EIT Health Morning Health Talks: Exploring Opportunities and Barriers to Open Innovation in the Lithuanian Health Sector

What changes in policy, systems, data management, and patient involvement are needed to make open innovation an integral part of the Lithuanian healthcare system?

This central question was examined from diverse perspectives during the EIT Health RIS Hub Lithuania event, Morning Health Talks: CATALYZING CHANGE: Open Innovation in Lithuania's Health Sector. The event, held on December 3 and organized by the LSMU Health Innovation Development Centre, KTU Startup Space, and LSMU Hospital Kaunas Clinics, brought together participants from various organizations in the health ecosystem, including medical institutions, universities, data centers, pharmaceutical companies, and research institutions. Experts shared insights on the potential of healthcare innovation, available resources for development, research opportunities, and growth trends in the biotech sector.

Lithuania is among the 13 European countries that regularly convene experts and stakeholders for open discussions aimed at driving systemic change and innovation.

Collaboration for Impact

Antanas Montvila, Head of the Innovation Assessment and Deployment Service at Kaunas Clinics, moderated the event. He emphasized the significance of open innovation to unify efforts across the healthcare sector. “Only by working together can we create innovations that fundamentally transform the healthcare system and enhance patients' quality of life,” he noted.

Institutional Collaboration as a Catalyst for Change

Beata Kurucz, Head of EIT Health InnoStars EIT RIS Collaboration, discussed the EIT Health-Lithuania partnership and identified key trends such as digital health innovation and data application. These trends are essential for addressing the significant challenges faced by national healthcare systems. Kurucz stressed the importance of collaboration among organizations responsible for decision-making and systemic improvements, ensuring that patients remain at the center of all innovations.

In her opening remarks, Milda Karčiauskaitė, NCP Programme Coordinator at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), underscored the event’s importance. She likened innovation to a key unlocking the future, paving the way for breakthroughs such as advanced medical devices and digital health solutions.

Funding Opportunities for Innovation

Aurelija Povilaikė, Head of the NCP Group at the Lithuanian Research Council, highlighted funding opportunities offered by the European Research Council (ERC). She emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration, a principle embedded in Horizon Europe, which supports Lithuanian researchers and institutions. Povilaikė noted that collaborative efforts, such as forming consortia, can significantly enhance the capacity for transformative innovation. She also provided examples of international health projects where multi-country collaboration fostered groundbreaking advancements.

The Role of Data in Driving Innovation

Julius Juodakis, Head of the Health Data Team at the State Data Agency, highlighted the critical role of health data management in fostering innovation in Lithuania. He pointed out the multidimensional applications of data, including analytics, model building, metadata provision, and inter-institutional data exchange. Juodakis stressed the importance of addressing challenges related to data accessibility and interoperability while leveraging artificial intelligence to create an efficient data ecosystem benefiting all healthcare stakeholders.

Biotech Growth and Ambitions

Paulius Kamaitis, Head of the Innovation Agency BioTech Lab, presented insights into Lithuania’s life sciences sector, which is growing at an impressive rate of approximately 33% annually and currently contributes about 2.5% to the nation’s GDP. Kamaitis outlined Lithuania’s ambitions to increase this contribution to 5% by 2030 and shared the Innovation Agency's plans to support healthcare innovation in the coming year.

Innovation: A Necessity for Organizations and Society

Dr. Asta Pundzienė, Professor at KTU, delivered a presentation titled “Connecting the Dots: Ecosystem Stand-Up on Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategic Language.” She discussed how the demand for innovation arises from both internal organizational needs and broader societal and economic pressures. Pundzienė emphasized the essential role of collaboration between science, research, and business, often requiring closer partnerships or even mergers to drive results in new technologies.

The professor shared real-world examples of how academic institutions, major pharmaceutical companies, and startups have successfully collaborated on sophisticated research projects. These partnerships have yielded more effective treatments and protocols, which have been implemented within healthcare systems. She highlighted the necessity for interdisciplinary approaches, diverse competencies, and robust collaboration across various stakeholders to achieve innovation at scale.

Key Discussions and Challenges

The event provided a platform for participants—representing academia, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and government—to exchange views on critical aspects of the healthcare system, including policy regulation, data utilization, healthcare provision, and patient engagement.

During the discussions, experts identified several challenges facing the development of startups in the healthcare sector. These include regulatory barriers, funding difficulties, insufficient incentives in the public sector, inconsistencies in data systems, and relatively low health literacy among patients.

About EIT Health Morning Health Talks

EIT Health Morning Health Talks are a series of events designed to foster healthcare innovation and strengthen cross-sector collaboration. These events are held in European regions where innovation capacity is still developing, as part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme.

The objectives of the Morning Health Talks include fostering regional innovation, promoting networking opportunities, and disseminating best practices. Two additional Morning Health Talks events are planned for 2025.

Watch the full Morning Health Talks event here: Morning Health Talks - EIT Health