Between September 25-27, 2024, Digital Innovation Zone (EDIH-DIZ) representatives participated in the study visit organized by European Digital Innovation Hub for Smart Health: Precision Medicine and Innovative E-health Services (smartHEALTH)on campus Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH)from Heraklion, Greece. This visit was an opportunity to exchange knowledge and good practices in the field of digital health, innovation in medicine and the use of advanced technologies to improve health services.
About the event
Day 1: Exploring the FORTH ecosystem and the smartHEALTH initiative
The first day of the event began with the opening session and an introduction to the FORTH ecosystem, supported by Dimitrios Plexousakis, Vice President of the Board of Directors and Director of the Institute of Computational Sciences at FORTH.
EDIH-DIZ representatives had the opportunity to present their work through a series of short speeches and to participate in an interactive exchange of ideas with other experts and leaders of European digital hubs.
A central moment of the day was the presentation of the smartHEALTH project manager, Dimitrios Filippidis, which provided a broad vision of innovation support services and innovative e-health solutions developed using the hub.
Other sessions of interest were the presentation CeHA (Center for eHealth Applications and Services) by Dimitrios Katehakis, as well as the discussion on funding opportunities and support services provided by smartHEALTH, supported by Iraklis Karantonisfrom PRAXI Network.
The study visit also included visiting essential facilities and laboratories to support health innovations:
- Molecular Biophotonic and Imaging Laboratory (LBMI)
- Facilities of the Hybrid Molecular Imaging Unit (HMIU)
- Ambient Intelligence Program (AmI)
Day 2: EDIH presentations and companies
The second day of the visit included a series of presentations by companies and digital hubs, offering an important platform for networking and collaboration between participants. EDIH-DIZ representatives presented innovation and digitization support services designed specifically for health:
- DiGiNN: Unleashing Digital Innovation – Success Stories and Best Practices Dr. Katerina Loizou, DiGiNN Project Manager
- INNDIH presentation & Digital Health at IBV Ms. Cristina Herrera, M.D. / Martínez Island, PhD., InnDIH
- EDIH Trakia – To bridge the Cybersecurity divide in the EU Denis Petkov,Senior Expert, EDIH Trakia
- Services of the DIGI2HealthBc. Jakub Havlín, project manager, DIGI2Health
An important moment for the beneficiaries of EDIH-DIZ services was the support of the company’s presentations Apollo AI Technologies and Dr.Online.
Apollo AI Technologies provides medical professionals with quick, secure and accurate access to critical information through advanced chatbots with artificial intelligence, in order to reduce time losses, ensure data confidentiality and improve patient safety.
Dr.Online is a platform that facilitates interaction between doctors and patients through online consultations, scheduling management, networking and reporting, all in a secure and customizable environment, offering flexibility, efficiency and comfort.
The participation of EDIH-DIZ in this study visit was an important opportunity to explore new technologies and innovations that can be implemented and adapted in the Romanian context. Collaboration between the various European hubs in the EDIH network and the exchange of good practices are essential to stimulate digital transformation in the field of health and to improve the quality of services provided to patients.
