Welsh companies and organisations will be able to access R&D
funding as Wales becomes a regional partner with a major EU
scheme, the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and
Energy, , has announced.
Wales has joined the UNITE European Digital Health Valleys
project, which was created to bridge Europe's digital health
divide and transform healthcare through tech innovation.
The project is funded by the EU's Horizon Europe programme and
brings together European regions to build a connected digital
health ecosystem, enabling the development, testing and scale-up
of innovative healthcare solutions.
It is the first EU grant that Welsh Government has secured since
Brexit with Welsh Government receiving funding of more than
£700,000 to support participation in the scheme, ensuring Welsh
organisations can fully engage in new funding and partnership
opportunities.
Welsh SMEs, health boards, universities and innovation bodies are
being encouraged to engage early, develop partnerships and
prepare project ideas aligned with key healthcare challenges.
Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, , said:
Driving innovation-led economic growth, strengthening Wales'
international partnerships, and ensuring new technologies deliver
tangible benefits for public services and businesses across Wales
are key pillars of our new economic productivity mission.
This major initiative will deliver on all those fronts, with a
focus on addressing shared healthcare challenges such as the
needs of ageing populations and workforce pressures by connecting
industry, healthcare providers, academia and the public sector.
As a UNITE partner region Wales will play a central role in a
shaping a new digital health innovation ecosystem and gain access
to a network of European digital health regions, opening up new
opportunities for our most innovative sector organisations to
collaborate internationally and access funding.
Crucially, this will support the adoption of innovative solutions
for NHS Wales while strengthening Wales' position in the global
digital health market.
