Our drive for healthier lives in 2020 and beyond
Digital
Transformation
Our mandate is to continue driving progress against EU policy and international objectives.
We’ve identified six of the most urgent healthcare challenges facing society, and we’re dedicated to finding solutions for these areas that will strengthen healthcare systems, promote better health of citizens, and contribute to a sustainable health economy in Europe.
1 Reforming care pathways
From diagnosis to treatment, care pathways are essential, yet current strategies focus heavily on the treatment phase. We are extending care pathways to provide end-to end care; before the onset of disease through to end-of-life support.
And, we are optimising long-term care to enable people with chronic conditions to live as well as possible.
2 Healthcare transformation
We’re uniquely placed to accelerate the modernisation of healthcare systems in Europe. We bring together innovators and pool their talent to overcome fragmentation across healthcare delivery and create a sustainable healthcare system to support an ageing society.
3 Harnessing real-world data
Healthcare data provides rich insight into diseases and, when used efficiently and appropriately, it can open up new possibilities. It can deliver prediction models for early diagnosis, enhance treatment and inform how we can lead healthier lives. We want to exhaust the wealth of healthcare data available across Europe to improve the lives of patients and citizens.
4 Bringing care home
Healthcare delivery is changing, shifting from the hospital and into the home.
Significantly enhancing the integration of health and social care will be vital in ensuring European citizens receive optimal treatment, while releasing pressure on hospital services.
Prioritising innovative solutions that support healthcare delivery in the home and away from the hospital is one way to tackle the challenges of an ageing population.
5 Health in the workplace
In Europe, work-related stress affects one in four employees, leading to significant levels of absence. This is just one of the many work-related conditions we need to address. We want to improve workplace health at every level through better education, improved personal awareness and helping to make healthy choices easier.
6 Fostering healthier lives
Patients and citizens in Europe are at the centre of what we do. We want to change lifestyle behaviours by creating tools and incentives for patients that help protect their health by preventing early ageing, and reducing disease and disability.
Tackling the challenges
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Investing in our health and, through a healthy workforce, a healthy economy with lower public health bills
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Finding new ways to prevent disease, develop better diagnostics and more effective therapies, along with new models of care and technologies
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Developing new technologies to keep older people active and independent for longer, helping European health and care systems remain sustainable
This is where we come in
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We are committed to delivering solutions for a better health for all
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We support people in Europe to live longer, healthier lives
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We drive progress against Horizon 2020, the EU’s seven-year framework programme for research and innovation
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Our work contributes to progress against the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals
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We go beyond conventional approaches to disease management and prevention, and strengthen healthcare systems
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We build and grow businesses to create products and services that progress healthcare in Europe, while strengthening our economy
What we've done so far
Our vast and vibrant community includes approximately 150 world-class partner organisations. We work across borders to connect the three worlds of business, research and education.
In 2019
alone we:
In 2020, we will...
protect and improve the health of EU citizens by supporting:
- 15 initiatives focused on healthy ageing: addressing risk factors such as use of tobacco and passive smoking, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity
In 2020, we will...
protect and improve the health of EU citizens by supporting:
- More Than 25 initiatives to tackle chronic diseases including cancer, age-related diseases and neurodegenerative diseases
- 10 of those with a specific focus on cancer
For example, OncoWatch, an AI system proven to be equivalent to experts in prostate cancer diagnosis. In a study published in The Lancet Oncology, it was comparable with international, leading uropathologists in determining the Gleason score, the most important prognostic marker for prostate cancer.
