New research on nature-based health entrepreneurs
Nature-based, health-promoting initiatives have in previous research been shown to have good effects. Now, researchers at Luleå University of Technology will investigate how small and medium-sized companies in the industry develop, how they are hired by municipalities and regions, and how they succeed. - We will also examine the conditions for the development of new innovative solutions for companies, says Päivi Juuso.
Päivi Juuso, associate professor of Nursing and Åsa Engström, professor of Nursing have together with Jeaneth Johansson, professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Ossi Pesämaa, professor of Accounting and Control, all at Luleå University of Technology, previously investigated the importance of nature for health.
Examined business models
In the previous project New Nordic Nature Based Service Models, Nordic NaBS, they investigated how business models worked for companies that were allowed to test nature-based services for people and how the well-being of those people was affected after participating in teh project.
In the new project, which will run until 2025, a survey of nature-based companies in Sweden will be carried out.
"It is a continuation of the previous project, which was about nature based small and medium-sized companies in Norrbotten, Västerbotten and three regions in Finland", says Päivi Juuso.
Make a survey
The project, called "Return to the forest" is funded by The Kamprad Family Foundation with five million kronor.
The purpose of the new survey is to map how it works for companies in the sector.
"We want to see what services the small and medium-sized companies offer, how they can sell their services to regions and municipalities, what the processes look like and what the results for the participants look like. At the same time, we want to see what we can learn in Norrbotten", says Päivi Juuso.
The services can be about health-promoting and disease-preventing activities such as staying in nature and be close to animals, and visit the garden and forest environment.
Päivi Juuso and Åsa Engström state that in the research area of Nursing, there has not been much research on the importance of nature for health.
"Nursing has emphasized the importance of the environment for health and proximity to animals. But taking a larger grip on nature-based initiatives has been sparse in our research area. There are other research areas that have looked at it earlier such as environmental psychology, agronomists, architecture among others", they say.
[https://nordicnabs.com/en/home/]
