Scaling Digital Health Solutions: Connecting TEFs, EDIHs and DIGITAL for Health Innovation
One ecosystem, one journey: from validation in Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs), to deployment through European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), to scaling across Europe with the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL).
From innovation to system-wide impact: why this event matters
Healthcare sector is undergoing rapid digital transformation, much like other sectors. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and data-driven solutions are increasingly being integrated into clinical workflows, prevention strategies, and health system management — supported by investments through the Digital Europe Programme.
Yet the key challenge is no longer the availability of innovation, but how to move from pilot and validation to large-scale adoption. In healthcare, this is particularly complex: solutions must be secure, interoperable, and compliant with strict regulatory frameworks that vary across countries. SMEs often face additional barriers in navigating these requirements and scaling beyond local deployments. As a result, promising solutions remain fragmented—tested in isolated environments or deployed locally without clear pathways for replication across regions or health systems.
Initiatives such as TEFs, EDIHs, European data spaces, and digital skills programmes each support part of this journey. However, they are often perceived as disconnected building blocks rather than a coherent, scalable pipeline—leaving stakeholders uncertain about how to move from experimentation to real, system-wide uptake.
A unified journey through the DIGITAL health ecosystem
The central message is that impact at scale requires continuity across the innovation pipeline.
Testing and Experimentation Facilities provide controlled and real-world environments where AI and robotics solutions can be validated in healthcare settings, ensuring safety, compliance, and performance.
European Digital Innovation Hubs act as trusted intermediaries, enabling healthcare providers and SMEs to access “test before invest” services, technical expertise, and support for integration into operational environments.
To move beyond deployment, the Digital Europe Programme plays a critical role in scaling solutions across borders, enabling interoperability, replication, and uptake at system level.
Together with European health data spaces(EHDS) and advanced digital skills initiatives from DIGITAL, these elements form a complete pathway from validation to large-scale adoption.
Strengthening the connections between them:
- reduces fragmentation,
- accelerates uptake,
- and maximises the impact of public investment.
TEF ↔ EDIH ↔ DIGITAL becomes the operational bridge from pilot to scale, supported by data infrastructures and skills development.
TEF ↔ EDIH ↔ DIGITAL becomes the operational bridge from pilot to scale, supported by data infrastructures and skills development
What the event will explore
A 1h30min online session combining strategic insight with practical collaboration.
Part 1 | Open webinar
A clear, user-oriented overview of the DIGITAL health ecosystem:
what services exist,
who can access them,
how to navigate between them,
and how they connect to enable scaling.
The focus is on usability, accessibility, and real pathways to scale, rather than project-level promotion.
Part 2 | Interactive workshop
A closed, hands-on session for project representatives and ecosystem actors.
Participants will:
identify barriers to scaling digital health solutions,
explore alignment opportunities across TEFs, EDIHs, and DEP actions,
define concrete “quick wins” to improve interoperability and uptake,
co-create inputs for a Storytelling Package showcasing successful pathways from pilot to scale.
Who should join
This event is for stakeholders directly involved in the development, deployment, and scaling of digital health solutions.
It is particularly relevant for:
- SMEs and healthcare innovators working with AI, data, and digital technologies,
- hospitals, care providers, and health authorities exploring digital adoption,
- technology providers seeking validation and scaling pathways,
- beneficiaries of DIGITAL Programme initiatives (TEFs, EDIHs, data spaces, skills, deployment projects),
- policymakers and public agencies focused on health system transformation and innovation uptake.
What participants will gain
Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to move from pilot to scale within the European digital health ecosystem.
They will gain:
- visibility on available services across TEFs, EDIHs, and DEP,
- practical guidance on accessing and combining these services,
- insight into how initiatives complement each other along the value chain,
- opportunities to connect across projects and reduce fragmentation.
Project representatives will additionally:
- align messaging and service pathways,
- contribute to structured cross-project narratives,
- support the creation of a Storytelling Package demonstrating scalable impact.