The aim of this MoU is to strengthen regional cooperation between stakeholders in the fields of healthcare, research and innovation systems, in particular by initiating efforts to establish a network of health innovation centres for Central and Eastern European countries (CEE).

The MoU was signed by Dr. Radosław Sierpiński, President of the Medical Research Agency (MRA), and Dr. David M. Smith, Director General of RBI, in the presence of representatives of the Croatian Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, and the Ministry of Science and Education.

‘’Today's ceremony marks the beginning of a broader Polish-Croatian cooperation in the field of health. I am particularly pleased that together with such a recognised institution as Ruđer Bošković Institute we will be working closely to make our part of Europe more innovative and competitive.

The purpose of this MoU is to strengthen the comprehensive regional cooperation, in particular by initiating efforts to establish Health Innovation Hub Network, which will serve as a platform of collaboration and coordination between public and private stakeholders from countries across CEE.

The Medical Research Agency has been working for the last few months to make the idea of establishing a regional hub for innovation in health come true. I believe that joint efforts with the Croatian side, but also with other countries in the region, will bring tangible results in the near future,’’ said Dr Radosław Sierpiński, MRA President.

‘’CEE countries share similar challenges and opportunities in their health care systems. Therefore, I am pleased this MoU will provide a legal and formal framework for our organisations in applying a more integrated and coordinated approach in establishing a network of health innovation hubs that would serve as a platform for countries across CEE in addressing these challenges and identifying new synergies through stronger cooperation between public and private stakeholders.

This is particularly important for RBI in the context of the European digital innovation hub we are spearheading, named AI4Health.Cro, which will be financed within Digital Europe Programme. This MoU is an important step towards positioning our EDIH as a strong regional centre that will facilitate the advancement of healthcare by including innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence.

In this sense, I would like to acknowledge the strong support and coordinated approach of the Croatian Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development for the EDIH project, as well as the continuous support of the Ministry of Science and Education for RBI's projects and activities," concluded Dr. David M. Smith, Director General of RBI.

Besides the heads of the two organisations, representatives of three Croatian ministries attended the signing ceremony: Maja Gusić Božikov, Head of the Department for European Affairs, and Hrvoje Belani, Head of the Sector for Implementation and Improvement of IS from the Ministry of Health, Bruno Radojica, Head of the Division for Innovation Support and Marina Skelin, Head of the Department for Innovation at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, and Staša Skenžić, Head of the Sector for Coordination of European Affairs and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Science and Education.

In addition to the RBI Director General, the RBI delegation included Dr. Tomislav Šmuc, Head of the Laboratory for Machine Learning and Knowledge Representation, and Dr. Anja Barešić, Coordinator of the AI4Health.Cro project while Dr. Radosław Sierpiński, President of the MRA, was accompanied by Maciej Tumulec, Senior Specialist, Promotion and International Cooperation Section, MRA.

The Medical Research Agency is a state agency based in Warsaw, Poland, responsible for development of scientific research in the field of medical and health sciences. MRA is an entity whose purpose is to build an innovative healthcare system in Poland.  

The Agency's aim is to facilitate innovation in Poland. One of its key roles is to support businesses pursuing innovation in the field of medicine and health science.