Across the European Union, healthcare authorities are striving to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their delivery systems. The population is ageing; technology is advancing; costs are rising; and people’s expectations about healthcare are changing. Horizon 2020, the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme, can help deal with these challenges – in fact, member-states are demanding it do so.
Responding to this demand, according to experts gathered by Science|Business, will require a renewed focus on innovation in the way healthcare is delivered: the system. For this, extra attention should be paid to disease prevention, community and home care, healthcare administration, Big Data and other ICT-enabled efficiencies. These objectives are, to varying degrees, already under consideration for the next phase of healthcare innovation in the Horizon 2020 programme; they should be given special emphasis. At the same time, these objectives also require unblocking the path to faster, more efficient development of new therapies and tools, some already under development in Horizon 2020; this requires a broad effort going well beyond Horizon 2020 and involving the entire regulatory and financial framework in Europe.
The full report can be downloaded here
The Science|Business Network is organising a standing committee to consult on Horizon 2020. For more details, please contact Maryline Fiaschi at [email protected] or call +32 880 3040.
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