Noticias

REDE participates in the Kickoff Meeting of the INTEGRASAÚDE project, a new cross-border initiative to transform public health systems in the Galicia–Northern Portugal Euroregion

On 27 April 2026, the Kickoff Meeting of the INTEGRASAÚDE project was held at the headquarters of the Consellería de Sanidade in Santiago de Compostela, bringing together all partner organisations to formally launch this cross-border cooperation initiative co-financed by the INTERREG VI-A Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Programme (POCTEP) 2021–2027.

INTEGRASAÚDE aims to address the structural fragility of health services in Galicia and Northern Portugal, a region shaped by territorial dispersion and an ageing population that places growing pressure on primary and socio-health care. The project's four lines of action are: patient empowerment and universal accessibility; reinforcement of research and progress towards socio-health coordination; bottom-up health innovation; and the discovery of AI capabilities in healthcare. The total budget amounts to over €1.2 million.

The consortium brings together eight organisations from both sides of the border: the Galician Agency for Health Knowledge Management (ACIS), acting as lead partner; the University of Vigo (UVigo); the Galician Health Cluster (CSG); the i3S Institute of the University of Porto; the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto (FFUP); the Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Marco de Canaveses; the Portuguese Red Cross – Braga Delegation; and, as an associated partner, the Galician Health Service (SERGAS).

The REDE research group at the University of Vigo holds a prominent role in the project, acting as Project Lead for two key areas of work. In the area of patient empowerment and universal accessibility, REDE leads the design and implementation of organisational innovation pilots in hospitals and primary care centres, both urban and rural, to reduce access barriers for disadvantaged groups, drawing on lean management and co-creation methodologies. In the area of AI discovery, REDE leads the construction of a cross-border inventory of existing AI solutions in health, with a focus on primary care.

The INTEGRASAÚDE project is co-financed by the INTERREG VI-A Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Programme (POCTEP) 2021–2027. You can find more about the project in the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rqrrfs_n5I