European Innovation Research Articles

Participation through the lens of care: Situated accountabilities in the codesign of a digital health platform for HIV care

Participation of citizens and service users is increasingly commonplace in research, policy and technology development. Alongside this development, social scientists have become increasingly incorporated into large-scale research and innovation projects to facilitate participatory spaces. This requires reflection on the mechanisms, outcomes and, ultimately, the accountabilities of participation. In this paper, we propose the lens of care framework for approaching such reflections. We illustrate its value by using it to account for our role in establishing participatory spaces as part of a European Horizon 2020-funded research and innovation project, entitled EmERGE. We describe the codesign processes we developed and implemented with the aim of enabling heterogeneous voices, distinct experiences and multiple ideas to be articulated to inform the development and implementation of a digital platform for HIV care. We show how the lens of care framework enables us to trouble participation along prior theoretical distinctions between patients/citizens roles, invited/uninvited spaces and inclusive/scientistic voices and provides novel lines of inquiry to capture the relational and emergent processes of participation in digital health innovation. In the EmERGE project, spaces of participation were co-created within and by the community, whose members skilfully arranged the material, social and temporal set-up. Within these spaces we were able to articulate voices, deliberate knowledge and study the potentialities of technology so that initial technological inscriptions of empowerment through information-push were challenged and were, eventually, replaced by more interactive forms of clinician-patient engagement in digital HIV care. Through the lens of care, this paper aims to provide a reflective tool for researchers and practitioners who are involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of participatory projects.

Equity capital financing of Swedish SMEs, innovation, and decentralized management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential link between Sweden’s high reliance on equity capital financing among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and its recognition as the most innovative economy in Europe according to the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). This paper examines the idea that the high levels of trust within Swedish society can explain why private equity financing is more prevalent among Swedish SMEs. Design/methodology/approach To test these ideas, the authors use data from the Survey on Access to Finance for Enterprises to measure the private equity reliance of firms. The authors also use the EIS to measure the innovation capacity of nations and various aspects of SMEs’ innovation activities. Finally, societal levels of trust are measured through the World Value Survey. Findings First, the authors find that European countries with a higher proportion of SMEs relying on equity financing tend to be ranked as more innovative by the EIS. Second, the authors find that the correlation between a nation’s share of SMEs relying on equity financing and their level of innovation activities is marginally stronger for product innovations than for business process innovations. Third, the authors find that countries with higher levels of trust tend to have higher equity capital reliance among SMEs. Originality/value This study builds upon previous research on equity capital and SMEs’ innovation activity while introducing new insights into the relationship between societal trust and equity financing.

The conditions and change tendencies of the innovativeness of the Polish economy against the background of selected European countries

The paper identifies the level of innovativeness of the Polish economy against the background of selected European countries and determines the conditions and change tendencies in this respect. It is of particular importance to designate the SII components that are of high significance to determine the levels of innovativeness. A research hypothesis was posited as well: The causes of low innovativeness in Poland are varied and multidimensional. More spending on research and development should be the starting point for its improvement.The theoretical section follows a thorough review of leading specialist literature, while the empirical part uses the Summary Innovation Index (SII), published in the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) report. It is used to measure the innovativeness of European countries. Additionally, some selected methods of numerical data analysis were used in order to verify the research hypothesis.The fostering of R&D will be of paramount importance to the future development of Poland; however, given the huge differences in research and development spending by enterprises in the innovation leaders, Poland’s position will not improve soon.National authorities can use the results as guidelines on the Polish economy’s innovativeness growth factors. They also will give information what actions need to be taken to improve the situation.The cognitive value of the paper consists in studying the causes of the innovativeness distance of the Polish economy with reference to selected, not all countries (the latter comparison is the object of a prevailing majority of the relevant literature). This approach will provide a clearer evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of Poland’s innovation system. It will allow for giving some recommendations for innovativeness level improvement.

Funding of research & innovation in the field of medical technologies and biomedical engineering over the different European framework programmes.

