EUREGHA is excited to introduce another New Member to Our Network 🌟
As part of our commitment to fostering strong regional health collaboration, we are delighted to welcome the Autonomous province of Trento as TrentinoSalute4.0 as a new full member of EUREGHA!
In a special welcome interview, we had the pleasure of speaking with Diego Conforti, Director of the Innovation and Research Office, and Olivia Balagna, Policy Officer, to explore their vision, expertise, and how TrentinoSalute4.0 will contribute to our network. You can find the full interview below!
EUREGHA continues to grow, and we look forward to introducing more new members to our expanding community in the coming months. Stay tuned for more updates!
Could you tell us more about the Autonomous Province of Trento health ecosystem? What are your main challenges but also your points of strength?
The Autonomous Province of Trento (Provincia autonoma di Trento – PAT) is an Italian region in Northeast Italy that enjoys a high degree of autonomy in health, education, welfare, and transport infrastructure. The province’s healthcare system is managed by the Healthcare Trust of the Autonomous Province of Trento (Azienda Provincial per i Servizi Sanitari – APSS), which provides public health, primary care, emergency care, mental health, and hospital services. With 8,800 staff, it is one of Italy’s largest healthcare providers and consistently ranks among the top performers in national health and care metrics.
Regional health policies enacted by the Department of Health and Social Policies support the development of integrated models of health and social care to provide excellent clinical services. A key strategy is the development of smart ICT solutions through collaborations between the healthcare sector, academia, research organizations, and companies. The Autonomous Province of Trento is acknowledged as a national leader in innovation, particularly in electronic health records and user-centered e-health applications.
Furthermore, the Trentino Health ecosystem is based on the Provincial Law on Health (n.16/2010), which defines health as a fundamental right of citizens and a primary goal for the entire community. It promotes research, innovation, and management experimentation as strategic levers for developing the local healthcare system. Additionally, it emphasizes a strong commitment to digital health and the continuous development of skills and training for healthcare professionals.
Afterwards, Trentino developed its strategic health plan for 2015–2025, adopting a broader concept of health and well-being. The plan addresses the challenges of communicable and noncommunicable diseases while considering the effects of individual, social, economic, and environmental determinants on health.
As of today, some of the main challenges we face include the aging population, which leads to an increasing number of people with chronic diseases and a growing demand for health and social care. This not only puts economic strain on the provincial health system but also exacerbates workforce shortages, as the aging phenomenon also affects healthcare professionals themselves. Another key challenge is ensuring equal access to healthcare services across both urban and rural areas while shifting the focus of care from hospitals to community-based settings. Additionally, the province is committed to implementing the digital transformation of the Provincial Healthcare System, a crucial step toward modernizing healthcare delivery.
Despite these challenges, Trentino has several strengths. The province has adopted its own prevention plan, covering primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, as well as the promotion of health and healthy lifestyles. Structural interventions are also in place to attract healthcare professionals, such as the recent establishment of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Trento and the upcoming creation of a Territorial University Healthcare Trust—the only one of its kind in Italy. Investments are also being made to strengthen the university hub of healthcare professions in Trento, which is part of the Provincial Healthcare Trust (APSS).
The province is also actively working on implementing the interventions outlined in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and Ministerial Decree 77/2022, which focus on reorganizing territorial assistance through community hospitals, community homes, and the role of the family and community nurse. Additionally, significant efforts are being made to develop telemedicine solutions and enhance the Electronic Health Record system. Another major initiative underway is the strengthening of health and social-health information systems.
You are joining EUREGHA with a solid ecosystem on digital health, TrentinoSalute 4.0, bringing together the Province and other two actors, Bruno Kessler Foundation and the Local Healthcare Trust. Could you tell us more about this set up and different actors?
TrentinoSalute4.0 (TS4.0) is the “Competence Center on Digital Health,” approved by the Trentino Provincial Council as a policy instrument to coordinate the region’s digital health initiatives. TS4.0 represents a meeting point between the health system, research, and local stakeholders. It serves as a unifying structure that aligns health planning guidelines, the innovation needs of the Provincial Health Service, and the opportunities provided by research and new digital technologies.
