EUHA_WHITE_HEALTHCARE

Our work

Innovation

Innovation is key to addressing the challenges facing European healthcare systems. The EUHA Innovation Network aims to share knowledge, best practices, and provide strategic support to the alliance in tackling these challenges. Through this network, EUHA influences policies that facilitate innovation, describes the impact of innovative solutions, fosters technology transfer, and promotes an innovative culture and mindset within academic hospitals.

University hospitals as innovation hubs

European healthcare systems are confronted with significant challenges as demands continue to rise. EUHA firmly believes that as university hospitals, our role is to lead and drive the transformation of healthcare, to meet the challenges that affect delivery, quality, and capacity.

Innovation can tackle a wide range of these challenges. It can lead to increasing efficiency, optimising patient care, and can even help address current workforce challenges. Innovation facilitates the realisation of personalised, sustainable, and forward-looking healthcare, while also amplifying the impact of translational life science research through effective knowledge valorisation, ultimately enabling university hospitals to give the best care to patients.

University hospitals, with their extensive expertise in research, healthcare, and education, are excellent environments that serve as innovation hubs. They play a crucial role in promoting collaborations, fostering an innovation mindset among healthcare professionals and contributing to the development of innovative solutions that will have a long-term impact on society and will shape the future of healthcare. <br

Focus Areas

The activities of the network are structured in two areas of interest:

Funding and Valorisation
The primary focus of the area is on strategic and policy aspects of Innovation and Technology Transfer. This includes:

Knowledge sharing: This involves organising seminars and meetings on  relevant topics and establishing a repository of information and documentation for future use.

Collaboration: The group discusses when, where, and how to apply for joint projects and associated grants, fostering collaboration among members.

Policy engagement: This involves interacting with relevant bodies to help influence the innovation climate.



Culture and Implementation
The second area of interest concentrates on the practical dimensions of Innovation. This includes:

Organizational structure: The group delves into understanding the structure and organisation of innovation activities within each EUHA member, as well as exploring various approaches to ways of working.

Tools: the group continues to develop new tools and spread already existing tools like the Healthcare Transformation Academy for fostering the innovation culture.

Unlocking the healthcare transformation

The Innovation Network is currently drafting a whitepaper targeted at policymakers at the national and European levels. The paper explores solutions aimed at unlocking the potential for healthcare transformation, optimising knowledge valorisation, and enhancing the sustainability and future readiness of university hospitals. The paper discusses key factors that prevent innovation from thriving within academic healthcare settings, and how decision-makers need to address such challenges effectively. By addressing these obstacles, decision-makers can unleash the transformative potential of university hospitals as hubs of innovation.

Coordination

Jeanette Tuval


Stockholm, Sweden

Karolinska University Hospital

Rafael José Navajo Garrido


Barcelona, Spain

Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus

Related news