HealthEConnect
Connecting healthtech innovation ecosystems for user-centred and business-driven entrepreneurial education propelling next-generation digital health solutions.
Background
Rising costs, resource pressures, an increase in chronic diseases, together with the challenges posed by an ageing population have exerted significant pressure on Europe to improve its healthcare and put forward health related technological advances.
Indeed, unlocking the digital transformation of healthcare has been a strategic EU priority for years due to enormous potential of digital health solutions to make our health systems and services more effective, taking the future healthcare delivery to the next level in the European territory.
While much has been done inside healthcare institutions to stimulate innovation, far less has been done outside the traditional healthcare frameworks to foster the development of innovative health solutions. In fact, there is increasing recognition of the role of less conventional players, like educational establishments and training providers, in developing an entrepreneurial spirit and driving innovation.
Hence, there is a strong need for education offers that can equip future health innovators with particular mind and skill sets and with the capacity to shape tomorrow’s healthcare.
The Project
HealthEConnect aims to support the rise and growth of next-generation healthtech companies through a co-designed, user-centred and entrepreneurial-driven healthtech innovation and entrepreneurship educational offer launched in Lisbon.
The project broader vision extends to cultivating an enduring collaboration between the healthtech innovation ecosystems in the Lisbon region (Portugal) and Hovedstaden (Denmark), by capitalizing on best practices and sustaining resource flows between ecosystem members.
HealthEConnect will adopt an ecosystem approach, by taking one leading innovation ecosystem (Copenhagen healthtech entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem) as a role model and primary source for transferring well-functioning high impacts practices to the moderate innovation ecosystem (Lisbon healthtech entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem).
The main output of the project is the draft of a new healthtech and entrepreneurship educational offer to be delivered in Lisbon. As a first step of this educational offer, a pilot in Health Innovation is being implemented by NOVA Medical School (NMS) and NOVA School of Business and Economics (NOVA SBE).