The Basque Digital Innovation Hub - BDIH in Health, created in 2017 with the support of the Ministry of Health of the Basque Government, has the infrastructure provided by all the RTOs (Research & Transfer Organisations), universities, companies, and the Basque healthcare system. The BDIH on Health is an initiative based on the regional health ecosystem identified at the regional level for the definition and deployment of the Smart Specialization Strategy, RIS3, on biosciences and health.

This connected network aims to be used for the development of R&D projects, scaling-up of healthcare projects, the demonstration of breakthrough technologies and also as a resource for the training and acceleration of start-ups in the health sector. The BDIH in Health responds to the “triple-win for Europe”, that is the European priorities regarding:

• Improvement of the health and quality of life of citizens with a focus on active and healthy living through digital world.

• Contribution to the long-term sustainability and efficiency of the healthcare systems.

• Increase of the competitiveness of the industry through new products and services that expand in the market and can be scaled-up.

BDIH provides and connects the industrial companies, especially SMEs, with the technological capabilities needed to meet the challenges of Industry 4.0, universities, technology centres, business R&D units, international networking, etc. for training, research, testing and validation of the products.  Among the technological competences of the DIH: Micro and Nano electronics, AI (incl. big data), robotics, autonomous systems, Internet of Things, Interaction technologies, augmented and virtual reality and additive manufacturing (3D printing).

The Basque DIH in Health is closely connected to the Basque Reference Site and is part of the European Innovation action entitled Digital Innovation Hub on Healthcare Robotics(DIH-HERO), which is building an independent platform connecting DIHs across Europe to create a sustainable DIHs network. It supports small and medium-sized enterprises and connects businesses and healthcare stakeholders. It also supports development of innovative products and services according to the needs of the healthcare systems across Europe and engages in necessary standardization for robotics in healthcare, including ethical, legal and societal issues (ELSI).

Visit the BDIH website: https://basqueindustry.spri.eus/en/