Estonia’s applied research centre and national metrology institute Metrosert has signed a memorandum of understanding with Gangwon Technopark in South Korea to develop cooperation in health technologies and support Korean companies entering the European market.

“Hundreds of health technology companies operate within the Gangwon Technopark ecosystem, and the European Union is an important target market for many of them. Analysis based on data from one of Europe’s most advanced digital health systems provides valuable credibility for their solutions in the eyes of potential partners and users,” said Janne Pullat, Head of Health Data Unit at Metrosert’s Applied Research Center.

Gangwon Technopark is the innovation and business development organisation of South Korea’s Gangwon Province. It supports companies across multiple technology sectors and promotes international collaboration.

Its network also includes several health technology developers and startups, many of which aim to export their solutions to the European Union. To do so, they need to demonstrate that their technologies comply with European regulations and perform reliably on real-world data.

Metrosert’s Health Data Unit within the Applied Research Center provides a service that enables testing and validation of new health technologies using Estonian health data. Such validation helps companies assess the performance of their solutions and prepare for entering the European market.

“International collaboration is essential for innovation. When expertise and data from different countries are combined, both companies and healthcare systems benefit. For us, this partnership is an opportunity to bring research and development based on Estonian health data into international use and to create new joint projects.”
Janne Pullat, Head of Health Data Unit at Metrosert’s Applied Research Center

Metrosert launches first South Korea health‑tech validation pilot

In the coming months, Metrosert’s health data team will begin the first pilot project in South Korea, analysing solutions developed by Korean health technology companies using Estonian datasets. Metrosert’s data scientists will contribute both to the analysis and to the development of the validation methodology.

Gangwon Province actively invests in the development of health technologies and artificial intelligence, and hosts a broad innovation ecosystem that includes companies, hospitals, and research institutions.

“International collaboration is essential for innovation. When expertise and data from different countries are combined, both companies and healthcare systems benefit. For us, this partnership is an opportunity to bring research and development based on Estonian health data into international use and to create new joint projects,” added Pullat.

The cooperation was initiated through meetings between Estonian and South Korean innovation organisations, facilitated by the Smart City and Foreign Investment unit of the City of Tartu.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Metrosert is Estonia’s applied research center and national metrology institute.
• The state-owned company employs approximately 140 specialists and supports sustainable economic growth through applied research, measurement and quality systems, as well as cooperation between industry and research institutions.
• The Applied Research Center focuses on five areas: drone technologies, autonomous vehicles, hydrogen technologies, biorefining and health data.
• In February Metrosert announced that the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) has agreed a 10-year, €11.4M loan with Metrosert, to finance a specialised Drone Technology Unit in Tallinn. The facility will play a crucial role in developing and testing uncrewed systems for defence applications across the Nordic-Baltic region.
• The new unit in Tallinn will house nine laboratories designed to validate uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), ground vehicles (UGVs), and surface vessels (USVs) throughout their development lifecycle. The focus areas include unmanned aviation, communications, navigation, flight physics, and hardware security.

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