To demonstrate the role of the European Framework Programmes for Research & Innovation in supporting the field of Medical Technologies and Biomedical Engineering and to show which types of medical technologies and which funding instruments are the preferred ones. Based on data available in the European Commission data warehouse for the past two Framework Programmes, funded projects addressing a Medical Technology were identified. This enabled to categorize the projects according to the intended use and to classify into different types. Moreover, the main instruments in the Framework Programme acting as funding sources were explored. The increase in R&I support led to 1961 projects and a total financing of € 3.2 bllion under the last Framework Programme. The categorization showed a balanced funding in terms of intended use, the detailed classification revealed that in-vitro-diagnostics and imaging equipment prevail in the diagnostic category, tissue-engineering products, implants and robotics in the therapeutic domain and ICT or software-based technologies in the miscellaneous category. As to funding sources, the classical health-oriented collaborative research scheme was on top, followed by instruments like the European Research Council, the Future and Emerging Technologies activities and the European Innovation Council, and completed by the Public-Private Partnerships. The European Framework Programmes are key on the global landscape for financing Research & Innovation of Medical Technology and the breadth of supported technologies is equally reflected by the different funding instruments involved.

Legal aspects of deep tech innovations in ukraine in the context of european integration processes

Problem setting. In the conditions of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the destroyed infrastructure, the loss of a large part of the raw material bases, the littering of agricultural lands, our state especially needs the implementation of progressive solutions with the aim of rebuilding the economy based on innovation and creating products with high added value. On the other hand, in the context of European integration processes, a comprehensive and rapid adaptation of legal, state, economic, scientific and other elements to the realities of EU functioning is necessary. Thus, there is a need to study the content of deep tech innovations, as a new wave of innovations, defined in the New European Innovation Agenda dated 07.05.2022, as well as the main legal aspects of its practical implementation in Ukraine. analysis of recent researches and publications. Some separate aspects of the issue of deep tech innovations received attention, both by foreign authors, in particular, in the works of O. B. Apodaca, L. Frolund, F. Murray, S. Pamela, A.Swain, and in the works domestic scientists I. Podorychyva, M. Haustov, P. Kartashov and others. At the same time, the issue of deep tech innovations requires a more detailed study as a separate phenomenon, including with the aim of introducing its legal regulation in Ukraine. Purpose of the research is to determine the essence and content of deep tech innovations as a «new wave» of innovations in the European Union, taking into account the scientific approaches proposed by foreign and domestic scientists. In addition, an important goal of the article is to determine the expediency and ways of adapting the main legal aspects of the development and support of such innovations in Ukraine, including in the context of European integration processes in our country. article’s main body. The article is devoted to the study of the legal nature of deep tech innovations, as a new wave of innovations in the world and in the European Union, in particular. The main provisions of the legal regulation of the specified innovations in the EU have been defined. Some scientific approaches of foreign and Ukrainian scientists to understanding the essence, content, and definition of the concept of deep tech innovations are given. An attempt was made to characterize deep tech innovation as a new wave of innovations that are based on advanced science, technology and engineering, are mostly physical products, often combine achievements in the physical, biological and digital spheres and have the potential to provide transformative solutions to global challenges of humanity. The issue of legal regulation of the specified concept in Ukrainian legislative acts has been studied. The main features of innovative processes in Ukraine related to the full-scale invasion of our country are given. The need to implement the main aspects of the legal regulation of the development of deep tech innovations in Ukraine is substantiated, including on the basis of the analysis of the provisions of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their member states, as well as practical expediency. conclusions and prospects for the development. According to the results of the analysis of innovation processes taking place recently, it was established that the surface aspects of deep tech innovations, despite the lack of definition in legislation, are applied in practice, in particular, at the initiative of foreign partners, including the European Union. At the same time, the mentioned concept is relatively new for Ukrainian legal science and not sufficiently studied. At the same time, in our opinion, in order to adapt the provisions of Ukrainian legislation to the EU Acquis, it is advisable to pay attention to the legal regulation of the main aspects of the specified concept.

