smartHEALTH’s kick-off Event

In the European Union, approximately 25 million SMEs constitute the backbone of the economy. SMEs are deeply integrated into economic and social activities while varying in terms of business models, size, profiles, products, and services, as well as their needs. Concurrently, through the “EU SME Strategy for a Sustainable and digital Europe” strategy, the European Commission highlights the importance of ensuring access for businesses to actions aimed at developing digital skills, integrating digital innovations, and gaining support for their entrepreneurial activities, scaling, and operations.

Addressing the above challenges and contributing to the achievement of EU goals, the European Digital Innovation Hub for Smart Health – smartHEALTH, aims to develop a “one-stop-shop” where startups, SMEs, medium-sized enterprises, and the public sector can receive assistance to improve their business and productive processes, as well as the products and services they offer, utilizing AI, Cybersecurity, and High-Performance Computing technologies.

The smartHEALTH Hub will provide specialized expertise in the flagship areas of precision medicine, cancer, medical imaging analysis, digital transformation of the public sector, and infrastructure, through key representatives of Research & Innovation in the Greek ecosystem, in the field of digital and smart health.

On January 26th & 27th, 2023, the partners of smartHEALTH met at the premises of the Foundation for Technology and Research, the coordinating entity of this project, for the inaugural event of the Hub. The inaugural event was coordinated by Prof. Dimitrios Plexousakis, Director of the Institute of Computer Science of the Foundation for Technology and Research. The event was greeted by:

• Mr. Christos Dimas, Deputy Minister of Research and Technology
• Mr. Antonios Papaderakis, Deputy Regional Governor, Region of Crete

Speakers included:

• Ms. Helena Rodrigues, Project Officer of the European Commission, presented the EU’s EDIH initiative.
• Mr. Antonios Stasis, Director General of Digital Governance, General Secretariat of Digital Governance & Simplification of Procedures, Ministry of Digital Governance, presented opportunities and challenges for digital transformation in Greece.
• Mr. Dimitrios Katehakis, Director of the Hellenic Digital Health Cluster, presented innovation skills and developmental needs for entrepreneurship in the Digital Health sector.

The inaugural event was concluded by Prof. Dimitrios Plexousakis with a brief presentation of the project, its objectives, and the next steps.

Subsequently, a partners’ meeting of the Hub followed, during which management and implementation issues were discussed, the next steps were scheduled, and goals for the 1st year of operation were set.

The European Digital Innovation Hub – smartHEALTH is co-financed at 50% by the European Commission through the Digital Europe program.

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