On December 8, 2022, at the European Innovation Council Summit in Brussels, the European Commission announced the winners of the second edition of the European Innovation Procurement Awards (EUIPA). Supported by the European Innovation Council under Horizon Europe, the European Innovation Procurement Awards recognize innovative practices across Europe.

In the innovation procurement category, the winner was RITMOCORE, in which we take part alongside Biotronik. This project transforms the care pathway for patients with bradycardia who have been implanted with pacemakers, most of whom are over 70 years old. The steadily growing demand — largely due to an aging population — combined with budgets that struggle to keep pace, has two main consequences: on one hand, more devices need to be purchased, and on the other, the growing workload for doctors is becoming unsustainable.

RITMOCORE’s model addresses both problems: how to purchase more devices and how to make the best use of doctors’ time, while improving the quality of care and helping preserve the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system. All of this is made possible through a new procurement process that also enables digital transformation.