i4KIDS-EUROPE Hospital Challenge Programme 2024

To achieve the overall objective, i4KIDS-EUROPE promotes the creation of links among innovation leaders and strong innovators with emerging and moderate innovators in the paediatric healthcare field across the EU, fostering a more interconnected ecosystem through shared experiences, structures, and procedures.

It also aims to identify the gaps and barriers faced by paediatric hospitals and key innovation stakeholders, providing them with tailored tools, connections, and resources. By uniting paediatric innovation actors across European countries, including start-ups and industry, they aim to boost Europe’s efficiency and capacity for paediatric healthcare innovation, helping deploy patient-centered innovations across member states and associated countries at national, regional, and local levels.

Challenges

• There are three challenges for candidates to apply for:
  • Challenge 1: Improving Clinical Workflows
    • Since the implementation of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) across hospitals and healthcare systems, the amount of documentation a healthcare professional (HCP) has to complete has been increasing. Already under great care pressure, HCPs are forced to spend a significant amount of time on administrative tasks, such as completing forms, recording patient data and complying with regulatory requirements.
    • Given the aforementioned needs, the first challenge is: How can one reduce the time healthcare professionals spend on administrative tasks, such as writing anamnesis, patient records, and doctor’s notes to employers, to enhance efficiency and allow for greater focus on patient care?
  • Challenge 2: High-Risk Medication Monitoring in Paediatric Patients:
    • The consequences of misusing or mismanaging high-risk medicines can be catastrophic, leading to adverse drug reactions, hospitalisations, or even fatalities. This problem is even more pronounced in paediatric medicine. Rigorous testing and monitoring of these drugs is therefore not only a clinical obligation, but also a moral and legal one.
    • In light of the previously mentioned needs, the second challenge is: How can one ensure that each patient receives the correct medication, in the correct dose, at the correct time, and via the correct method during hospitalisation?
  • Challenge 3: Appointment Efficiency
    • Missed hospital appointments pose a substantial challenge, resulting in wasted resources, disrupted schedules, and potential delays in patient care. Implementing effective strategies to reduce no-shows is essential for enhancing patient outcomes and optimising the efficiency of healthcare services.
    • Based on the needs previously identified, the third challenge is: How might one avoid “no shows” and improve outcomes for groups affected by healthcare inequalities?

Prize Information

• All the 6 selected projects will be rewarded with the following prizes in order to participate in the Pitch Competition:
  • Travel expenses for one person/company to attend the Pediatric Innovation Day in Riga.
  • Access to the Pediatric Innovation Day and its agenda.
  • For the Pitch Competition, candidates will prepare a 7-minute presentation in English and a jury panel will evaluate all presentations and select a winner based on evaluation criteria that will be shared with all participants beforehand. After the Pitch Competition, there will be only one winner.
  • The winning project will be awarded €5,000 to start a pilot project in one of the i4KIDS-EUROPE Hospitals. Additionally, the winner will receive a voucher for consultancy services with the Inveniam Group. The winner will also have the opportunity to follow up with at least two Maternity & Children’s Hospitals from ECHO and i4KIDS-EUROPE to explore the implementation of the solution within these hospitals.

Expected Results

• “The i4KIDS-EUROPE consortium members expect to receive technology-based innovation projects at an advanced stage of development (TRL 7-8), ready for implementation. Proposals should include a clear and feasible implementation plan. Solutions should be designed from a user-centric perspective and target various population segments, including paediatric patients and their families. Additionally, it is crucial that solutions can be easily integrated and scaled across different communities and regions in Europe, promoting accessibility and equity among various European regions.”

Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates must meet the following General Criteria:
  • Only established companies or products ready for implementation can apply for this call.
  • The proposed solution must comply with current regulations in order to be marketed in Europe (MDR, GDPR, etc.) if applicable.
  • Solutions must be at a TRL 7 or higher.
  • Candidates can apply for more than one challenge, but must fill in one form for each challenge.
  • Candidates must be available to participate in the Pitch Competition at the Pediatric Innovation Day (PID)

For more information, visit i4KIDS.