On Thursday, 19 September 2024, Morning Health Talks #2 was organized by FreshBlood HealthTech, the local representative of EIT Health in Romania, an event that brought together healthcare innovators, entrepreneurs, and experts in a hybrid format in Cluj-Napoca and online. The event focused on real-world case studies, best practices, and lessons learned in healthcare innovation.
The EIT Health Morning Health Talks is an event series organized by the EIT Health Hubs in the RIS countries, running for 4 years now. The aim is to strengthen relationships between the local, regional, and national stakeholders of the healthcare innovation ecosystems, through honest, professional discussions.
The theme of this year’s event in Cluj-Napoca, Open Innovation in Healthcare, provided a platform to explore the latest trends and challenges in this dynamic field. Key international and local voices came together to discuss the role of open innovation in improving healthcare outcomes, especially in startup environments.
The event highlighted key strategies and challenges in leveraging external resources to foster innovation in the healthcare sector.
Key Speakers and Highlights
One of the main speakers was Maria Sanchis Amat, PhD – Senior Open Innovation & Innovative Procurement Manage at EIT Health Germany. An organization renowned for its work in healthcare innovation, EIT Health has established itself as a leader in fostering open innovation across Europe, and Maria’s presentation emphasized the importance of adapting successful European programs to local contexts, particularly in Romania. The LevelUP startup accelerator, which was highlighted at the event, serves as a model for such adaptation.
To further contextualize open innovation within the healthcare sector, the event brought together both international and Romanian speakers.
For instance, Jorge Pimenta – Innovation Director at Space Solutions Portugal presented tangible examples of local initiatives that bridge the gap between global innovation and local implementation, while Sándor Kovács – Health Economist, Division of Pharmacoeconomics at Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Pécs & Senior Researcher at Syreon Research Institute discussed critical aspects of health economics and outcomes research (eHTA), often overlooked by startups in the tech and healthcare space.
Anca Roman – Head of the INNO – Rethinking Business Networks at North West Regional Development Agency, representing LevelUP, the first Health & Life Sciences startup accelerator in Romania, provided valuable insights into Romania’s evolving healthcare ecosystem.Â
Additionally, the presence of two National Contact Points (NCPs), Adina Stanculea – NCP EIT Romania & Elena Ungureanu – NCP EIC & EIE Romania, was crucial in highlighting the complexities involved in translating EU funding opportunities into actionable local projects. These NCPs work to localize EU programs like EIT, EIC, and EIE, ensuring that Romanian entities can successfully navigate the application processes.
Finally, the event featured an important discussion with Serban Udrea from Medisprof Cancer Center, a business leader in healthcare, who shared his experience working within the open innovation framework. As a private entity balancing profitability with technological advancement, Serban’s insights into the challenges of integrating startups into healthcare were invaluable.
Serban highlighted the barriers startups face in terms of healthcare regulations and business acumen, and how open innovation can help overcome these obstacles to create a more collaborative and innovative ecosystem.
Lessons Learned from the LevelUP Accelerator
The key takeaway from the LevelUP project, as part of the EIT Health Drive Program, was the importance of community building in creating value within a specific domain.
Presenting the program, which last year involved more than 25 diverse partners including universities, startup associations, media, and medical institutions, Anca ROMAN highlighted that networking and exposure to new stakeholders are as crucial as funding for startups.
The initial community-focused approach, which connected startups with various entities, proved to be more beneficial than immediate financial support, as it helped startups mature their ideas and attract funding over time.
Best Practices in Collaborating with Medical Startups
The key best practices and lessons learned from collaborating with medical startups, as discussed with Serban Udrea, include understanding the root problem by engaging directly with end-users, personalizing solutions to fit specific medical practices, and presenting clear clinical advantages to gain adoption.Â
Cost-effectiveness should be quantified in terms of clinical outcomes and productivity. Conducting research or clinical studies is essential to provide credible evidence of clinical benefits, which is crucial for gaining trust and acceptance in the medical field.
Lessons Learned from Founding a Medical Startup
In the conversation, two of the co-founders of Hello Carl, Vlad Plotean and Florin Leu, shared lessons learned and best practices for founding a medical startup. They emphasized that the initial idea often changes due to market feedback, advocating for continuous market engagement through questionnaires, MVPs, pilot programs, and focus groups.
Networking and partnerships with institutions are crucial, especially in the health industry, where relationships take time to develop.
They also stressed the importance of leveraging existing solutions to expedite development and seeking advice from specialists, particularly in sensitive health tech areas like their dementia startup.
Lastly, they highlighted the need to consider cultural and regional differences when planning for a global market.
Best Practices in Tech Transfer and Health Sector Collaboration
Kinga Hening, Tech Transfer Officer at Babes-Bolyai University’s TechTransfer Center, emphasized the importance of collaboration in the health sector, and particularly in Romania.
Kinga highlighted the university’s efforts in integrating research with practical applications, fostering partnerships with various entities like the Romanian Academy, EIT Health, FreshBlood, and startups. The goal is to enhance safety, health and community well-being through technology transfer.
Kinga underscored the tech transfer office’s role as a facilitator, bridging gaps between research, investors, companies, and hospitals to create beneficial outcomes for the community.
Conclusions
The event highlighted the critical role of open innovation in transforming the healthcare landscape, particularly through collaboration and the sharing of best practices across borders.
With contributions from both international and Romanian experts, the event underscored the importance of building strong communities that bring together diverse stakeholders—universities, startups, medical institutions, and more. This approach, as demonstrated by the LevelUP Accelerator, was shown to be more effective than immediate financial support, helping startups to mature their ideas and create long-term value.
Key lessons from the discussions highlighted that networking, co-creation, and collaboration with a wide range of partners are indispensable for the success of healthcare startups.
Exposure to diverse stakeholders not only enhances innovation but also helps startups navigate the complexities of the healthcare sector, including regulatory barriers and the need for credible clinical evidence.
Ultimately, the event showcased the power of open innovation in overcoming traditional barriers in the healthcare sector, creating a collaborative ecosystem that benefits both startups and the broader medical community.
By fostering connections, building partnerships, and integrating external resources, these initiatives are helping to drive healthcare innovation forward, both in Romania and across Europe.
