Sanford Innovation and Commercialization

Solving Problems and Helping Patients

Innovation at Sanford Health is about making health care better by engaging people throughout the industry to bring forward new solutions for our patients and providers.

From building one of the first fixed-wing air ambulances that helped save premature babies to inventing lifesaving medical devices for vascular patients, innovating is part of Sanford Health’s DNA.

How We Do It

Every innovation starts with an idea. We know the best place to start is by listening to our people – nurses, physicians, researchers and other team members – on the front lines of health care. Those closest to the work have a powerful perspective on the services we provide, the environment we work in and our hope for the future.

We make ideas a reality by collaborating with people and organizations to solve problems and transform health care.

The Sanford Health Innovation and Commercialization team:

• Helps our inventors develop technology, license their intellectual property or begin a startup company.
• Evaluates external partnerships and collaborations to help integrate and scale proven solutions into the health system.
• Analyzes existing and new business developments.
• Offers direction on regulatory guidelines, including how to navigate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval process and reimbursement strategies.
• Runs idea-generation challenges using crowdsourcing.
• Partners with a dedicated inpatient unit that creates, tests and shares new approaches to patient care.
• Empowers staff to identify barriers in their workflow and support product or process development through feasibility, pilot and full-scale operational phases.

Join Us

If you have an innovative idea or solution to a challenge, send us a brief description and your contact information.

Email Sanford Innovations

If you’re an external partner interested in collaboration or licensing, email us to learn more. Sanford Health has a long history of partnering with industry partners, and we believe that collaboration is critical to advancing health care.