Ageing population, safeguarding a healthy workforce, and an emerging demand for quality and highly professional health services have boosted the significance of the health sector. Absorbing large amounts of labour, commodities and research, thus creating incomes, it has a high potential to become a key driver for regional economic development. In order to become a real economic engine, however, innovative services and products must be developed and introduced in all segments of the health sector.

Since most novel technologies in health care originate from small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), they are a central part of the solution to the challenges faced today and tomorrow. Vital to the competitiveness, growth and prosperity of the health care sector, their needs must be taken into account when drawing up successful policies for health and industry.

To create a better business environment for SMEs, viable implementation plans and strategies are needed. This is the competence of regional and local public authorities. Responsible for providing health services, for policies stimulating economic development and the organisation of an efficiently working health care structure, they have to be the key drivers of this process, together with the widest range of regional stakeholders.

Health4Growth aims to improve the effectiveness of regional development policies regarding the operational environment of local and regional economic players and promote their cooperation in order to exploit the growth and innovation potential within the health sector. Specifically, the project applies an integrated, complex development approach among key players of the health sector, such as knowledge centres, business sector and regional public level, in partner regions, in order for these sectors to become prospering and real driving forces of regional economies.

Project actions include the collection of a range of Good Practices as well as setting up Implementation plans and policy recommendations, creating better and more standardized solutions which can be implemented in other European locations. Moreover, it will create a more effective structure of open innovation between the different regions because of increasing ties and tacit knowledge about complimentary activities in the respective regions. Increasing the productivity and competitiveness of a knowledge-based economy, Health4Growth will also have an indirect effect on the job creation and on the availability of skilled and adaptable workforce, therefore strengthening the entrepreneurial climate.