On December 1 and 2, the European Digital Health Summit is taking place in Madrid, a meeting organized by the International University of La Rioja (UNIR), Digital Europe, and Reference Site Collaborative Network (RSCN). This is one of the most important events on health services in Europe and is the first time it has been held in Spain.
“Digital environments must be at the service of professionals in the health sector so that they can combine the accessibility and availability of resources with the precision and efficiency of videoconference training,” highlighted Rafael Puyol, president of UNIR during his speech at the opening plenary session.
UNIR, as the organizing institution, presented its global trajectory and its solid presence in Spain and Latin America, where it offers more than 700 training programs. Among them, innovative titles were mentioned such as the blended degree in Physical Activity and Sports – unique in Spain – or the Degree in Medicine taught in Guatemala, which combines online theory with hospital practices.
Along these lines, Daniel Burgos, Vice-Rector for International Research Projects at UNIR, highlights that “academic and technological innovation must be one of the main mechanisms to offer training aligned with the real demands of the student body and society,” especially in a context in which technologies applied to health evolve rapidly.
Research, training and transfer
This European summit is part of the NET4DHE (“Network for Digital Health Excellence”) project funded by the EU4Health program of the European Commission, whose objective is to strengthen the European ecosystem of digital transformation in health.
Spain hosts this event at a key moment, where the European digital health market reached 109.6 billion euros in 2024 and is estimated to reach 272.5 billion in 2033. For two days, experts are addressing the most urgent health challenges facing Europe, promoting collaboration and coordination between Member States, public and private sectors, civil society, researchers and academics.
The research and knowledge transfer generated in the university environment, as well as the networks and projects that arise from these collaborations, can generate initiatives of high impact and scope, from spin-offs and technological developments to international agreements for scientific projects of greater scope.
Proof of this are the more than 2,100 startups/scale-ups in Digital Health in Spain that have raised nearly 114 million euros in 61 operations during the year 2024, which shows great dynamism and entrepreneurship.
According to experts, this connection between the university and the business community allows us to anticipate market needs and adjust training to emerging professional profiles, preparing students to become the future specialists that the health sector will demand in the coming years.
Throughout the seminar, the value of a collaborative ecosystem capable of accelerating the development of digital solutions and transferring them to the front line of action was highlighted, supporting technicians, nurses, social workers and other key profiles in the healthcare field. The challenges of putting innovation into practice were also addressed, from administrative and legal processes to actual adoption in the healthcare field.
Actors involved
The summit has had the participation of public institutions, on which a common proposal for European digital health will be outlined. Among the participants were Miguel López Valverde, Minister of Digitalization of the Community of Madrid and Juan Fernando Muñoz Montalvo, Secretary General of Digital Health, Information and Innovation of the National Health System, as well as Ruth del Campo, General Director of Data of the Ministry for Digital Transformation and of the Public Service of the Government of Spain.
Research and knowledge transfer generated in the university environment can generate initiatives of high impact and scope in health
Private institutions such as DKV or the pharmaceutical company UCB also participated in the summit as part of the healthcare framework that is being prepared for this digital transformation in the area of health.
The event concluded with a message oriented to the future, inviting attendees to take advantage of their stay in Madrid and reiterating the importance of continuing to build bridges between the academic world, the social sector and the market to consolidate a more solid, humane and innovative digital health model. Artificial intelligence, access to health data and training appear to be key elements for the digitalization of health in Europe.
