ACTIVITIES :: ICT for Health :: i2010 subgroup on eHealth :: eHealth ERA
Knowledge is the best medicine
Research and Development (R&D) is essential to the introduction of new medication and treatments. Research is also a vital catalyst for effective eHealth solutions, which is why the EU is investing significantly in this field.
In recent years, the EU has been gearing a significant portion of its joint research effort towards improving the Union’s eHealth capacity. In 2007, the European Commission earmarked €180 million for this purpose. In 2002-06, the EU devoted more than €200 million to eHealth research projects.
This is part of a sustained drive to construct a so-called European Research Area (ERA) in eHealth. The eHealth ERA project has been set up to coordinate research efforts in this field throughout the EU.
The ERA is anchored in the notion that collaborative, cross-border research can help the Union’s Member States to deal with common challenges. In this case, these include a greying population, the obesity epidemic, chronic and major diseases (cancer, diabetes, etc.), and boosting quality of life through preventive healthcare.
A new ERA in eHealth
eHealth research projects have been supported by the Commission for nearly two decades. The current Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7, 2007-13) has a specific focus on eHealth. Challenge five of FP7’s Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) priority is dedicated to developing sustainable and personalised healthcare.
EU-funded eHealth R&D aims to serve patients and health professionals by making the most of modern ICTs to improve the quality, availability and effectiveness of healthcare. Over FP7’s seven-year lifetime, research will focus on a number of priorities, including innovative portable ICT systems for personalised health status monitoring, handheld devices for point-of-care diagnostics, high-tech alert systems, and electronic tools capable of prescribing personalised treatment.
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| Last update by the Editor (ehealth(AT)cec.eu.int): 05/05/08 |