Bridges4Health | Plataforma colaborativa para inovação em saúde

A collaborative platform for innovation in health

The Bridges4Health project

The Bridges4Health project emerged from the need to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Regional Smart Specialisation Platform (PREI) in the field of Health and Life Sciences, ensuring the effective implementation of the entrepreneurial discovery process and the definition of investment priorities in innovation and industrial transition in the health sector

Coordinated by i3S and 2CA‑Braga, in collaboration with UCIBIO and CBQF, Bridges4Health will build on the region’s existing scientific and technological potential, on the dynamism of its industrial ecosystem, and on its reference leading healthcare institutions. It will operate across four strategic domains: Precision Medicine, Clinical Research, Biomedical Devices and Technologies, and Microbiome and Health.

The objective is to build stronger bridges between partners across these four domains and to design joint projects that accelerate the valorisation of knowledge and transform discoveries into products, services, and solutions capable of addressing today’s challenges.

Strategy for regional transformation

Anchored in the four domains considered strategic for the Norte Region, Bridges4Health aims to drive stimulate the entrepreneurial discovery process; define investment priorities for innovation and industrial transition; identify and mobilise flagship projects; promote collaboration between research, industry, and society; train and equip professionals in the use of advanced tools; contribute to regional cohesion and the reduction of territorial disparities; position the Norte Region as a leading hub in Health and Life Sciences; and generate a positive and lasting impact on people’s quality of life.

Impact and international ambition

Bridges4Health was created to bring together the regional Health and Life Sciences ecosystem around a shared ambition: to transform knowledge into tangible impact on people’s lives and on the competitiveness of Portugal's Norte region. Through a collaborative multi-stakeholder platform and a transparent, inclusive governance model, it will map capabilities, align priorities, strengthen the value chain, and accelerate the creation of new solutions, projects, and companies. By fostering entrepreneurship, industrial transition, and international cooperation, Bridges4Health aims to position the North as a leading European hub for health innovation, qualified strategic investment, and sustainable socio‑economic development.