Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The European Commission has authorised, on the basis of EU State aid rules, the second health-related Important Project of Common European Interest (‘IPCEI’) to encourage new innovations in medical devices that create new digital and artificial intelligence (‘AI’) features in medical devices. The IPCEI supports research and innovation cooperation, as well as the first commercial roll-out of these frontier technologies.
As reported by the commission, the project, known as ‘IPCEI Tech4Cure’, was jointly notified by five EU nations: France, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The Member States plan to provide a maximum of €403 million of public funding, expected to unlock a further €826 million in private investment.
As part of this IPCEI, 10 companies will carry out highly innovative research and development and first industrial deployment projects. Six of these companies are small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’).
How will Tech4Cure transform EU medical innovation?
Tech4Cure is largely focused on the establishment of innovative medical devices with advanced and novel digital/AI solutions, which are meant to further the concept of predictive, preventive and personalised medicine (‘3P medicine’).
Tech4Cure will also help fulfil the refreshed Industrial Strategy as it will strengthen industrial resilience and reinforce the Single Market. It will facilitate the competitiveness of the EU medical devices industry, and support the green and digital transitions with advanced, safe, and innovative medical technologies. This will, in turn, strengthen the value chain of health in the EU.
The completion of Tech4Cure is estimated for 2036, although this will depend on individual projects and companies. The Member States have stated that projects are expected to produce approximately 800 jobs.
How does Tech4Cure align with EU health goals?
In his assessments, the Commission has found that Tech4Cure satisfies all the necessary conditions set out in the IPCEI Communication. In particular, the Commission concluded that: Tech4Cure makes a direct contribution to achieving several EU-related objectives of a greener, more secure and resilient economy, as well as more accessible healthcare set out in key EU policy initiatives including the European Health Union and the Clean Industrial Deal.
How does this aid compare to previous EU health funding initiatives?
The IPCEI represents a meaningful but narrow investment relative to previous EU health investments. While the EU4Health Programme (2021-2027) had significantly more resources (€4.4 to 5.3 billion) and aimed to strengthen health systems, pandemic preparedness, and digital health across Member States, the IPCEI seeks cross-border collaboration to innovate medical devices in the possible areas of digital and AI technologies, involving five Member States.