The economics of EU industrial R&I revealed

Since its introduction in 2004, the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard (the Scoreboard) has annually compared companies, sectors and geographical areas to provide details of the situation of EU firms in the global R&D setting. The 2022 edition follows the New European Innovation Agenda, which was released in July 2022, a few months before the Scoreboard. Five key foci for the Agenda, which is focused on ‘Deep Tech Innovations’, are: Funding scale-ups; enabling innovation through experimentation spaces and public procurement; accelerating and strengthening innovation in European Innovation ecosystems across the EU and addressing the innovation divide; fostering, attracting and retaining talents; and improving policy making tools. Essentially, the Agenda is seeking to advance innovation, while the Scoreboard measures it, enabling progress to be monitored. Details on 2,500 companies feature in the Scoreboard, 361 of which are headquartered in the EU, accounting for 17.6 per cent of the total R&D investment. In 2021, they invested an impressive €192.8 billion in R&D, overcoming the challenges presented by the pandemic. .‘I am pleased to see the rebound of EU companies’ investment in research and development of 8.9 per cent after a drop last year of 2.2 per cent due to the COVID-19 pandemic,â–™ commented Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, in the Scoreboardâ–™s foreword. Four key sectors account for 77.8 per cent of total Scoreboard R&D: ICT producers, health industries, ICT services and automotive. EU Scoreboard companies were found to be the global leader in automotive R&D.

Public funding and Innovation – NITEC: The Portuguese case

The topic of innovation and of economic development is unavoidable in national and international policies, as those are also fundamental to the daily life of firms and universities, as well as for each one of us as an element of change. To modern economies, innovation is crucial for the firms’ performance. Therefore, governmental entities have built and endorsed initiatives and programs to promote innovation in firms. The European Innovation Scoreboard (European Commission, 2022) states that EU Innovation performance has increased by “about 10%-points since 2015 and there has been noticeable progress in the EU’s global position”. Public funding is ultimately a political instrument to increase the number of resources allocated to innovation activities. Financial subsidies have been the main instrument used by most of OECD countries to stimulate research and development activities (Gonsáles & Pasó, 2008). In this sense the aim of this paper is to understand what the outputs of an innovation incentive instrument in Portuguese firms were, considering internal innovation processes. Moreover, after the pandemic crisis, innovation became even more a critical topic, since the technological transformation has accelerated and from those derived transformations in human capital, technology, and technological access, to name a few. According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2020 countries should “expand public investments in R&D”, as well as “create incentives that favour patient investments in research, innovation and invention” (Schwab, Klaus, Sahidi, 2020, p.6). It is important to consider the impact of political strategies and orientations have on the promotion of firms’ innovation capacity and the way it is translated into innovation. In the scope of this study, it was select an incentive program to innovation, translated into the establishment of research and technologic development nuclei (NITEC- Núcleos de Investigação e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico – NITEC) on firms. This paper attempts to highlight the need to different and more qualitative approaches on the impact of public funding on innovation in private firms. It investigates the Portuguese case, since it was here that the RDI (research, development and innovation) norm was created and has a direct link with public funding strategies.

Hotspurs in, sober bores out: A call and an agenda for entrepreneurship and innovation policies that foster rapidly scaling ventures

Our effort is motivated by the observation that European entrepreneurs who receive financial support from public entrepreneurship and innovation programs, set out as hotspurs (fiery highly motivated professionals) with a focus on innovation and scaling. However, over time their scaling ambitions erode, and efficiency starts to dominate ventures' strategies pursued with the financial support received becoming much more cautious managers (Sober Bores). We argue that European innovation and entrepreneurship policy fails to promote firm scaling because of the fundamental misunderstanding that innovation drives firms scaling, overlooking the crucial role of an entrepreneurial business model that ensures a fit between firms' market offerings and customer preferences throughout the firm development. We identify the underlying pain points that hamper firm scaling, deduct action points for scaling-oriented European innovation and entrepreneurship policies and suggest change agendas for policy and practice. Finally, we propose a novel approach for future research assessing innovation and entrepreneurship support schemes that can enhance our understanding and better inform evidence-based policies.

