The recent COVID-19 pandemic, along with the ongoing health issues related to persistent respiratory illnesses, has laid bare significant challenges, structural deficiencies, and critical vulnerabilities within the European Health and Care industries. These problems have resulted in notable tensions within healthcare establishments. Addressing these challenges requires enhanced coordination and stronger cooperation among various public and private stakeholders within the health and care ecosystems, not only within each country but also at the pan-European and global levels.

This Research Topic seeks to highlight recent developments and scientific breakthroughs in the field of health ecosystems. These developments notably include organizational frameworks, methodologies, tools, resources, and, crucially, real-world use cases of innovation within the health and care sectors.

Relevant contributions may relate to the design and support of synergies, complementarities, and cooperation among innovation ecosystem stakeholders. They may also involve the creation of common knowledge and other immaterial assets within existing or emerging research data infrastructures, promotion of innovation capabilities, or measures to reduce the innovation divide across the European Union and beyond.

Particularly in Europe, substantial investments in recent years have supported research and innovation in the data sector, including the launch of the European Health Data Space. Health data reuse is already valued at approximately €25-30 billion annually, a figure projected to rise to about €50 billion in the next decade. This surge presents significant opportunities for SMEs and startups to offer digital solutions, thereby contributing to a more efficient and resilient healthcare ecosystem in Europe.

In this dynamic landscape, the role of open-innovation ecosystems will be at the core, leading regional and interregional investments. This will enable their participation in EU-wide value chains related to health, while simultaneously contributing to cohesion policy objectives especially focused on correcting imbalances between countries and regions.

Prospective authors, including researchers, academics, practitioners, and others, are warmly invited to submit original contributions covering completed or ongoing work related to the Research Topic area. Submitted papers should present original, unpublished work relevant to the specified topics, aiming to build a beacon 'ecosystem' of case studies and solutions to act as a reference in the field.

All article types, including reviews, are accepted. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:

• Innovation Ecosystems in Health and Care
• Medtech and Healthtech Entrepreneurship
• Data-Driven Ecosystems
• European Health Data Space
• Impact of Technology Platforms in Health and Care
• Design and Implementation of E-Services
• Ethical Aspects
• Theories and Research Frameworks for Understanding Innovation Ecosystems in Health and Care
• Socio-Cultural and Policy Issues, Including the Digital Divide
• Technology and Innovation Acceptance, Adoption, and Uptake
• Gender Perspectives
• Health Services and Medical Care Inequalities
• Living Labs in Health and Wellbeing

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Frontiers in Medicine

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