right connections, good ideas can gather momentum. We look forward to seeing this new collaborative community growing.'

Paton and Pollock believe that this idea networking site is vital to the future development of healthcare services in New Zealand.

ENDS

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