Creating an environment for innovative start-ups in healthcare

Today's healthcare systems are under multiple pressures. Macroeconomically, Europe is facing an ageing population, increased social and healthcare costs. As a consequence, a decreasing quality of healthcare negatively impacts a region's competitiveness, employability, increase taxes and reduces productivity. Some might argue that technology innovation can improve effeciencies, quality, accessibility and cut costs. Recently, the United States is experiencing a rapid growth in terms of the digital high growth health sector bringing together numerous incubators and investors beginning to specialise in healthcare. However, in Europe few best practices have been developed to increase public and private investment. Microsoft is used in this paper as an example of a public–private partnership to deliver an unique business model to better serve innovative start-ups through a set of defined tools and services.The question is open: do European innovative entrepreneurs' ideas have enough potential to create tomorrow's industrial leaders? If so, what framework conditions can accelerate similar booms across the EU?

► Overview on European health start-ups.
► Identification of main macro- and micro-economic outcomes of aging Europe.
► Identification of potential solutions delivered by ICT to tackle Grand Societal Challenges in healthcare.
► Overview on promising innovative start-ups in health supported by Microsoft innovation centres.
► Service package delivered by Microsoft innovation centres in support of marketable bright ideas.
► Impact of EU health policies and initiatives on patient centric healthcare services.