JultikaUniversity of Oulu repository

READi for Health aims to strengthen the research potential of four leading eHealth regions (Murcia, Skane, Oulu and Midi-Pyrénées) by supporting their triple helix clusters to become world-class players in domains related to the EU Digital Agenda for Healthcare. The major limitation of the eHealth market today is not scarcity of technology, but that innovationup-take is slow compared with other sectors not depending on Public Administration. As a consequence,European public sector expenditure has not been used to spur innovation. However, with an aging population and under current economic conditions, it is critical to facilitate its incorporation to raise the efficiency and quality of healthcare delivery. READi for Health clusters will join forces to prepare and specialize their regions for quick uptake of eHealth innovation, validation under real-world conditions, and cost-benefit assessment. Cutting-edge companies (even from other regions) will be welcomed to apply for technology testing within the mature Healthcare Information System regional landscapes of the consortium and, if considered of public interest, supported in its implementation and economic assessment. For this to become a reality, new Public Private Partnerships and purchasing mechanisms like Pre-Commercial Procurement need to be used. Also, technological development tofacilitate quick incorporation of innovation has to be fostered. In particular in the areas of: • Semantic Interoperability and Standards. • Cloud Computing. • Secure information access from any device. In order to become a truly regional engine for growth, those innovations must be exported to European and world-wide markets. Participants will support companies, especially SMEs, to internationalize their innovations by promoting a ´global network of eHealth clusters´. This network will facilitate overseas contacts and market intelligence, and contribute to the sustainability of the clusters themselves.