Youwell licenses PRO-DIALOG, a digital tool for the kindergarten development conversation

Youwell has signed a licence agreement with VIS - Vestlandets Innovasjonsselskap and takes over responsibility for the further development, operation and commercialisation of PRO-DIALOG, a digital conversation tool for the kindergarten development conversation. The agreement was signed on 12 October 2026. The tool is planned to enter a pilot phase from 2027, with the aim of making it available to kindergartens across Norway during 2027.

What is PRO-DIALOG?

PRO-DIALOG builds on the method Dialogue-Based Early Detection (Dialogbasert tidlig oppdagelse), developed at Helse Bergen under the leadership of Professor and consultant physician Ingvar Bjelland. Before the development conversation, parents and kindergarten staff answer the same questions about the child's well-being and development. The answers are compiled and form the basis for a structured conversation about what is working well and whether the adults have concerns that need follow-up. The aim is for parents and staff to reach a shared understanding of the child's situation.

The method was developed from 2015 in close collaboration with parents and kindergarten staff, and was tested and adjusted in eight kindergartens. Around 300 development conversations were part of the work, and the first scientific article on the method was published in 2022.

A digital tool on the Youwell platform

Youwell has built the solution on its eHealth platform. The tool makes it possible to collect and compile answers from parents and kindergarten staff, document a shared conclusion and register any follow-up. The work was carried out through an innovation project led by VIS, Helse Bergen's technology transfer office.

In autumn 2024, Norwegian Smart Care Lab carried out an independent pre-test. In spring 2026, a further developed prototype was tried out in regular development conversations at the Eventus kindergartens Borgafjell and Sartorlunden. Both parents and staff found the preparation and the comparison of answers useful. The tests also showed a need for improvements, including login, question wording and documentation, and Youwell plans further trials before the solution is offered to kindergartens.

CEO Øyvind Grimsgaard stresses that technology must never get in the way of the relationship in the room. The tool is meant to provide structure and preparation, not to replace the conversation between parents and kindergarten staff.

The research continues

In parallel, Helse Bergen is carrying out the PRO-DIALOG research project, a randomised controlled trial examining whether the method can help concerns about children's well-being and development be identified earlier. The study continues independently of the licence agreement. The research is not complete, and an answer to whether the method helps children get help earlier than traditional development conversations will not come until during 2027.

The innovation project has received NOK 500,000 from the Research Council of Norway and NOK 1.5 million from Stiftelsen Dam, the latter in collaboration with Mental Helse. VIS has been responsible for funding, user testing, training material, trademark protection and licensing, among other things.

More about the project: read VIS's announcement (in Norwegian).