In 2020, we will...
protect and improve the health of EU citizens by supporting:
- 08 Initiatives sharing information and data across EIT's Knowledge and Innovation Communications (KICs)
In 2020, we will...
protect and improve the health of EU citizens by supporting:
- 02 initiatives centred around drugs-related health
Our six focus areas
We will continue driving progress against our six focus areas:
initiatives
Our six focus areas
We will continue driving progress against our six focus areas:
initiatives
2 Healthcare transformation
The EIT Health Community invested €27 million in 45 initiatives that help to reform patient care and accelerate diagnosis, including:
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SUOG equips more junior ultrasound operators with data of detail and quality than a more senior operator would collect
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ActiveHip helps extend medical care and provide education to care-givers via an online platform
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MARNIE aids rehabilitation, as a visuo-motor rehabilitation providing high-definition, non-invasive neurostimulation
Our six focus areas
We will continue driving progress against our six focus areas:
initiatives
Our six focus areas
We will continue driving progress against our six focus areas:
initiatives
4 Bringing care home
The EIT Health Community invested €6 million in 13 initiatives that harness new technologies such as robotics and AI. Examples include:
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MERLIN, a home based robotic rehabilitation systems for stroke
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Our 2020 Summer School will focus on “digital home care services”, aiming to bridge the gap between the availability of large sets of health data and an overdue shift of healthcare delivery towards home care
Our six focus areas
We will continue driving progress against our six focus areas:
initiatives
5 Health in the workplace
The EIT Health Community invested €580,000 in two initiatives focusing on employer leadership programmes, and encouraging health stewardship in the workplace to improve health outcomes.
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PsyHealth worXs – saleable psychosocial risk assessment training that can be tailored to specific companies
Our six focus areas
We will continue driving progress against our six focus areas:
initiatives
6 Fostering healthier lives
The EIT Health Community invested €4 million in 14 initiatives to support healthy lives by introducing behavioural change, including:
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The Drink Up campaign which develops training for public and private sector actors, provides the skills needed to promote healthier lifestyles among all European citizens
Digital
We’re improving the efficiency of Europe’s health systems via the digital transformation of health and care.
We are supporting almost 100 wider digital innovation and e-health projects and programmes in 2020.
- Over 60 feature distinct digital tech initiatives
- Almost 30 of these seek to accelerate access to and uptake of new innovations
Digital
Transformation
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We’re helping to make European health and care systems more accessible and sustainable by providing more digitised and community-based care models
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We’re leading advancements in Big Data analytics and Artificial Intelligence to enable the digitisation of the health and care systems. Beyond making our lives easier, Artificial intelligence (AI) is a key driver of economic development. AI is helping us to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges: from treating chronic diseases or reducing fatality rates in traffic accidents, to fighting climate change or anticipating cybersecurity threats
We are leading from the front in digital innovation
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This year the EIT Health Community are investing €10 million to fund opportunities that leverage AI to address some of the greatest health challenges. EIT Health partnered with McKinsey & Company to develop and launch a new pan-EU report on the impact of AI on the future of Europe’s healthcare systems. This report gives a robust new methodology to evaluate the impact of automation and AI on specific skills and activities in European healthcare. Through the EIT Health Think Tank Round Table Series, we will explore how these recommendations could be translated at the national level in conjunction with local decision makers and subject matter experts across all of our seven regional innovation hubs.
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In 2020, we will collaborate with others within the EIT community to integrate AI across curricula in the education courses the EIT supports, in order to contribute to developing a talent pool for AI in Europe. Topics include data, ethics, and human capital
We are leading from the front in digital innovation
Our work is helping to increase health system efficiencies across Europe
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Inefficient care can lead to unnecessarily poor outcomes for patients, either in terms of their health, or their experience of the health system
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We need greater efficiencies of health systems, but the routine use of efficiency metrics to guide decisions is severely lacking
Tackling cancer
We are helping to tackle cancer in the EU
In 2020 the EIT Health Community are investing €7 million into 10 innovative cancer projects and programmes across 8 countries. One of the projects we’re supporting is COLO-MET, which is looking to develop a novel, non-invasive urine test for early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) metastases in the liver:
*Funding from the EIT Health Community includes the total sum of self-funding, co-funding and EIT contributions
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Earlier diagnosis of CRC translates to a significantly higher chance of survival
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Earlier diagnosis can achieve better outcomes (potentially saving lives) and lower cost of treatment
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On average, one might say that the difference in cost between early stage and late stage is probably tenfold; between 4,000€ and 40,000€
Fighting COVID-19
In 2020 EIT Health has committed nearly 7 million euros to accelerate COVID-19 solutions
Through our ‘Rapid Response’ initiative, we evaluated existing budget provisions for planned projects in 2020 and were able to reallocate funds to support promising solutions that may assist in the fight against COVID-19. The 15 projects selected cover biotechnology, diagnostics, digital health and med tech, and are run by 41 partners. The projects focus on immediate and impactful solutions that can be found to arm health services with better tools in navigating the pandemic. See our full COVID-19 response here
*Funding to support the fight against COVID-19 was separate to that allocated to the full range of activities presented in this report
Fighting COVID-19
The projects, which will all be completed by the end of 2020, focus on:
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The creation of faster and more effective COVID-19 diagnostics.
