InnoHealth Forum and Match4Health: EKT supports developments in digital transformation in health

With more than 80 business meetings and the participation of international organisations, the hybrid networking event in the health sector, organised by the National Documentation Centre (EKT), was held on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 September 2023.

The networking meetings took place in Larissa and online, as part of the Match4Health event, and were attended by researchers, entrepreneurs and professionals from Greece as well as other countries (Cyprus, Italy, Germany, Romania, Kosovo, Portugal, Austria, United Kingdom, Poland, etc.) with an aim to explore the possibility of collaborations in order to highlight digital technologies and cutting-edge solutions in the healthcare sector.

The two-day B2B event was coordinated by Dr Sofia Xesfingi from EKT, National Contact Point for Health (Cluster 1) and Mission Cancer in Horizon Europe, with the support of the innovation consultants of the Enterprise Europe Network Hellas consortium and executives of the JOIST Innovation Park.

At the same time, EKT was a supporter of the two-day InnoHealth Forum 2023, which included networking meetings, speeches, discussions, presentations and exhibitors from Greek and international organisations and businesses. At the core of all actions was the digital transformation of health services in order to highlight opportunities and identify challenges associated with the future of the industry. Particular emphasis was placed on the issue of prevention and the ‘smart’ health ecosystem, as well as on the ethical dilemmas that arise and are inextricably linked to this development.

EKT was dynamically present, participating in the Exhibition with a stand and speeches, presentations and roundtable coordination throughout the two-day event. George Megas, Coordinator of EKT's National Contact Points in Horizon Europe and EIT Health Hub Coordinator, moderated the roundtable discussion ‘International Networks and Synergies in eHealth’, where experts from the largest European networks of innovation and digital transformation in health presented their actions and highlighted how synergies are achieved between all stakeholders so that modern health innovation ecosystems can thrive. They also highlighted challenges and presented their success stories, as well as the way forward. Among them, Dr. Sofia Xesfingi from EKT, highlighting the European project ECHoS for the development of national hubs for the Mission for Cancer.

Startups and the eHealth innovation ecosystem were at the centre of the roundtable discussion ‘eHealth Startups: 2024 Trends’. The 2024 trends reshaping healthcare, such as telemedicine and Artificial Intelligence, were presented, as well as the challenges emerging for entrepreneurs in this dynamic sector. G. Megas from EKT presented some of the opportunities offered for startups, from his experience as Coordinator of the Greek EIT Health node, as well as the pioneering SymbIASIS programme that connects Greek innovative startups with hospitals/clinics. προγράμματος SymbIASIS που συνδέει τις ελληνικές καινοτόμες startups με τα νοσοκομεία/ κλινικές.

EKT was present on both days of the event with a stand, where Angelos Angelidis and Marios Roides, National Contact Points at EKT & Innovation Consultants, met with entrepreneurs, researchers, academic and research institutions, discussed trends and challenges in the health sector and provided information on possibilities for the support of domestic entrepreneurship.

The exhibition was organised by the JOIST Innovation Park and the European Digital Innovation Health Hub and co-organised by the University of Thessaly and the Lifelong Learning Programmes of the Continuing Educational and Lifelong Learning Centre (CE-CLL) of the University of the Aegean. It was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Development and Investments, the Region of Thessaly and Elevate Greece.

Interview George Megas | InnoHealth Forum 2023

Interview Dr Sofia Xesfingi | InnoHealth Forum 2023

EKT as National Contact Point for Horizon Europe

EKT is the National Contact Point for Horizon Europe, specifically in Pillar 1 of the programme for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) cluster, in Pillar 2 for the clusters ‘Health’ (Cluster 1) and ‘Digital, Industry and Space (Cluster 4), as well as for the ‘Mission for Cancer’. It supports organisations, businesses, academics and research institutions all the way: From identifying funding opportunities to drafting and submitting proposals, implementing projects and exploiting research results. In addition, it contributes to the recording and analysis of Greece's participation in European research and innovation programmes. EKT is a key member of the network of NCPs for Health (HNN3.0), Digital in Horizon Europe (Ideal-ist), Industry (NCP4Industry) and MSCA (MSCA-NET).

Enterprise Europe Network

The Enterprise Europe Network is the largest business support network in the world. It consists of more than 450 partner organizations, 3,000 specialized executives and 17 teams of experts in respective business sectors. Since 2008, EKT has participated in the Enterprise Europe Network Hellas consortium in a coordinating role. The Enterprise Europe Network supports the resilience, extroversion, green and digital transitions of every SME with international ambitions.

Related European projects

EIT Health is one of the largest European networks for innovation in health. It consists of 266 partners including leading companies, universities, research and development centres, hospitals and institutes. Its role is to build an ecosystem that enables the future development of healthcare, offering European citizens better health and longevity. It is supported by the European Institute Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. EKT represents the hub of EIT Health in Greece.

EKT is also the Greek institution participating in the European project ‘ECHoS - Establishing of Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies’. As part of the project, it collaborates with a network of 57 partners aiming to set up national hubs for the Mission for Cancer. In alignment with the pillars of the Mission, EKT supports information, prevention, diagnosis and treatment, as well as the quality of life of patients, their relatives and citizens in general.