The NetHub business accelerator for healthcare technologies and the School of Medicine in Split, in collaboration with ICT County and the Split Tech City community, held the event “HealthTech – Development and Financing of SME Innovations” on December 16, 2021, at the School of Medicine in Split.
The main goal of the event was to familiarize representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the IT sector with the possibilities of financing their HealthTech innovations through EU funds.
At the beginning of the event, Professor Katarina Vukojević, PhD, Vice-Dean for Science, Postgraduate Studies, and International Cooperation, welcomed participants on behalf of the School of Medicine. She emphasized the importance of the digital transformation of healthcare and the opportunities for financing it using available EU grants—a need particularly highlighted by the current challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Damir Brčić, head of ICT County, joined her in expressing the county’s unwavering support for young innovators and the significance of networking between the healthcare and IT sectors. On behalf of the Split Tech City community, executive editor Tina Tomičić welcomed the attendees, noting that their organization constantly encourages and supports such innovative initiatives.
Following the introductory remarks, Marko Mimica, Director of the NetHub business accelerator, explained what digitalization in healthcare entails and stressed the necessity of interdisciplinary cooperation between the healthcare and the rapidly growing IT sectors. He paid special attention to the unprecedented opportunities for financing digitalization through grants and startup support. Next, Hrvoje Belani, MSc, Head of the Sector for Implementation and Improvement of Information Systems at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia, gave a presentation on the current state and development possibilities of digital health in Croatia. He clarified the features of the Croatian legislative framework, the functioning of the e-health system, and the certification protocol for the Central Healthcare Information System (CEZIH). Finally, NetHub coordinator Maja Čurković addressed the participants, presenting the Student Entrepreneurship Practice being developed at the University of Split, with the main goals of improving mentorship systems and fostering an interdisciplinary entrepreneurial approach.
The event concluded with a constructive discussion between participants and expert speakers, which resulted in concrete conclusions and sparked entrepreneurial interest in HealthTech research and the development of innovative solutions in healthcare.