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The development of immunity testing so that isolation or lockdown measures may be relaxed for those no longer at risk of infection; allowing populations to return to work and stimulate the economy where safe to do so.
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Clinical triaging solutions so that healthcare providers can identify patients who require care in hospital versus those who can be managed at home under remote supervision.
Fighting COVID-19
The projects, which will all be completed by the end of 2020, focus on:
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Home monitoring solutions so that healthcare professionals can closely monitor patients outside of the hospital environment and quickly detect deterioration or worsening of symptoms.
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Digital solutions for healthcare professional training and data resources to improve patient management, prognosis and outcomes.
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Data-powered initiatives to identify biomarkers associated with the progression of COVID-19 and treatment response at early stages of the disease.
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Measures to reduce shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitary products and medical supplies.
Global Impact
In 2020 our work continues to make an impact globally
2020 marks the start of the ten-year countdown to the deadline set by the United Nations to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals, the blueprint to achieving a better and more sustainable future for all.
Here’s how we are helping to drive progress against some of these global goals in 2020:
Global Impact
Strengthening healthcare systems in Europe and contributing to a sustainable health economy in Europe
In 2020 the EIT Health Community is supporting almost 20 initiatives to improve data collection and availability, as well as advancing innovative methodological approaches that give valuable insights into how efficiently health care is delivered.
Global Impact
Promoting better health of citizens
- 20+ projects (with an EIT Health community investment value of investment value of €7.5 million to address the challenges that come with ageing populations)
Global Impact
Promoting better health of citizens
- 10 unique citizen initiatives
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From the “Patient Innovation Bootcamp: Boosting Patient Entrepreneurship” the first-ever accelerating programme for patients and caregivers to implement innovative solutions they have developed to help them cope with a need imposed by their health condition
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To eVisa, which aims to ease visually-impaired people’s lives by improving their mobility through the use of innovative 3D technology
Global Impact
Supporting gender equality in research
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EIT Health works to mobilise action against gender inequality in research and innovation
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We stimulate R&I activities in an evidence-based and gender-sensitive manner
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For instance in 2020, we are continuing to support WE Health with a programme which enhances the participation of women in health innovation and entrepreneurship. The programme also works to raise awareness on the positive economic and social impact of gender diversity in health innovation, and at generating new ideas towards a more balanced business innovation community.
In numbers -
2020 objectives
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53 partners engaged in delivery of education programmes
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Turn 15 innovations into commercially-viable products or services and launched to the market
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Support 90 of the most promising new businesses to incubate, validate and eventually scale up their idea
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Enable 30,000 citizens to take part in outreach programmes
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Prompt 1,100 citizens to use our services
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Train 8,000 graduates
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Create 15 jobs (FTE) in SMEs and 50 jobs (FTE) in new business organisations
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Launch 2 start-ups by students and graduates from EIT Health MSc and PhD programmes
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Graduate 90 students from MSc and PhD programmes
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Develop 6 start-ups as a result of innovation projects
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Support 258 start-ups
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Attract €94.7m investment by start-ups