Inauguration of the LINNUX laboratory of IDIVAL

On Friday 22 April, the new LINNUX space was inaugurated in the presence of the Regional Minister of Health, Raúl Pesquera, and the Vice-President of the Regional Government, Pablo Zuloaga in a ceremony that was also attended by the Director General of Digital Transformation and User Relations, Santiago García; the Managing Director of the Cantabrian Health Service, Rafael Sotoca, the Director General of Organization, Inspection and Pharmacy, Raquel Olalla, accompanied by the Scientific Director of IDIVAL, Marcos López Hoyos and the Director of Management, Galo Peralta.

LINNUX is aimed at promoting projects to improve the health system linked to the incorporation of new technologies and the conceptualization of care and management processes with a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional approach.

A new space designed to foster creativity, innovation and the co-creation of multidisciplinary projects, it has a prototyping laboratory, an experience and usability room, a team work room, four individual offices and an open room for meetings or teamwork in a more informal and relaxed atmosphere that invites creativity.

This new IDIVAL space has been refurbished thanks to an investment of 60,000 euros from the Directorate General for Digital Transformation and User Relations.

At the inauguration, Raúl Pesquera framed "this new laboratory within the objectives of the Regional Ministry of Health to internationalize and internalize, in order to attract talent and generate the entire process of creating and executing projects with its own resources. An objective that has been extended to the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital and its professionals, together with all the IDIVAL research staff". "With this initiative we are making a tangible commitment to innovation in health and the co-creation with professionals and patients of new digital health solutions", explained the Minister.

A multifunctional workspace to develop innovation projects at the service of healthcare professionals and with the aim of improving patient care. In these spaces, the usability of the technology will be evaluated, and research and innovation in strategies that contribute to improving the healthcare system will be promoted.

As an experience laboratory, LINNUX will focus on evaluating the usability of technology, software, processes and spaces through observation and testing using specific methodologies including observation, heuristics, usability testing and testing technology such as eye tracking systems. The focus will be on e-Health systems in general and telemedicine in particular, including patients as recipients and end users of all tools.

As a creativity laboratory, it will also have the function of raising awareness, research, experimentation, creation and launching of new ideas that are generated from the creative capacities of people through the use of 'design thinking' as a basic tool.

In addition, as a prototyping and design laboratory, LINNUX will serve to generate basic designs and prototypes for the conceptualization and testing of equipment as part of the development of new devices that can serve as conceptual tools within the innovation projects of the healthcare system.

These spaces, as well as being available to all staff of the public health system in Cantabria, are also expected to be used under specific agreements by external institutions.