Supporting health-tech innovation and SMEs

The European population is ageing rapidly. According to the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing the number of Europeans aged over 65 will double in the next 50 years, and the number of over 80-year-olds will almost triple.

Life expectancy will continue to increase, yet unhealthy life years make up around 20% of a person's life. Therefore active and healthy ageing is a societal challenge shared by all European countries, but it is also an opportunity. It is a chance for Europe to establish itself as a global leader that is capable of providing innovative solutions.

The European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems 2021 report highlights:

• The health industrial ecosystem is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries globally.
• It consumes over 10% of GDP on average in the EU27, with a gross value added of around €1.2 billion in 2019, accounting for 9.5% of the total EU value added.
• The ecosystem employed 24.8 million people in 2018, with employment expected to rise over the next decade.
• SMEs dominate the ecosystem, comprising about 493,000 firms and over 99.7% of all enterprises.

The webinar will focus on the health-tech sector specifically as it is an increasingly important sector in Europe due to the challenges that come with aging societies. The webinar seeks to explore inspirational good practices that support SMEs in the health-tech sector in their growth and product/service development.

What you can expect 

Keynote speech 

• Pathway towards creating successful regional ecosystem in health by Kathleen D'Hondt, Policy Advisor at Department Economy, Science and Innovation - Flemish Government 

We'll explore the Flemish Region’s success developing the health-tech sector as over the past decades they have set up structures which have enabled them to become a leader in biomedical research and innovation as well as health-tech spin-offs. The presentation will also touch upon The Smart Health Pilot which is a learning and co-creation community bringing together several Belgian regions that have taken a strategic focus on developing personalised medicine.

Interreg Europe good practices in the spotlight 

• Technology voucher program in collaboration with Biogipuzkoa HRI (R&D Unit of Hospital Donostia) by Gorka Diez Jimenez from San Sebastian socio-economic development agency (Spain), NOTRE project - TBC

The primary objective of the vouchers is to facilitate the transfer of advanced knowledge and technology from R&D centres to SMEs and entrepreneurs in the health sector in San Sebastian. The vouchers offer an incentive for materializing technology and advanced knowledge transfer. The learning value of this practice for other policymakers lies in its ability to connect R&D centers with the business ecosystem, addressing the common disconnect between advanced centers and SMEs in this field. 

• HIPÂ project by Alizée Joseph Rose from Clubster NSL Innovation Project Manager (France), SILVER SMEs project (2014-2020) - TBC

HIPÂ is a living lab focusing on products meant for the elderly. It offers a useful space for business to test out their new innovative solutions specifically targeted to the elderly. The byproduct of the practice is also new collaborations between the medico-social sector and businesses. Therefore, HIPÂ living lab supports SME innovation while also tackling a critical issue of aging societies.

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