Scotland's Digital Health Center Leads the Way with New Strategy

2025-02-21 digitalcare

Glasgow, Friday, 21 February 2025.
Scotland’s Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre launches a transformative 10-year strategy to enhance digital healthcare, backed by substantial government funding, fostering collaborative solutions for equitable health services.

Strategic Vision and Funding

The Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) has unveiled its ambitious ‘10-Year Strategy 2024-2033: Transforming Great Ideas into Real Solutions’ [1]. This strategic initiative comes with significant financial backing, as the Scottish Government has allocated up to £8 million in annual funding for Scottish Innovation Centres [1]. The DHI, a collaboration between the Glasgow School of Art and the University of Strathclyde, has positioned itself as a crucial catalyst for digital healthcare transformation since its establishment in 2013 [2].

Digital Inclusion Success

The center’s impact is already evident through initiatives like Digital Lifelines Scotland, which recently won the Digital Inclusion Award at the Holyrood Connect Awards 2025 [4]. This program has achieved remarkable success, supporting 4500 people at risk of drug harm to become digitally included and distributing 3000 devices and 3600 connectivity solutions [4]. The initiative has brought together 35 organizations across Scotland, demonstrating DHI’s ability to foster meaningful collaboration [4].

International Collaboration and Economic Growth

DHI is extending its influence beyond Scotland through the UNITE Digital Health project, which connects Scottish innovation with European partners [5]. The initiative aims to develop new digital health solutions, create high-value jobs, and establish Scotland as a leading digital health hub in Europe [5]. This aligns with Scotland’s economic development strategy, which emphasizes innovation, internationalization, and investment in the digital health sector [2].

Future Healthcare Innovation

The centre is actively developing practical solutions for healthcare challenges, as evidenced by its recent hypertension digital app project involving 250 pharmacies across Scotland [7]. This initiative represents DHI’s commitment to creating scalable digital health solutions that can be implemented across the healthcare system. The upcoming #ReWired25 conference in March 2025, expected to draw over 4000 attendees and feature 300 speakers [3], will further showcase Scotland’s growing influence in digital health innovation.

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