Toward an integrated framework for developing European 6G innovation

This article contributes to the discussion on 6G and European policy development, outlining an integrated framework for Europe to benefit from 6G innovation in the future, both as a developer and user of 6G technologies. As 6G is envisioned as a general-purpose technology that can transform the whole of society, there is a need to adopt a broader perspective to innovation compared to earlier technology generations. This proposed framework comprises five elements: national and European sovereignty, triple bottom line sustainability, a competitive transformational innovation policy, European values-based anticipatory regulation, and trustworthy networks that addresses the privacy, security, and safety of users and resilience of 6G at the systems level. It is argued that Europe needs both ex ante and ex post actions to competitively develop and deploy future 6G technologies.

Analysis of the international trade networks of COVID-19 medical products

This research aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how and for what reasons the world trade networks of medical products were reorganized during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To do this, first, the trade data of eight COVID-19-related product categories (such as medical test kits and protective garments) were collected for the years 2019 and 2020. Then it was examined which countries’ exports and imports changed the most between the studied time period in each product category. In addition, gravity models containing additional economic, geographic, and COVID-19-related variables were used to analyze the impact of the pandemic on the investigated trade networks. Based on the results, China achieved the highest cumulative export growth, surpassing the second-highest value by approximately 14.66. Hungary, with a population of only 9.7 million, stood out as a major importer of ventilators. Additionally, a higher incidence of COVID-19 among importers typically led to reduced traded values, while European Union membership and innovation capacity had the opposite effect.

The governance of regional innovation policy and its economic implications

This paper provides insights on the potential macroeconomic impact of the governance of the European innovation policy called Smart Specialisation. We use original empirical data on the implementation of the policy, which is funded through a dedicated financial envelope of the 2014–2020 EU cohesion policy, in a spatial macroeconomic modelling framework capable of gauging the general equilibrium effects of varying degrees of governance quality. Our contribution aims at narrowing the gap between the abstraction of ex-ante impact assessment exercises based on macroeconomic simulations and the reality of how policy interventions may take place. By using data for all Italian NUTS 2 regions, we find that the measured quality of Smart Specialisation governance could increase the pure investment-related impact of the policy by up to 40 percent. At the same time, we estimate that further potential GDP gains—in the order of an additional 40–50 percent over what was achieved with the observed levels of governance—would not materialise because of the comparatively low quality of governance in some regions.

The societal role of universities and their alliances: the case of the EuroTeQ Engineering University

We analyse the creation of European university alliances as an effort to build learning networks between universities in light of newly perceived needs in Europe. The rationales for such alliance formation include cultural integration, grand societal challenges and reforms in the European innovation ecosystem. We consider how alliance formation may be instrumental in achieving closer cooperation and understand alliances as learning networks where universities can share know-how, define strategies and pursue moral reflection. How such learning may take place is illustrated with a case study of the “EuroTeQ Collider”, a joint educational programme by one of the European university alliances. The case illustrates how uneven experience with novel educational formats and stakeholder engagement creates opportunities for exchange and how formulating a common language for joint activities can make universities align their strategies and deliberation.

Thoughts on the development of CO2-EGR under the background of carbon peak and carbon neutrality

In September 2020, the Chinese government proposed the goals to reach carbon dioxide emissions peak by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 (“two-carbon goals”). This brings opportunities to the development and application of CO2-enhanced gas recovery (CO2-EGR) in China. To obtain an overall understanding of the development of CO2-EGR under the two-carbon goals, this paper analyzes the significance, potential, status quo and challenges of CO2-EGR, and makes suggestions on the development of CO2-EGR in China. The research results are obtained as follows. First, the development of CO2-EGR plays a crucial role in ensuring China's energy security, accelerating the construction of the clean energy system to promote energy transition and realizing the two-carbon goals as early as possible. Second, China should clarify a path for CO2-EGR development, build a spatial layout of CO2-EGR, and promote digital inclusion in CO2-EGR, enhance the emission reduction role of CO2-EGR in the multi-energy complementary system, boost large scale application of renewable energy and deep decarbonization in the traditional coal industry, which is difficult to reduce carbon emissions. Third, China should draw lessons from European and American tax credit and innovation funds policies to accelerate the construction of a CO2-EGR policy support system. Fourth, China should carry out research on key CO2-EGR technologies to accelerate the construction of a CO2-EGR methodology and standard system and promote rapid and standardized development of the CO2-EGR industry. It is suggested to establish a CO2-EGR demonstration area in the Sichuan Basin and popularize it across China, so as to improve comprehensive economic benefits through the establishment of large-scale industrial clusters. It is concluded that the two-carbon goals bring opportunities to the development of CO2-EGR in China, which will promote gas production and demonstration of CO2 sequestration in gas reservoirs and have positive significance in ensuring energy security and realizing carbon peak and carbon neutrality in China.

