Across EU MemberStates, digital health forms the cornerstone of modern healthcare systems, driving efficiency, equity, and patient empowerment. Digital health encompasses a broad ecosystem of tools and services that leverage information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance every stage of healthcare — from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, monitoring, and management1.
Digitalisation is reshaping Europe’s labour markets, driving a fundamental shift towards jobs that demand digital expertise. The European digital health market reached an estimated €60.9 billion in 2023, fuelled largely by AI and machine learning innovations that enhance diagnostics, medical imaging, and clinical decision-making. As digital tools and automation continue to evolve, they are not only creating new opportunities in high-tech and data-driven fields butalso reshaping traditional occupations, redefining the skills and qualifications needed in Europe’s workforce2,3,4.
Medical technology, encompassing everything from imaging systems and implantable devices to advanced diagnostic tools, plays a vital role in improving and extending lives. Over 2 million medical technologies are currently in use, supporting diagnosis, treatment, and prevention across countless conditions5,6.
Europe’s medical technology market is valued at roughly €170 billion in 2024 and is the second largest globally. Nearly 90% of Europe’s 38,000 medtech companies are SMEs, forming a vibrant and innovative sector that directly employees over 880,000 professionals6,7.
Europe’s digital health landscape is expanding rapidly thanks to the convergence of break through technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytics, and connected devices, alongside an increasingly engaged and tech-savvy patient population. The Draghi Report highlights, that Europe’s strength depends not only on technology but also on its ability to cultivate human capital — people equipped with the right digital and green skills to navigate the next industrial era8.
Aligned with theEU’s Industry 5.0 vision, Health Industry 5.0 prioritises a human-centric, sustainable, and resilient healthcare system. It goes beyond automation to create a symbiosis between advanced technologies and healthcare professionals, emphasizing collaboration, empathy, and personalised care. Sustainability is a fundamental driver, promoting innovation, fostering green production models, circular economy principles, and resource-efficient design in Medtech and healthcare delivery.
The implementation of the EuropeanHealth Data Space (EHDS) has also sparked significant debate within the healthcare sector. Industry groups such as MedTechEurope and DIGITALEUROPE have emphasised that achieving true interoperability remains one of the greatest challenges, as fragmented standards and regulatory misalignment risk undermining the EHDS’s objectives. Their position papers call for harmonised data standards, clearer governance frameworks, and better alignment with existing legislation such as the GDPR and the AI Act. For the sector overall, this means that realising the EHDS vision will require not only robust technical infrastructure but also sustained investment in digital skills, cross-border collaboration, and policy coherence to ensure that health data can move securely and efficiently across Europe’s healthcare ecosystem9.
Building and maintaining such infrastructures requires a highly skilled workforce capable of managing data collection, storage, protection, and sharing. This highlights the urgent need for ongoing digital upskilling and specialised training within the healthcare and IT sectors.
The European medical technology sector is governed by stringent regulations to ensure safety and performance throughout a product’s lifecycle. Two key frameworks i) the Medical Device Regulation (MDR 2017/745) and ii) the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR 2017/746) classify technologies based on risk levels and promote transparency and traceability. Effective navigationof these frameworks also requires an understanding of how healthcare systems operate, including clinical workflows to reimbursement and procurement processes.
This regulatory environment fosters innovation while ensuring patient safety. With an average R&D investment rate of 8%, the medtech sector is among the most research-intensive industries in Europe, constantly delivering new and improved solutions — often with product lifecycles as short as 18–24 months. This fast pace reinforces the need for a highly adaptable workforce capable of integrating emerging technologies safely and effectively into healthcare systems5.
As Europe accelerates its transition toward digital and human-centred healthcare, developing the right skills is essential. In alignment with the Large-Scale Partnership for the European Health Industry Ecosystem, which mobilises public and private stakeholders to upskill and reskill Europe’s workforce, the BRIGHTskills Project supports this transformation by equipping professionals with interdisciplinary competencies that bridge healthcare delivery with technology.
By fostering legal and regularity literacy, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration, BRIGHTskills contributes to a resilient and inclusive European health industry ecosystem — one where technology enhances human expertise, and healthcare becomes smarter, fairer, and more sustainable.
1. A digital health decade driving innovation in Europe
2. CEDEFOP | Report on Digitalisation and technology
3. Special report 25/2024: Digitalisation of healthcare
4. Europe Digital Health Market Size | Industry Report, 2030
6. MedTech Europe report boosts optimism in ‘thriving’ EU medtech sector
7. Medical Technology Regulations - MedTech Europe
8. Mario Draghi (2024), The future of European competitiveness
9. AI-driven Innovation in Medical Imaging
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