On November 18th, 19th, and 20th, 2024, a delegation of professionals from various entities associated with and affiliated to iNexesCSC travelled to Lithuania as part of the collaboration “Twinning Catalonia – Lithuania: How Innovation Ecosystems Influence Public Procurement Processes.” In this context, twinnings are mechanisms through which different organizations establish a collaboration to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise to achieve common goals.

The project developed by the Health and Social Consortium of Catalonia (CSC) and the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Hospital (LSMU), Kauno Klinikos, will also benefit from the collaboration of Health Tech Accelerator, a company that contributes to strengthening the healthcare system in the Baltic country. Furthermore, the European Union, through a twinning’s call from the Procure4Health platform, funds the project; which has a duration of six months.

In this context, the project aims to adopt practices, tools, approaches, and innovation procurement policies to implement sustainable and innovative solutions in the healthcare and social sectors.

As part of this initial meeting of the Twinning project, representatives from Catalonia’s health innovation ecosystem, consisting of professionals from various entities associated with or affiliated with iNexesCSC, had the opportunity to present their institutions, as well as ongoing projects related to the twinning topics.

In this regard, Dr. Diana Navarro, Chief of the Research and Innovation Service, representing the Private Foundation Hospital Asil de Granollers (FPHAG), delivered two presentations: one introducing FPHAG as institution, and another on the European project ClimAte neutRal INitiatives for GrowiNg heAlTh and care Unmet REquirements (CARING NATURE).

CARING NATURE is a three-year technological demonstration project (2024–2026) involving 18 partners from 10 European Union countries, coordinated by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy. The project has received €6.000.000 in total funding from the European Union, with €184.125 corresponding to FPHAG’s budget.

The project’s objective is to develop and validate a set of solutions aimed at reducing the environmental impact of building infrastructure, waste, and patient transportation. Additionally, it seeks to enhance governance capacity and staff engagement in reducing the healthcare sector’s ecological footprint. To this end, the project will design and implement 10 specific solutions to cut carbon emissions and pollution, which will be tested and validated through 33 use cases.

CARING NATURE addresses the environmental needs of healthcare systems. Globally, healthcare organizations contribute nearly 5% of greenhouse gas emissions; if the sector were a country, it would rank as the fifth-largest polluter. Without intervention, the sector’s annual emissions are expected to increase dramatically.

Aware of this environmental responsibility, FPHAG is committed to taking decisive actions to mitigate its impact while maintaining its strong commitment to patient and staff safety. At a time when the climate crisis demands immediate action, FPHAG stands out as a driving force for change in the healthcare sector. Through CARING NATURE, the hospital will collaborate with environmental, technological, and healthcare experts to develop and implement innovative initiatives that significantly reduce the carbon footprint of healthcare services.

These initiatives will be distinguished by their innovation, adaptability, and sustainability, marking a significant step forward for the institution.

Below is the scope of these dissemination actions: