Online webinar: Building Bridges in Digital Health: Data, Policy & People – Insights from the AI4HF Project

AI4HF participated in the two-day event Building Bridges in Digital Health: Data, Policy & People on 17–18 November, invited by our Consortium partner SHINE 2Europe. One theme clearly emerged from the discussions: bridging – between systems, sectors, people, and life stages.

The event brought together 85 participants, including European projects, organisations, and stakeholders, to share experiences, align strategies, and strengthen collaboration around three critical pillars shaping the success of digital health:

• Data & cybersecurity
• Policy and real-world implementation
• Meaningful involvement of people in research

Carina Dantas, from SHINE 2Europe, chaired the event, highlighting that health innovation relies not only on technological advancements but also on ethical, social, and regulatory aspects that ensure the sustainability, security, and inclusivity of innovative solutions.

On 18th November, second day of the event focused on data and cybersecurity in healthcare. Miriam Cabrita, from SHINE 2Europe, highlighted that digital health innovation goes beyond technology, encompassing people, communities, and meaningful participation through approaches such as co-creation, Living Labs, and patient-centered strategies. Building on this foundation, discussions also focused on the critical intersection of data management and cybersecurity in healthcare, exploring how secure and responsible use of data underpins sustainable innovation.

Antonino Angi, from the University of Barcelona, presented insights from the AI4HF project, highlighting the growing role of AI in transforming healthcare. He explained that developing reliable AI models requires large volumes of diverse, high-quality data to ensure accuracy and generalizability across different patient populations. Recognizing the challenges of sharing sensitive health information, he introduced federated learning as a solution that allows institutions to collaborate on AI development without compromising patient privacy, enabling the safe and responsible use of data while still fostering technological innovation:

• The AI model is sent to each institution’s data.
• No raw data leaves the hospital.
• Only model updates are shared.

This approach ensures privacy, compliance, and trust, embedding “privacy by design” into AI development in healthcare.

Participating in this event reinforced that digital health innovation thrives at the intersection of technology, people, and policy, and highlighted the importance of collaboration across projects, organizations, and countries to drive secure, inclusive, and patient-centred healthcare solutions.