empirica was invited to present the twinnings approach it uses in the DigitalHealthEurope project as an effective means for collaboration. The presentation was featured at the 1st EU-China Health Summit on Medical Innovation and Technology Transfer, an event co-organized by EFMI and IMIA with MedInfo in Lyon, France, on 25 August 2019.

The first EU China Health Summit aims to prepare the ground for the blueprint of a joint mission that will redefine the role of health informatics in Aging societies advancing cooperation in research and innovation (R&I):

— Facilitate policy dialogue and influence priority areas for funding joint EU-China R&I programs
— Highlight EU-China innovation cooperation and research transfer in the Health sector
— Stimulate collaborative mission-oriented EU-China Health R&I initiatives

The main outcome of the summit is a joint vision for the blueprint for a joint mission on ageing.
The approach to collaboration via the use of twinnings was pitched to the audience in a short presentation, followed by a poster session.

Twinnings are a mechanism for facilitating the transfer and implementation of digitally-enabled innovative practices from one region to another. The region that offers the innovation is called originator, and the implementing region is the adopter. In some cases, an external facilitator may be needed. Funded activities include the ventures needed to carry out the twinning (e.g. organising hosting meetings or technical groups, and financing travel expenses, licenses, or fees for professional services). Twinnings will typically last for a whole year.

empirica is advocating the use of twinnings as a good mechanism for cooperation in research and innovation between the EU and China.