ІДЕНТИФІКАЦІЯ ДЕТЕРМІНАНТІВ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ ДИФУЗІЇ ІННОВАЦІЙ СОЦІАЛЬНО-ЕКОНОМІЧНИХ СИСТЕМ

In the conditions of global economic transformation, the development of socio-economic systems is possible only through the implementation of innovative national, regional and corporate strategies. The evolution of technology and science is changing the socio-economic environment, innovations are becoming a key factor in economic growth and competitiveness of countries and organizations. But, despite the great potential of innovations, their effective implementation does not always take place. Under such conditions, the topic of this study becomes especially relevant. The purpose of the article is to identify the determinants of the effective diffusion of innovations in socio-economic systems and its evaluation. The object of the research the process of effective diffusion of innovations in socio-economic systems. Methods used in the study: methods of scientific knowledge, namely analysis and synthesis, induction, measurement, observation, formalization, logical-analytical techniques. The main hypothesis of the study is the assumption that the effective diffusion of innovations in socio-economic systems depends on a set of factors, the management of which allows identifying problem areas and improving the mechanisms for solving them. Presenting main material. The study, based on the theory of innovation diffusion, identified the key determinants of the efficiency infiltration of innovation in socio-economic systems. It is appropriate to include: technical features of innovations, cultural and ethical differences between different groups of consumers, availability of financial resources for the implementation of innovations, effectiveness of communication mechanisms and interaction networks between participants of the socio-economic system, degree of involvement and support of participants, level of education and information literacy of the population, cultural, social and political aspects, etc. The world experience in methods of assessing the effectiveness of national innovative activity, on the basis of which international indexes and ratings are determined, including Global Innovation Index, European Innovation Development Scoreboard, Bloomberg Innovation Index, Global Competitiveness Index, etc., is analyzed. It has found that international indexes and ratings have a number of shortcomings that do not allow to correctly assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the results of innovative activities and to identify the main problematic aspects that prevent the diffusion of innovations in socio-economic systems. The originality and practical significance of the research lies in the fact that the identified determinants of the efficiency of innovation diffusion of socio-economic systems can be used to identify problematic aspects and increase the level of innovative development of countries. Conclusions and prospects for further research: the determinants of the effectiveness of the diffusion of innovations in socio-economic systems are determined. The study of their interaction and their management can increase the effectiveness of the diffusion of innovations at the macroeconomic level. It has been established that the indicator systems used to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative activities of socio-economic systems at the macroeconomic level characterize various aspects of national innovative development, reflecting not only the results of innovative activities, but also available innovative resources. However, there is still no clear idea of the composition of the system of indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of the diffusion of innovations and their number. In order to eliminate subjectivity in further research, it is advisable to use mathematical methods of forming such system of evaluation indicators.

Factors Influencing Innovation Performance in Portugal: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis Based on the Global Innovation Index and on the European Innovation Scoreboard

