EIT Health opens its first office in Italy

EIT Health strengthens its presence in Italy to support more entrepreneurs, facilitate new innovation partnerships and contribute to the Italian healthcare system.

The inauguration of the EIT Health office took place at the University of Naples Federico II (UniNA), the oldest public university in the world. The office will be a centre of on the ground collaboration of the EIT Health community, including UniNA, Synlab SDN S.p.A, Synlab Italia Srl, the Center for Advanced Biomaterials of the Italian Institute of Technology and BioCheckUp srl. The network will soon expand since next January several other prestigious companies and institutions will contribute to enhancing healthcare innovation in the country.

The inauguration of the EIT Health office took place at the University of Naples Federico II (UniNA), the oldest public university in the world. The office will be a centre of on the ground collaboration of the EIT Health community, including UniNA, Synlab SDN S.p.A, Synlab Italia Srl, the Center for Advanced Biomaterials of the Italian Institute of Technology and BioCheckUp srl. The network will soon expand since next January several other prestigious companies and institutions will contribute to enhancing healthcare innovation in the country.

“We work here with the leading players who want to shape the future of healthcare in Italy and in Europe. I would like to thank EIT Health Partners in Italy for working with us hand in hand to address some of the most pressing healthcare challenges. Horizon Europe clearly shows that innovations can be accelerated thanks to a network like ours” – said Balázs Zoltán Fürjes, EIT Health InnoStars Director.

EIT Health has so far invested ca. 3 million euros in boosting innovation in the country. Of these, ca. 1.7 million euros were allocated for projects introduced in co-operation with Italian partners. One of such projects is Smartup Lab and OncoWatch. EIT Health has also been committed to supporting Italian start-ups: 50 of them have received ca. 1.7 million euros, mentoring, training, and networking. The support and visibility they obtained allowed them to gain additional funding – for an amount of approximately 6 million euros – and to attract partners for their projects. The success stories include SurgiQ, PatchAI, Kyme Nanoimaging srl, Takis Biotech, TeiaCare.

“By opening its Italian office, EIT Health has taken a decisive step to further develop the innovation ecosystem of our country. The Italian network is ready to establish new partnerships with national stakeholders and decision makers, to contribute to the evolution of the healthcare system. Only together can we promote real change, that will ultimately have a positive impact on the sector as well as on the life of patients. We will work together to strengthen our network and to contribute to the growth of the country” – said Chiara Maiorino, EIT Health InnoStars Ecosystem Lead for Italy.

The Italian office of EIT Health will be located in Naples at the CESTEV (the University’s Service Center for Life Science and Technology at UniNA), in a building that also houses the Institute of Biostructures and BioImages of the Italian National Research Council and the new laboratories of Dompè Farmaceutici SpA, dedicated to Exscalate platform.

“The University of Naples Federico II is happy to be the home of the Italian office of EIT Health, which can boast of having one of the most prestigious European networks in the field of healthcare innovation. We hope to seize the opportunities that will arise due to this partnership. With the opening of the EIT Health office, the University is committed to supporting the development of our national healthcare ecosystem, and as part of it, innovative solutions that have the potential to stimulate growth and create new jobs” – said Matteo Lorito, Rector of the University of Naples Federico II.

The EIT Community is represented in Italy now by seven Knowledge and Innovation Communities next to EIT Health – EIT Food, EIT Digital, EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Urban Mobility, EIT Raw Materials and EIT InnoEnergy. Besides five partners, EIT Health cooperates in Italy also with Consorzio Arca, EIT Health Hub.