Biomedical Engineering and eHealth min Europe - Outcomes and Challenges of Past and Current EU Research Programs

Biomedical engineering and information and communication technologies (ICT) for health (eHealth) areas have been funded by EU research programs during the last 20 years. During the last two Framework Programmes (1998-2006) biomedical engineering has been diffused in several programs and priorities, but the total amount of funding has not diminished and has followed the overall growth of the EU funds for research. Many good results have been achieved that have led not only to new diagnostic and treatment methods and devices but also have contributed to the growth of one of the largest industries worldwide. The current FP7 will support innovative research at the crossroads of medicine, biology, engineering, and information sciences and contribute to worldwide state-of-the-art technology through the full span of the innovation chain from foundational to applied research. The focus on the ultimate benefits to all citizens, such as improved health access to quality healthcare and the efficiency of new citizen-centered healthcare delivery systems, will put health technologies center stage for innovative research, technological assessment, and clinical validation. The synergy of areas such as medical informatics and bioinformatics will give rise to research that supports molecular- and genomics-based medicine. In the new program the traditional areas of biomedical engineering and eHealth will be expanded due to overall convergence of info-bio-nano technologies and cognitive sciences.