Innovation plays a key role in meeting the challenges of the future, but despite the unprecedented investment in innovation, Portugal has seen a decline in the various indicators that assess the country’s performance. This study aims to answer questions about the state of innovation in Portugal, based on the relevant global and European innovation indicators, comparing the country’s performance with that of Ireland, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. Using secondary data collected from the reports of the last four years, explanatory research was conducted based on statistical and graphical methods in order to establish causal relationships. The areas where the main changes have taken place are presented, highlighting the aspects in which Portugal stands out for superior or poor performance, providing a benchmark for the definition of policies to foster innovation in Portugal. The results demonstrate that institutions, business sophistication, and knowledge and technology score negatively, while creativity stands out as a strength. Environmental sustainability, firms’ investment in innovation, and the impact of innovation on sales are aspects that Portugal needs to improve; human capital and the attractiveness of the R&D system deserve positive remarks. It is fundamental to understand how Portugal is preparing for the future and what the country can learn from others. This study is limited by the specific period in analysis, which could affect causal relationships, and the historical perspective could provide guidelines to the understanding of the relative position of the country. This study contributes new perspectives and knowledge about the state of innovation in Portugal, providing clues to entrepreneurs, policy makers, and the scientific community.

A Comparative Study of R&D Investments in Romania and the EU: Insights from Horizon 2020 Projects

Abstract Research and Development investments are critical to fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and achieving sustainable development goals. Horizon 2020 is the largest European Union research and innovation program, which has funded numerous R&D projects across different countries. This paper presents a comparative study of R&D investments in Romania and the EU, based on insights from Horizon 2020 projects. Using a composite indicator approach, we assess Romania’s performance in the R&D sector and compare it with other EU countries. The paper provides an overview of the number of projects and entities that participated in Horizon 2020, with a focus on the Romanian business sector. Our findings indicate that the success rate of Romanian projects is slightly higher than the EU average, and there is a significantly higher percentage of Romanian business sector entities that have participated in Horizon 2020 than in the EU. Moreover, some limitations of the Romanian R&D sector are highlighted, such as the low level of R&D expenditure, one of the lowest in the EU, and the low involvement of the business sector in funding R&D, despite being the primary sector under Horizon 2020. The comparative analysis sheds light on the opportunities and challenges for Romania in improving the performance of its R&D sector. By providing a comparative analysis of the performance of Romania and other EU countries in Horizon 2020 projects we can gain insights which can be useful for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in developing and implementing policies and strategies to improve R&D investments.

OBJECTIVE PREREQUISITES OF INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF ENTERPRISES IN UKRAINE

Introduction. The development of Ukraine’s economy under the conditions of globalization and high competitive pressure involves the use of new solutions - modern equipment, technology, forms and methods of management and production organization, that is, the implementation of innovations in order to implement the achievements of scientific and technical progress into the production and social spheres. Russia’s war against Ukraine makes significant threats to the development of domestic business. Strict conditions require an increase in the innovative activity of business entities, which helps to reduce costs, increase the efficiency of production and competitiveness of products, the transition to the digital economy and technological initiatives. Global trends, such as the emergence of breakthrough technologies, digitization and acceleration of products’ life cycle, increase the relevance of innovative development in Ukrainian business and the country’s economy in general. ased on this, innovative development is the main priority of Ukrainian socio-economic development, a prerequisite for improving the quality of products and increasing the competitiveness of domestic production. Methods. During the process of scientific research, the authors used: dialectical method of cognition, scientific abstraction, analysis, synthesis, observation, comparison, description, generalization, systemic approach. The specified methodical tools are used for: consideration of the essence and disclosure the peculiarities of enterprises’ innovative development in modern conditions; determination its further prospects in Ukraine. Results. Objective prerequisites of innovative development of enterprises in Ukraine in the context of globalization challenges are summarized. The key parameters of state support for innovative activity, the functioning of the appropriate institutional environment, the creation of an effective system of introducing innovations at the enterprise through resource, technological and market components of innovative activity are substantiated. The prospects of an innovative type of domestic business development based on foreign experience as a decisive condition for our country’s forward movement are determined. Discussion. Taking into account the current global economic and geopolitical challenges, as well as in order to eliminate the negative consequences of Russian military aggression, it is necessary to ensure the proper socio-economic development of Ukraine based on the activation of innovations. The level of economy innovativeness has become a determining criterion for each state’s readiness to join the European Union, the main goal of which is to unite the scientific and technical potential of European countries with the aim of their integration into the European and global innovation network. Therefore, further scientific developments in this field, which will have an applied nature, are extremely important.

