Center for Innovative Healthcare

Project Center for Innovative Healthcare (EDIH) is one-stop-shop EDIH with mission to accelerate digitalization and innovation of the healthcare in Slovakia. EDIH will contribute to improving of healthcare system, a crucial sector with potential for large-scale deployment of proposed solutions. Focus on healthcare is present across number of key strategic documents on both European and national level including DEP.

Establishment of the Center will increase excellence and trust of health-related technologies and lead to more precise diagnosis, better prevention of diseases and more effective treatments.

Becoming a global leader means that none of Europe’s key sectors is left behind. Therefore, it is crucial to increase the digital maturity of healthcare and utilize the potential for innovations for the benefit of citizens, businesses, and public interest. Recent pandemic has clearly demonstrated that digitally immature healthcare systems are detrimental to society. Now, the prevalent consensus expressed in many strategic documents is that healthcare digitalization is an utmost priority. However, at the same time in the World of ageing population the healthcare is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing industries which brings opportunities for innovators.

Therefore, EDIH will be addressing the needs for digitalization and exploit emerging opportunities.

Excellence cannot be reached by universal solutions, therefore our EDIH focuses one but substantial area – the healthcare. EDIH’s services cover cutting-edge technologies such as cybersecurity, high performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), telemedicine, Internet of Things (IoT) or robotics. EDIH offers a full range of services for organizations in this sector and does not limit itself to only one type of service or technology. It is a one-stop-shop for both public and private healthcare providers, start-ups, scale-ups, innovative companies, and public bodies.

Our services are designed to better meet the needs healthcare industry covering key service areas (1) Test before invest. (2) Skills and training, (3) Support to find investment, (4) Innovation ecosystem and networking and (5) Support to the public sector. In every category, there are general services applicable in more sectors. However, in addition to that, there are also services specifically designed to meet the needs of organizations in the healthcare industry. For example, hospitals specifically expressed demand for robotics and nano sensors in addition to other advanced technologies. Dentists on the other hand need more 3D printing and Virtual and Augmented Reality).

EDIH offers excellent portfolio of advanced digital technologies and opens access to testing facilities such as machine learning lab, high-performance computing, national robotic centre, testing facilities for telemedicine and IoT including super-thin nano sensors, 3D printing testing, lab for virtual and augmented reality, semiconductor testing, a variety of biomedical testing facilities such as genomics, proteomics, etc. EDIH provides expertise and access to existing testing facilities in cooperation with most prestigious entities. Furthermore, EDIH collaborates with unique entities such a National Security Agency (NSA) that offers services related to cybersecurity and national HPC centre of Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) that allows access to high performance computing.

EDIH’s high maturity is secured by extensive preparation phase that has included initial analysis, pre-study, vision, business proposition, business model identification, service definition, establishing the consortium, and creating partnerships on a national and international level. EDIH was established in 2021 and currently has 65 individual clients. EDIH already organizes webinars, offers first services to hospitals, and has several projects in the pipeline.

Strong consortium consisting of eleven members and two affiliated partners offers capabilities in all key areas of innovation and digital transformation including ability to reach the target groups. At the core of the EDIH, there are two most prestigious universities that provide expertise and access to labs together with affiliated partners. The lead partner is excellent in creation innovative ecosystem and networking. Remaining partners focus on skills development, AI, trainings, access to private capital (incubation and acceleration) or support to public sector. Moreover, there are 13 associated partners among them Slovakia’s Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence, NSA, Association of towns and communities (representing 95% of Slovakia’s local governments), hospitals, patients’ organization, and others.

Main activities of the Center for Innovative Healthcare are: