On June 4th and 5th, 2025, the 6th General Assembly of the European HealthChain project took place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The project is implemented under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument. The two-day meeting focused on reviewing the project’s achievements so far, analyzing strategic challenges, and preparing for the second half of the project implementation, with an emphasis on increasing the impact of developed solutions and strengthening cooperation between regions and innovation stakeholders.
Focus of the Advisory Board
A key part of the meeting was the presentation and direct engagement with the project’s advisory board members, Prof. Nick Guldemond (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Marta Passadouro (Lisbon Council), who provided comprehensive and strategic feedback. In discussions with partners, they addressed fundamental issues of long-term sustainability of digital health solutions and highlighted these key directions:
Sustainability of solutions: The advisory board urged focus on technical and organizational interoperability, human capital development, and ensuring financial stability as a foundation for long-term integration of solutions into healthcare systems.
Focus on real needs: They warned against developing technology solutions without real value for healthcare systems, emphasizing the need for development based on clearly defined and actual clinical needs.
Timely regulatory alignment: To prepare solutions for investors and market introduction, developers must integrate legal and regulatory aspects from early stages.
Policy impact: Partners in each region were encouraged to actively incorporate project experiences and outcomes into shaping national and European policies in digital health and innovation.
The advisory board’s guidance will be a crucial framework for the project’s strategic orientation and planning for the second half of the implementation.
Nick Guldemon
Progress and Collaboration Within the Consortium
The meeting also highlighted key achievements to date:
Demand-driven solution development: A total of 33 companies are developing 24 innovative solutions that directly address unmet clinical needs in participating regions.
Mentoring network: The project involves 27 experts supporting companies in validation, business modeling, and mutual learning phases.
Expansion of partner community: 13 new “Mirror Regions” joined the project community, monitoring the project and developing their own responses to findings.
Advancement in implementation readiness: Solutions are progressing along technology readiness levels (TRL) and business readiness levels (BRL), supported by testing environments and tailored support mechanisms.
Presence of Slovenian Partners
Slovenian partners actively participated in the meeting, including SIS EGIZ, Gospodar Zdravja, VitalITy / Parsek. Although Kirurški sanatorij Rožna dolina was not present, it remains active in solution development within the Slovenian partnership. Representing SIS EGIZ at the event were Director Alenka Rožaj Brvar, Project Office Manager Monika Klemenčič, and Communications Manager Mateja Boldin Zevnik.
Slovenian partners from the pilot region of Western Slovenia are developing digital solutions focused on long-term care challenges and healthcare accessibility. More details on the concrete developments can be found here.
Next Steps
Moving forward, the project will focus on consolidating development results and preparing for wider deployment of solutions. Priority tasks include real-world validation, connecting with investors and policymakers, and organizing a Pitch Day event as an opportunity to increase visibility and practical application.