GATEKEEPER's Strategy for the Multinational Large-Scale Piloting of an eHealth Platform: Tutorial on How to Identify Relevant Settings and Use Cases.

The World Health Organization's strategy toward healthy aging fosters person-centered integrated care sustained by eHealth systems. However, there is a need for standardized frameworks or platforms accommodating and interconnecting multiple of these systems while ensuring secure, relevant, fair, trust-based data sharing and use. The H2020 project GATEKEEPER aims to implement and test an open-source, European, standard-based, interoperable, and secure framework serving broad populations of aging citizens with heterogeneous health needs. We aim to describe the rationale for the selection of an optimal group of settings for the multinational large-scale piloting of the GATEKEEPER platform. The selection of implementation sites and reference use cases (RUCs) was based on the adoption of a double stratification pyramid reflecting the overall health of target populations and the intensity of proposed interventions; the identification of a principles guiding implementation site selection; and the elaboration of guidelines for RUC selection, ensuring clinical relevance and scientific excellence while covering the whole spectrum of citizen complexities and intervention intensities. Seven European countries were selected, covering Europe's geographical and socioeconomic heterogeneity: Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. These were complemented by the following 3 Asian pilots: Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Implementation sites consisted of local ecosystems, including health care organizations and partners from industry, civil society, academia, and government, prioritizing the highly rated European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Aging reference sites. RUCs covered the whole spectrum of chronic diseases, citizen complexities, and intervention intensities while privileging clinical relevance and scientific rigor. These included lifestyle-related early detection and interventions, using artificial intelligence-based digital coaches to promote healthy lifestyle and delay the onset or worsening of chronic diseases in healthy citizens; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure decompensations management, proposing integrated care management based on advanced wearable monitoring and machine learning (ML) to predict decompensations; management of glycemic status in diabetes mellitus, based on beat to beat monitoring and short-term ML-based prediction of glycemic dynamics; treatment decision support systems for Parkinson disease, continuously monitoring motor and nonmotor complications to trigger enhanced treatment strategies; primary and secondary stroke prevention, using a coaching app and educational simulations with virtual and augmented reality; management of multimorbid older patients or patients with cancer, exploring novel chronic care models based on digital coaching, and advanced monitoring and ML; high blood pressure management, with ML-based predictions based on different intensities of monitoring through self-managed apps; and COVID-19 management, with integrated management tools limiting physical contact among actors. This paper provides a methodology for selecting adequate settings for the large-scale piloting of eHealth frameworks and exemplifies with the decisions taken in GATEKEEPER the current views of the WHO and European Commission while moving forward toward a European Data Space.

A missing link? Maintaining support for the European polity after the Russian invasion of Ukraine

ABSTRACT Recent research argues that external threats like war spur EU polity formation (Kelemen & McNamara, 2022). One key mechanism of this process is public support for policy responses designed by policymakers. However, like the ‘rally-round-the-flag’ effect (Mueller, 1970), public support wanes over time and we decompose this decrease into two elements: salience and polarisation at the domestic level for national and European policies in both soft and hard security (aid and sanctions). We show that while salience can sustain public support for European policy innovations, polarisation about national and (unexpectedly) European policies accelerates its decline. We thus qualify the story of EU polity formation through external security crises.

Creating social value by empowering people: a social innovation perspective

AbstractInitiatives across the private, public, and third sectors have increasingly pursued social value beyond mere profit. However, how social value can be created still requires a more detailed investigation. This paper provides conceptual and empirical arguments on how initiatives of social innovation, which intentionally seek to empower people, contribute to generate social value. We investigate three European social innovation cases—which are collective entrepreneurial initiatives. Using mixed methods applied to primary nested data, we first find evidence for empowering effects and then identify a typical process through which empowerment occurs. Our results suggest that social innovations catalyze empowerment through a horizontal and co‐creational organizational design, providing space for individuals to propose their goals and establishing mechanisms of mutual influence that transform individual autonomy into coactive power. This process kicks off social value creation, yet its reach within society depends on how much empowerment diffuses beyond the participants in the initiative.