European projects are essential drivers of healthcare transformation across European Union (EU) Member States. Through innovative collaborations and strategic partnerships, these initiatives play a crucial role in addressing complex health challenges, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing the efficiency of healthcare services. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, evidence-based practices, and cross-sectoral cooperation, they enable advancements in medical research, healthcare delivery, and policy development. Their contributions not only elevate the quality and accessibility of care but also generate socio-economic benefits by reducing costs and improving population health outcomes.

The European Projects Insight Report captures the strategic direction, systemic challenges, and transformative potential of EU-funded digital health initiatives. Conceived as a policy-facing and innovation-oriented resource for both project consortia and decision-makers, the report aims to support alignment, sustainability, and long-term impact through actionable insights. The report forms one of three interlinked components of the HIMSS European Projects Initiative 2025—alongside the European Projects Pavilion and the Workshop on “Value Co-Creation in Healthcare: Enhancing Socio-Economic Outcomes”, cochaired by the University of Helsinki and the European Patients’ Forum. Grounded in empirical research and informed by a pre-workshop survey, the Value Co-Creation workshop theme provided a practical framework for EU-funded projects to explore how meaningful patient and stakeholder involvement can be structurally embedded to strengthen European health innovation.

The Insight Report presents the collective contributions of twelve EU-funded projects: CYLCOMED, EDiHTA, ENTRUST, FLUTE, Gravitate-Health, IDERHA, MedSecurance, NEMECYS, ONCOVALUE, SHAIPED, TRUMPET, and XiA. These projects operate at the intersection of technology, regulation, and real world, care delivery—developing solutions to improve interoperability, strengthen cybersecurity, embed ethical AI, advance health technology assessment, support value-based care, and promote patient empowerment.

Supported by a highly engaged, multi-stakeholder Advisory Board, which contributed over 160 recommendations, the report draws on collective experience to offer strategic insights for regulatory alignment, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable impact. Among these contributions are 82 project-specific recommendations—each of the twelve participating initiatives received its own tailored set of advisory inputs, reflecting a highly targeted and strategic review process.

The report highlights key lessons that can inform more coherent, responsive, and enduring project implementation across the EU. One major insight is that navigating the increasingly complex European regulatory environment remains both a challenge and a prerequisite for achieving system-level change. Projects are encouraged to engage early with regulators and integrate compliance frameworks from the outset. Another critical area is data governance and interoperability. Persistent fragmentation continues to hinder progress, underscoring the need to implement common standards, foster trust among data stewards, and promote reusability across national and institutional contexts.

Value co-creation and patient involvement also require stronger structural integration into project design, delivery, and evaluation—moving beyond symbolic gestures to ensure genuine stakeholder engagement. Communication that is clear, targeted, and effective ensures that outputs are accessible, understandable, and strategically disseminated, which is essential for enabling uptake and driving system-wide impact.Sustainability remains a pressing concern, with many initiatives lacking clear pathways for post-project adoption, integration, and funding continuity. To deliver enduring value, projects are encouraged to plan for real-world scaling and cross-border applicability from their earliest stages.

Taken together, the European Projects Insight Report provides a concise yet robust synthesis of the challenges and opportunities facing digital health innovation in Europe. It is intended as a practical resource and strategic reference for researchers, implementers, funders, policymakers, project partners, and coordinating organisations forming EU-funded consortia, who are committed to building a more connected, patient-centred, and sustainable digital health ecosystem across the European Union.

“As co-chair, the European Patients’ Forum (EPF) brings forward the strategic voice of patients and patient organisations in shaping healthcare systems. EPF works to ensure that patients are not only at the heart of European health policies but are also actively involved in shaping them. Its priorities include advancing patient involvement in research, digital innovation, and policymaking, while promoting equitable access to care and strengthening the patient community across Europe. Through advocacy, co-creation, and empowerment, EPF supports the development of patient-centric, inclusive, and digitally enabled healthcare systems.” - Gözde S. Briggs, Senior Programme Manager, the European Patients’ Forum (EPF); Co-Chair of the European Projects Workshop.