Programme: FP7 GA no. 320021
Duration: 01/09/2013 – 31/08/2016 (36 months)
READi for Health
Regional Digital Agendas for Healthcare
Description
READi for Health aimed to strengthen the research potential of four leading eHealth regions (Murcia, Skane, Oulu and Midi-Pyrénées) by supporting their triple helix clusters to become world-class players in domains related to the EU Digital Agenda for Healthcare. The major limitation of the eHealth market today is not scarcity of technology, but that innovation up-take is slow compared with other sectors not depending on Public Administration. As a consequence, European public sector expenditure has not been used to spur innovation.
However, with an aging population and under current economic conditions, it is critical to facilitate its incorporation to raise the efficiency and quality of healthcare delivery.
READi for Health clusters joined forces to prepare and specialize their regions for quick uptake of eHealth innovation, validation under real-world conditions, and cost-benefit assessment. Cutting-edge companies (even from other regions) were welcomed to apply for technology testing within the mature Healthcare Information System regional landscapes of the consortium and, if considered of public interest, supported in its implementation and economic assessment. For this to become a reality, new Public Private Partnerships and purchasing mechanisms like Pre-Commercial Procurement need to be used. Also, technological development to facilitate quick incorporation of innovation has to be fostered. In particular in the areas of:
- Semantic Interoperability and Standards.
- Cloud Computing.
- Secure information access from any device.
In order to become a truly regional engine for growth, those innovations must be exported to European and world-wide markets. Participants will support companies, especially SMEs, to internationalize their innovations by promoting a ´global network of eHealth clusters´.
Scope and objectives
One of the main achievements has been the definition of a Joint Action Plan (JAP) were nine actions have been identified, and integrated to achieve READi for Health common aims by working on a range of actions that are executed on consortium level and/or are regional actions that can be scaled into the other regions within the project, realisable with the resources available the project or lead able to be implemented by accessing funding opportunities, implemented within a specific timeframe and based on the strengths and capabilities of at least one region. It is also worth stressing that the contents of this JAP mirror the key challenges of the four ecosystems, identified by canvassing the needs and prerequisites of the stakeholders: patients/citizens, healthcare leaders and professionals, academia, businesses (particularly SME’s), innovation support structures, as well as politicians and policy makers.
READí’s has clearly contributed to advancing the EU’s Digital Agenda in the Healthcare market, supporting policy makers, healthcare professionals and SMEs in finding common, mutually beneficial ground by:
- O1: Developing smart specialization strategies for quick eHealth innovation up-take
- O2: Developing the JAP in an environment of general restrictions on public spending and a focus on austerity
- O3: Boosting the competitiveness of the clusters and their members
- O4: Collecting resources, assessing country-specific legal requirements, identifying the regional procurement chain, detecting barriers and exchanging relevant best practices on pre-commercial procurement
- O5: Fostering internationalisation and mentoring.
ECHAlliance role
ECHAlliance has been leading the Wp devoted to dissemination and communication.
Consortium
TICBIOMED Tecnologías de la Información para la Salud en La Región de Murcia Asociación (ES), Fundación para la Formación e Investigación Sanitarias de la Región de Murcia (ES), Skane Lans Landsting (SE), Mobile Heights Ideell Forening (SE), Oulun Yliopisto (FI), Pohjois-Pohjanmaan Liitto (FI), Connected Health Alliance CIC (UK), D Aleph Iniciativas y Organización SA (ES).
Website
Publications
The Final Report and other key deliverables are accessible on CORDIS. The project has been featured in the CORDIS Results Pack “PCP and PPI: a public boost to societal challenge-driven innovation”.