Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for the Digital Agenda, said: "mHealth is just one of the benefits of a #ConnectedContinent - helping patients, doctors and carers take control, wherever they are. From simple apps which help you stick to your exercise regime - to monitoring tools for those on kidney dialysis. I am delighted that the EU is so committed to this fascinating area. The EU has already invested over €100 million, with about €95 million up for grabs over the next two years. And we are now consulting on how best to unlock the huge potential of mobile healthcare."
"Europe is facing a healthcare crunch as a result of our ageing population. By making the most use of digital tech, we can reduce costs, put the patient back in control, make healthcare more efficient and help European citizens to take an active part in society for longer. We have to keep our finger on the pulse!" - Neelie Kroes.
One of the biggest EU-funded initiatives, the Human Brain Project (HBP), today announced the beneficiaries of its €8.3 million competitive call for new partners. 32 organisations from 13 countries - Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK - will join the partnership. This represents a 40% increase in the number of partners in the HBP consortium.
The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) has launched a new project called GETREAL that will investigate new ways of integrating data from real life settings, such as clinics, into drug development. This will assist healthcare decision makers when deciding how best to grant patients access to a new treatment and help pharmaceutical companies to take better decisions during drug development.