Horizon Europe CSA HORIZON-EIE-2025-02-CONNECT-01
Advancing Digital Health Innovation & Living Labs Across Europe.
Lumina Europe connects European living labs for digital health in primary and community care — orchestrating cross-border validation, regulatory alignment, and consortium leadership to scale healthcare technologies from regional pilots to continental adoption.
Ongoing
A landmark Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action bringing together 11 European organisations across 7 countries to establish shared regional living labs for validating and adopting digital health closer to patients.
CONNECT-CARE: Connecting European Living Labs
Overcoming regional digital health fragmentation in primary and community care through harmonised methodologies, regional living labs, and a centralized coordination hub.
The Challenge
Healthcare is transitioning from acute hospital settings into regional communities and patient homes. However, digital health technologies face systemic hurdles: regions lack shared clinical validation spaces to test solutions in real primary-care environments. Furthermore, disparate evidence requirements and reimbursement rules force innovators to duplicate validation efforts in every individual country.
The Plan
CONNECT-CARE is co-creating a harmonised living lab methodology, ratifying a five-year Joint Action Plan across eight European regions, and launching interconnected regional living labs governed through a central Coordination Hub — ensuring that a digital health solution validated in one European region can be seamlessly replicated and adopted across others.
Lumina's Role: Leading Work Package 4
Lumina S.r.l. spearheads Work Package 4 — Joint Action Plan, driving the formulation of long-term regional implementation roadmaps across Europe and establishing the central Living Labs Coordination Hub.
In addition, Lumina contributes cross-cutting expertise in Health Technology Assessment (HTA), human factors, regulatory CE compliance, and multi-centre implementation across all consortium work packages.
Planned Deliverables by February 2028
Measurable outputs agreed under the Horizon Europe Grant Agreement, driving systemic cross-border validation.
* Note: These are planned deliverables under the official Horizon Europe grant agreement HORIZON-EIE-2025-02-CONNECT-01.
Accelerating Validation, Adoption, and Scaling Across Europe
The CONNECT-CARE Kick-Off Conference unites leading academic hospitals, regional development agencies, regulatory bodies, and digital health pioneers. Hosted at the University of Palermo, the event marks the formal initiation of the multi-site living lab operational framework.
11 Organisations Across 7 European Countries
CONNECT-CARE convenes a high-calibre ecosystem of regional innovation agencies, research universities, health clusters, and regulatory authorities.
Distretto Tecnologico Sicilia Micro e Nano Sistemi S.c.a.r.l.
Project Coordinator • Sicily, Italy • Horizon Europe Coordination & Support Action
Distretto Tecnologico Sicilia Micro e Nano Sistemi
Project Coordinator overseeing strategic consortium execution, governance, and inter-regional living lab alignment.
LUMINA S.r.l.
Leading Work Package 4 (Joint Action Plan & Regional Roadmaps) and establishing the Living Labs Coordination Hub.
Università degli Studi di Palermo
Polytechnic School & Department of Engineering, providing academic research and host venue for the Kick-Off Conference.
Human Technology Styria
Leading Austrian life sciences and healthtech cluster bridging innovators with clinical application spaces.
P3 Regionalna Razvojna Agencija
Regional development agency advancing primary care modernisation and community health infrastructure.
FORTH - Foundation for Research and Technology
Renowned research institute contributing medical informatics, digital health architecture, and validation expertise.
Medical Valley EMN
Premier German healthcare innovation cluster driving industrial translation and digital health evaluation.
Malta Medicines Authority
National regulatory authority contributing regulatory science, medical device compliance, and safety standards.
Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa (CST)
Integrated healthcare organisation and hospital consortium conducting real-world community trials.
Fundació TIC Salut Social
Public foundation under the Generalitat de Catalunya spearheading digital health transformation in social and primary care.
EISMEA / European Innovation Council
European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency funding the CONNECT-CARE action under Horizon Europe.
Lumina S.r.l. — Your European Gateway to Health Technology Markets
Lumina S.r.l. is an innovative startup established in Southern Italy to expand the reach and impact of Lumina Health Tech across Europe.
We bridge health technology innovators with the funding, clinical networks, and market knowledge required to navigate European healthcare systems. Through leadership in Horizon Europe initiatives like CONNECT-CARE and deep expertise in Health Technology Assessment (HTA), we accelerate technology adoption from proof-of-concept to reimbursable clinical reality.
Registered Startup Innovativa
Enrolled in the special register of the Lecce Chamber of Commerce since November 2024.
Post-Brexit UK-EU Operational Bridge
Providing UK and global medical innovators with direct European operational presence and CE regulatory fluency.
HTA & Human Factors Rigour
Evidence-based methodologies guaranteeing health economics, usability, and clinical efficacy.
Three Pillars to Accelerate European Growth
From Horizon Europe consortium building to multi-centre clinical validation, we deliver the comprehensive infrastructure for international healthtech success.
EU Funding & Grants
We actively identify, structure, and secure regional, national, and European funding opportunities. Our team builds competitive multinational consortia, writes high-scoring proposals, and manages ongoing grant compliance to turn pioneering medical ideas into funded initiatives.
- Horizon Europe & EISMEA proposals
- Consortium structuring across 7+ nations
- Work package design & scientific management
European Living Labs Network
Through an expanding network of clinical centres, university hospitals, and primary-care living labs across Europe, we coordinate multi-site validation studies, gather real-world patient evidence, and validate solutions under diverse regional healthcare realities.
- Multi-centre clinical validation protocols
- Living Labs Coordination Hub oversight
- Real-world evidence (RWE) generation
Internationalisation & Market Access
For UK and overseas companies seeking entry or expansion in continental Europe, we offer hands-on operational support — covering EU MDR/IVDR regulatory alignment, CE marking pathways, health economics, and stakeholder engagement.
- CE marking & regulatory alignment
- Health Technology Assessment (HTA) modeling
- In-country European representation
Why Southern Italy? An Ecosystem Built for Cross-Border Scale
By establishing Lumina S.r.l. in Lecce (Apulia), we anchor our European operations at the crossroads of continental and Mediterranean health innovation.
EU Cohesion Funds
Direct access to dedicated EU structural funds, PNRR initiatives, and regional incentives specifically engineered to accelerate research and digital healthcare infrastructure.
Strategic Mediterranean Geography
Positioned as an operational nexus linking Italian clinical testbeds with partner regions in Greece, Malta, Spain, and Central Europe for multi-territory health trials.
Startup Innovativa Framework
As a certified Italian Startup Innovativa, Lumina S.r.l. benefits from national R&D tax credits, simplified administration, and preferred access to European open innovation programmes.
Initiate a Collaboration
Whether you are forming a Horizon Europe consortium, seeking living lab validation, or planning European healthtech market entry — our team is ready to assist.
Direct Institutional Coordinates
Reach our European Work Package 4 coordinators and strategic market access advisors directly:
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Send an Inquiry
Submissions are delivered directly to info@luminahealthtech.com.