GENERAL INFO
Early-Stage Hospital
Embarking on innovation in hospitals at an early stage is less about full-scale adoption and more about building readiness. At this level, hospitals are exploring digital health but often lack structured innovation pathways. The focus is on identifying unmet needs, initiating first collaborations with startups, and preparing the internal culture for pilot testing. Hospitals in this phase play a crucial role in shaping solutions early, ensuring they align with clinical workflows, patient safety, and compliance.
Key Milestones at This Stage
Establishment of a small internal innovation team or contact person for digital health.
Participation in needs-assessment workshops with startups and MedTech partners.
Signing first collaboration agreements (e.g., Letters of Intent) with early-stage startups.
Best Practice from the Field
Some regional hospitals have successfully created an “Innovation Contact Point” — appointing a single doctor to liaise with startups. This approach makes it easier to pilot solutions, without major disruption. When nurses and IT staff are involved early, pilots tend to address real workflow challenges more effectively.
Pitfalls to Avoid
Lack of staff buy-in – without clinician and nurse involvement, pilots risk failing due to resistance.
Create feedback loops with frontline staff from the very beginning.
Overcommitment without capacity – Taking on too many pilot projects strains limited resources.
Focus on 1–2 high-priority pilots aligned with hospital strategy.
Enabling environment for Digital Health Innovation
Understand MDR compliance when evaluating tools to avoid legal and reputational risks.
Map your current digital infrastructure to understand strengths and gaps in your digitalization journey.
Nominate a digital champion — a doctor, nurse, or manager who can advocate for innovation internally.
Launch a small living lab in one department (e.g., cardiology or oncology) where startups can test solutions with staff and patients. Define simple rules: pilots run for 3–6 months, clinicians give structured feedback, and results are shared with hospital management.
Share a simple 1-page pilot summary with staff after each project. Include one success and one challenge.
Document the impact of pilot projects — this data can support reimbursement discussions with payers.
Turn barriers into arguments for joining EU- or grant-funded projects that cover innovation costs.
Explore whether EU or national schemes can help co-finance pilot projects with innovators.
Scouting & Recruitment of Startups
You are just starting to explore working with startups to address internal challenges.
You have no prior collaboration or structured innovation program.
You need to:
✓ Identify internal problems that could be solved digitally
✓ Understand the innovation landscape
✓ Build readiness to engage with startups
Explore whether EU or national schemes can help co-finance pilot projects with innovators.
Identify how potential pilots can align with ongoing reforms in your national health system.
Does this pilot directly support a current national reform priority (e.g., digitalization, chronic disease management, cancer strategy)?
Will it integrate with existing national infrastructure (e.g., e-prescription, national EHR, EHDS)?
Could the results of this pilot be scaled to other hospitals in the region/country?
Have we involved policymakers or payers early to ensure alignment?
Do we have a plan to share outcomes with health authorities to influence policy?
When considering a pilot, check not only clinical outcomes but also whether it reduces waste, energy use, or costs. For example, does a telehealth system cut the number of unnecessary patient trips, or does a digital scheduling tool reduce missed appointments?
Preparing hospitals through workshops
Start with low-risk, easy-to-measure pilots. Example: test an e-prescription system in one department for 4 weeks and show how it reduces paperwork. Many hospitals are uncertain about what to request and what the law requires in this area, which can make them reluctant to engage in pilots. Time pressure on healthcare professionals is another barrier. Participation can be encouraged through financial compensation or by offering a stake in scientific outputs derived from pilot data, as demonstrated in the DIGIVITALITY project.
Don’t keep pilots locked in one unit. After testing in cardiology, present results in internal hospital meetings or newsletters so other departments can see potential benefits
Medical validation
Set up a small “innovation group” of three members: one clinician, one IT staff member, and one administrator/finance person. Assign a clear mandate: the group recommends Go/No-Go for new digital health solutions and documents all outputs in a shared folder or register.
Tangible Outputs: intake form, screening scorecard, Definition of Ready checklist, two-page leadership brief, pilot pack (onboarding, support, metrics), one-page Pilot Close-Out.
Make a list of all external partners currently involved in your hospital (e.g., IT vendors, startups, pharma companies). Rank them by how important they are for your current projects — “critical, useful, or optional.”
Organize a quarterly “innovation meeting” where nurses, doctors, and IT staff can try out new digital tools for 15 minutes and share opinions. Keep notes on what works and what doesn’t.