The TS4.0 initiative was created to bridge the gap between health planning, research, and the actual implementation of innovative digital health solutions. It supports the local Healthcare Trust while empowering citizens to manage their own health in a sustainable way. Active since 2017, the center aligns its goals with local, national, and European health policies by identifying new organizational models, studying legal aspects, and evaluating the socio-organizational and economic impacts of digital health initiatives. The ultimate aim is to transform tested technical and organizational solutions into innovative healthcare services. In 2018, TS4.0 also established its own Joint Research Unit (JRU) to participate in European projects, particularly within the Horizon Europe program.
All members of TS4.0 have distinct roles within the ecosystem. The Autonomous Province of Trento is responsible for planning, financing, and monitoring, although governance is shared among the main stakeholders. The Local Healthcare Trust (APSS) identifies innovation needs from healthcare professionals and citizens and is responsible for service provision. The Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK) contributes technological expertise and research capabilities to the ecosystem.
In a nutshell, TrentinoSalute4.0 aims to align the agendas of key stakeholders, cover the entire healthcare service supply chain from research to innovation, and accelerate the transition from testing new technologies to implementing innovative health services.
What motivated you to join EUREGHA, and what are your key expectations from this partnership?
In the past couple of years, TrentinoSalute4.0 has participated in various conferences, European projects and events such as the BeWell project or the ProMIS network events, together with EUREGHA and through these meetings, understood the important work and real benefits of EUREGHA network.Since TS4.0 focuses on research and innovation in health, we are eager to meet and exchange with other european regions sharing similar objectives and point of views, learn from other best practices as well as communicate and promote our ecosystem’s initiatives.
Furthermore, TrentinoSalute4.0 share common values, objectives and initiatives with EUREGHA such as Innovation in health trough digital health, skill strategy for the healthcare ecosystem or prevention for a broader concept of health and well-being which represents part of our future key health policies. TS4.0 is interested to participate in EUREGHA’s working groups and discuss about our main thematic areas of interest (digital health, mental health, cancer research, chronic diseases, healthcare training…)
Could you share your primary healthcare policy priorities for the next few years?
Looking ahead, Trentino’s primary healthcare policy priorities focus on addressing the aging population and the associated rise in chronic diseases, ensuring the sustainability of the Provincial Health System, and overcoming workforce shortages. There is also a strong emphasis on bridging healthcare access gaps between urban and rural areas and shifting the focus from hospital-centered care to territorial and community-based care. Other key priorities include guaranteeing access to care while reducing waiting lists, integrating artificial intelligence into healthcare in an ethical and effective manner, and developing a comprehensive data lake of health and social data to support planning, governance, research, and healthcare services. Additionally, efforts are underway to create an integrated socio-health information and management system.
What fresh perspectives or insights do you believe you can share to the EUREGHA network in the near future? Any particular initiative or project you would like to flag or highlight?
One of the key insights that Trentino can share with the EUREGHA network in 2025 is its governance model for digital health through TrentinoSalute4.0, as well as its strategy for the internationalization of healthcare services. The province is also actively involved in several EU projects that serve as best practices.
For instance, the Erasmus+ project EUVECA, in which both PAT and FBK are partners, is designed to support the development of future-oriented skills within the health and care sector. A key aspect of this project is the creation of seven European Regional Vocational Excellence (RVE) Hubs that will collaborate through a European Platform for Vocational Excellence. Another notable initiative is the European project C.O.P.E. (Capabilities, Opportunities, Places, and Engagement), which focused on the health and social inclusion of NEETs—young people excluded from education, training, and employment. Recognizing the project’s success, the Councilor for Health and Social Policies has committed to funding a follow-up intervention at the provincial level from 2025 to 2027, with an annual budget of €300,000. Work is currently underway to develop a new governance and organizational model for this initiative.
Through EUREGHA, Trentino hopes to strengthen collaboration on these projects, share its expertise in digital health governance, and contribute to shaping the future of European healthcare policies.
