Why Europe's Biggest Health Challenges Need Shared Solutions

Reflections from my first Interreg Europe Peer Review in North Brabant, Netherlands

Blog from Grant Reilly, Head of Communications & Marketing at DHI

There are moments in your career that remind you why international collaboration really matters.

Representing Scotland’s Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), and working alongside colleagues from Spain, Sweden, Belgium and Germany at the recent Interreg Europe Peer Review in North Brabant, Netherlands, was both a privilege and a personal milestone. My first appointment as an Interreg Europe peer reviewer allowed me to share Scotland's experience on an international stage while learning from fellow experts tackling many of the same health and care challenges across Europe.

The review explored a shared challenge: ‘how regions can create the right conditions for prevention-focused innovation to thrive, helping SMEs and startups develop solutions that keep people healthier for longer while reducing pressure on health and care systems'.

It was also a timely reminder that although our health and care systems differ, many of the challenges we face are remarkably similar.

Across Europe, ageing populations, rising levels of long-term conditions, workforce shortages and increasing demand for health and care services are forcing governments and regions to rethink how they invest in prevention rather than simply responding to illness. The question is no longer whether we need innovation, but how we create the conditions for good ideas to move beyond pilots and become part of everyday care.

Scotland has a valuable story to tell

I was invited to contribute DHI's experience of supporting prevention-focused SMEs and startups, drawing on more than 13 years of learning.

DHI exists to connect citizens, academia, industry and the public sector to turn ideas into practical digital health and social care solutions. Our focus on prevention, early intervention, independent living and supported care at home has helped build an innovation ecosystem that many regions across Europe are increasingly interested in understanding.

During the discussions, I shared that successful innovation is not about technology alone. Digital solutions only create impact when they are developed with citizens, embedded in services, supported by robust evidence and adopted at scale.

Supporting SMEs requires far more than funding. They need access to expertise, test environments, independent evaluation, procurement and regulatory advice, partnerships, and clear routes into health and care systems. DHI helps innovators navigate that journey from concept to implementation.

Another message that resonated strongly was the value of an independent organisation acting as an ecosystem orchestrator, fostering collaboration and reducing risk. Rather than creating new structures, regions can unlock greater value by connecting existing assets around shared priorities. It is an approach that has shaped DHI's work in Scotland and clearly resonated with colleagues across Europe.

Different countries. The same challenges.

One of the most valuable aspects of participating in peer reviews is discovering just how universal many of these issues are.

Whether in Scotland, the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe, the same questions surfaced repeatedly:

• How do we help innovative SMEs move beyond pilot projects?

• How do we develop sustainable business models for prevention?

• How do we demonstrate long-term value when benefits may take years to emerge?

• How do we bring together health and care providers, academia, businesses and citizens around shared priorities?

While the answers differ, the challenges are strikingly familiar.

For me, this reinforced an important lesson: innovation is rarely limited by a lack of good ideas. More often, it is constrained by fragmented systems, disconnected funding and unclear pathways to adoption. That is precisely why collaboration between regions is so valuable.

Learning never stops

One of the reasons I enjoy opportunities like this so much is simple: I love learning.

Travelling to different countries and understanding how others approach similar challenges is one of the most rewarding parts of working in innovation.

Every region has something to teach.

Some excel at bringing universities and industry together; others have developed impressive approaches to community engagement, entrepreneurship or public policy. By sharing experiences openly, we all become better equipped to tackle the complex challenges facing health and care.

Knowledge exchange works both ways. I hope DHI's experience offered useful insights for colleagues in North Brabant, just as I returned home with fresh ideas that will help shape DHI’s future work in Scotland.

This first peer review reinforced something I have always believed: innovation accelerates when people are willing to listen as much as they share. Every conversation offered a new perspective, and every connection created the possibility of future collaboration.

Looking ahead

One message stood out throughout the peer review.

Successful prevention is not created by isolated projects. It is created by connected systems where policy, funding, research, business support, citizens and health services work towards shared outcomes. That principle underpinned many of the recommendations discussed during the review and closely reflects DHI's own approach to innovation.

Maintaining strong relationships with our European partners has become more important than ever because the challenges we are trying to solve do not recognise national borders. Programmes such as Interreg Europe allow Scotland to contribute to international conversations while continuing to learn from others, strengthening relationships that create opportunities for future collaboration.

At DHI, international collaboration has long been part of our work. We contribute to a range of European and international initiatives, including EHTEL, Global Health Connector, All Policies for a Healthy Europe, Interreg and Peace PLUS programmes. Participating in peer reviews like this helps ensure Scotland continues to influence and benefit from emerging thinking across Europe.

Scotland has developed significant expertise in digital health and care research and innovation while helping SMEs navigate complex health and care environments. Equally, there is much we can continue to learn from our European neighbours.

I look forward to building on the relationships established in North Brabant and exploring new opportunities to collaborate with partners across the Netherlands and beyond.

Because when regions learn from one another, everyone benefits, and together we can create healthier, wealthier, and more resilient communities across Europe.