A journey toward the transformation of health systems. Connecting knowledge, transforming systems
May 3, 2026
Joan Cornet. InnoHealth Academy
InnoHealth Academy (IHA) was established on 8 November 2021 in Barcelona as a non-profit international association of experts in health innovation. With a community of 145 members and a consolidated governance, IHA acts as an interdisciplinary platform that connects talent and knowledge, experiments in real-world settings and contributes to the structural transformation of care models.
Its members bring together clinical professionals, health managers, digital health and AI experts, researchers, specialists in biotechnology and medtech, sustainability profiles and strategic consultants. This diversity ensures that transformation is addressed as a systemic, technological and deeply human challenge.
Two founding symposia (Barcelona, 2024 and 2025) consolidated a shared diagnosis and a Call to Action: increase investment while guaranteeing real transformation, decentralize management, overcome digital fragmentation and promote a culture of evaluation that reaches beyond political cycles.
Structural challenges of European health systems
Main challenges and opportunities. Source: adapted from Eurostat / OECD (2024).
- Population ageing: the old-age dependency ratio in Europe is around 33% and is expected to exceed 50% by 2050.
- Rising chronicity and multimorbidity: nearly 1 in 3 Europeans aged 50 or over lives with two or more chronic conditions.
- Workforce crisis: a shortfall of 1.6 million health professionals in Europe, projected to reach 4 million by 2030.
- Persistent inequalities: in some countries, the gap in life expectancy between socioeconomic groups exceeds eight years.
In parallel, large-scale digitalization, the explosion of health data, biotechnology and the new European regulatory frameworks open a historic window to rethink the architecture of care.
Incremental reforms are no longer enough: a paradigm shift is needed. IHA’s Model for the Future is framed within the international trend toward population-based health systems and Population Health Management. It is built on four interdependent premises that act as genuine levers of change.
- Anticipation and prevention as the central focus, integrating clinical, lifestyle, environmental and social data to act before disease appears.
- Digitalization and AI as systemic levers, embedded in clinical and organizational decision-making under strict ethical governance (European AI Act, ISO/IEC 42001:2023, GDPR).
- The life course as a structuring axis, organizing the system around life trajectories rather than around devices or specialties.
- Citizen co-responsibility as a guiding principle, strengthening ties with community organizations, schools, sports clubs and volunteer networks.
The health life course
The model is organized around three stages: development (0–20 years, healthy growth), investment and active life (20–70, preserving health capital) and maintenance and support (70–100, autonomy and integrated care). Each person would have a structured Personal Health Record and a Digital Health Twin to support prediction, prevention and decision-making.
Ethical governance and the model in action
Four operational mechanisms guarantee trustworthy AI: periodic algorithmic audits, a Digital Ethics Committee, a data sovereignty protocol with withdrawal of consent within 72 hours, and a mandatory training plan. The model is being validated through the Pirineus Project, a Living Lab in the Cerdanya, the Alt Urgell, the Pallars and the Berguedà that turns the four premises into measurable real-world results.
The commitment to KNOWLEDGE: the InnoHealth Knowledge Hub
The Knowledge Hub is a stable editorial and scientific infrastructure that closes the gap between the generation of knowledge, its systemic interpretation and its transfer into practice. It will be developed in collaboration with a leading medical and scientific publisher that will ensure its credibility and academic rigour. It is built on four interconnected pillars that reinforce one another in a continuous cycle.
- Think Tank. Analysis, debate and co-creation through structured cycles (Challenge Exploration, Collaborative Analysis, Synthesis and Recommendations). It produces Strategic Reports, Policy Briefs and Insight Notes, organized around 12 knowledge domains spanning nutrition, mental health, genomics, AI and value-based medicine. Year 1 target: two thematic lines and six work cycles.
- Health Transformation Journal. A peer-reviewed publication on applied innovation in health systems, structured around five editorial axes: scientific articles, use cases, transformative trends, conversations with key actors and IHA news. Year 1: one biannual issue; year 2: 2–3 issues per year.
- Health Innovation Learning. A flexible training ecosystem with three formats (masterclasses and webinars, specialized courses, agile innovation capsules) covering 12 thematic areas such as AI and digital health, telemedicine, robotics, personalized medicine, genomics and innovation in care models. Several programmes are already running.
- InnoHealth Library. Editorial curation of selected articles, AI-assisted summaries with human oversight, expert podcasts, external reports and complementary materials.
The Hub is complemented by permanent community activities such as thematic webinars, IHA newsletters and the Innovators Thursday space, organized jointly with the Consorci de Salut i Social de Catalunya.
A 2026 Action Plan and shared horizons
After a first year focused on conceptualizing the model, building the community and launching the Pirineus Project, 2026 is the year of operational consolidation: deploying the technological architecture, activating the knowledge pillars and generating the first tangible results.
Strategic axes and priority objectives
- Deploy the Living Lab Pirineus: ≥200 participants and ≥80% with an operational Digital Twin by Q4.
- Build the data and AI architecture under strict ethical governance and with intuitive interfaces.
- Activate the Knowledge Hub: ≥2 Strategic Reports + ≥4 Policy Briefs; launch of the Journal with ≥8 articles.
- Prepare the international outreach: 3rd IHA Symposium and design of the 2027 International Convention.
Economic model and shared horizon
The financial model combines four lines: competitive European projects (Horizon Europe, EU4Health, Digital Europe), corporate sponsorship, income from activities and consultancy, and an impact investment fund. The 2026 goal is operational balance without any single source exceeding 40% of total income.
European health systems are at a decisive moment. The real challenge is to create the conditions for a shared, sustained and systemic transformation. IHA proposes a horizon that speaks to professionals, managers, citizens, public administrations, the technology and business sector, and funding bodies. The Pirineus Project is a tangible expression of it: shared knowledge, distributed responsibility and a collective will to move in the same direction.
