The R&D meetings in ICT and Health in Girona are consolidated with a more global view

80 projects presented, 251 interviews held in B2B and 264 people registered for the two days of meetings. The growth in the figures in 2014 demonstrates the consolidation of the meetings as a place for disseminating R&D and a platform for promoting the introduction of innovation to the market. This was how Dr. Francesc Garcia Cuyàs, director of the Fundació TicSalut and general coordinator of ICT for the Catalan Health Department referred to the meetings in his welcome at the opening ceremony, in which the director-general for Public Health and Consumption of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Luis Rafael Santiso, also intervened. 

Innovation and health and well-being were specifically the line on which the meetings were based, with three round tables dedicated to integrated attention, mHealth and active ageing. Along this work line, Roser Vallès, the general directress for Health Ordinance and Regulation of the Government of Catalonia, insisted that “ICTs are tools that we have to use well from the healthcare area and the administration, while integrating health and social services”. 

The scope of the meetings grows

In the 2014 edition of the R&D meetings, the geographic circle of the meetings opened up a little more, as Dr. Jordi Martínez, director for Innovation of the Fundació TicSalut said, while assuring that “work will continue in this format in the coming years”. In addition to promoting the health research tendencies and initiatives generated in the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euro Region, the 5th R&D Meetings served to disseminate experiences from Girona around the world.

Jean-Pierre Blum, Minister for ICT and Health of the French National Assembly, gave the framework talk of the meetings, in which he managed to place the attendees in the context of the “digital tsunami” in France, where work is also being done to face the challenges of ageing and dependency. In fact the lack of political view, the administrative breach and the scarce cooperation between players are the principal barriers on eHealth in France, according to Blum.

“Health is not the same thing as medicine, it is much more”, the French minister argued in his talk. “I am optimistic and I am sure that we can change the situation if we decide to do so, provided we deal with people first of all”. Along the same line, Malin Svensson, manager of Business Sweden, insisted at the 5th R&D Meetings that “the person must be the starting point and it is necessary to define the eHealth services on the basis of the needs”. “The integration of social healthcare must not be Utopia, but rather reality”, Svensson concluded. 

From the French Languedoc, Jean L. Fraysse, president of Platinnes, stressed the success of the interviews between healthcare professionals, enterprise and the administration at the 5th R&D Meetings. “We must favour collaboration and European cooperation between companies to find solutions to health and well-being”, Fraysse said, an idea to which Svensson added that “a cross-border model must be created to develop synergies so everyone can win”. 

In fact the networking that the meetings in Girona enable every year allows its materialisation in real projects. One example is Bold Quir, an ICT tool for planning the surgery block, presented during the capsules of communications this year and which arose as an idea at the event in Girona two years ago. 

Recognition of the best initiatives 

During the 5th R&D Meetings, prizes were given in different categories to the most outstanding initiatives of the 80 finally selected by a scientific committee from all of those received. The journalist Eduard Batlle presented the prizegiving. 

• Prize of the 5th R&D Meetings in ICT and Health 

The most outstanding project by criteria of innovation, creativity and application of ICTs in the areas of health and well-being

Awarded to Sens4Care for their fall detector integrated in a belt with a Bluetooth connection that sends alerts via mobile phone. 

• Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euro Region Award 2014

Projects that promote collaboration between territories, including at least two forming part of the euroregion. 

Awarded to Sadir Assistance, for its project “Bench test validation of a telemonitoring device for CPAP treatment”.

• Young Talent – Impulsa Forum Award

Projects in the area of enterprising and research for the improvement of quality of life of citizens, in which youngsters between 16 and 35 are the main participants.

Awarded to the ALGOS Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain, of the Rovira i Virgili University, for its Fibroline project. This is an application for treating fibro myalgia and pain amongst the young. 

• mHealth – Mobile World Capital Barcelona Award

Mobile applications in the area of health and well-being. 

Awarded to System of Medical Emergencies (SEM), by the 061 CatSalut Respon mobile app of (iOS / Android). The application is intended for citizens and healthcare professionals, and allows emergencies to be reported. 

• Université d’été de la e-Santé Castres-Mazamet Award

Sovinty was awarded the Grand Prize 2013 for the project “Sovinty 3S Mobile”, an application which connects carers, professionals and patients to improve postoperative attention. It was presented at the Meetings in Girona. 

Resources on the net on the 5th R&D Meetings

Attendees and other professionals interested in innovation in health and well-being were able to exchange impressions in a virtual manner and intervened with questions at the round tables through the hashtag #hwi14 on Twitter. You can consult the summary of tweets on the Storify of the meetings.

Furthermore, all of the presentations of the speakers at the meetings are available on the official web of the 5th Meetings.