by Peter Portheine, Director Brainport Health Innovation

During the previous Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, more than half of the new products were related to health. More and more big companies are becoming aware of the worth of our most important asset and the associated data.

 During recent years we have paid a lot of attention, within the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing, to the barriers that block promising innovations in healthcare from becoming large-scale applications. The action-lines are focusing on the large-scale implementation of innovations because only then will the market take over the role of the sustainable introduction of new methods in the healthcare system.

 It is evident that technology plays an important role. It offers new possibilities to citizens, without prior medical knowledge, to acquire simple information concerning their own health and fitness. Hence the possibility to detect problems more quickly, to make people more aware of their own roles and responsibilities, and to take measurements at home in the context of treatment and therapy.

We are moving care out of the hospital towards the patient at home, which is especially important for the quality of life for our seniors.  The goal, shared with the European Commission, is to help seniors lead independent, healthy and productive lives for as long as possible, and to continue to enjoy the comfort of their own homes.  Technology in particular makes this possible. In the Brainport region in Brabant we are working hard on these new technologies. By creating a direct link between the economic development of the region and the contribution to social issues like healthy ageing and participation, we involve our citizens. Moreover, they are all prepared to actively cooperate as participants in our giant living lab for eHealth in this region. The power of a co-creating society and a sign of things to come, thanks to support from the EU that encourages entrepreneurs to look for innovative solutions to help others and face common challenges such as an increasingly ageing population.