Participants included representatives from the University of Twente (Netherlands), the Region of Västerbotten (Sweden), the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy), and the Santa Eduviges Hospital of Silesia in Trzebnica (Poland). The HÉRCULES Project, led by ACIS under the Interreg Europe program, aims to promote active and healthy aging among the population.
Over two days, participants learned about Galician initiatives related to public procurement of innovation, biomedical research, digital transformation, and the incorporation of new technological solutions into practice. The first day focused on the Galician innovation ecosystem and experiences in public innovative procurement within the healthcare sector, with presentations by Ángel Casas (Galician Innovation Agency) and Iván Rarís (Galicia Health Cluster).
José María Romero, director of the Health Innovation and Development area at ACIS, explained the role of public procurement of innovation, emphasizing preliminary market consultations. Alicia Piñeiro (Sergas) presented the UNI-VEC initiative as an example of an innovation partnership for developing new healthcare solutions.
The delegation also visited the Álvaro Cunqueiro Public Hospital in Vigo, where they learned about innovation initiatives developed in the Vigo health area and their direct application in patient care. Daniel Simón (coordinator of the Vigo Health Innovation Hub), Dr. Carlos Martín (Orthopedic Surgery), and Dr. Alberto Fernández (Pneumology) participated in the technical session.
Irene Illescas presented the Vigo Health Living Lab and its projects. At the Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, its director, Eva Poveda, explained the center's research activities. The model of home hospitalization was also presented, and Dr. María Dóniz detailed the experience of a pioneering pediatric unit using video consultations and the VidaPed project.
