New EU Project on Digital health in Circular Economy
Project partner: Janssen Pharmaceutica NV (Lead), RUB (SSKI) and 17 organizations and universities
Funding institution: European Union – Horizon Europe
Funding: 8 Mio. € (240k € RUB)
Project duration: 4 years (01. October 2022 – 30th September 2026)
The global climate change will significantly impact our health, implying an urgent need for action. The irresponsible handling of waste, especially of digital devices in the health care sector, constitutes one of the factors that contribute to climate change. The research project Digital health in Circular Economy (DICE) aims to develop novel, circular and environment-friendly solutions for the handling of digital medical devices (e.g., intelligent wearable sensors and pill boxes). Examples of such solutions are found in the motivation of users to re-use and recycle respective devices, as well as in the environment-friendly realization of logistics and product design. In the context of the project, European practice partners and universities collaborate to address the growing problem of waste production in the healthcare sector. The developed solutions will be implemented, evaluated, and demonstrated in communal pilot projects in the healthcare sectors of Norway, Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, and Germany.
The RUB contributes in particular to the development of prototypes involving integrated circular design strategies and digital nudging, which are meant to minimize the use of resources and maximize the possibilities of reutilization. Moreover, the RUB provides the scientific foundation for the development of digital nudging strategies to realize higher rates of returned digital medical devices within a circulatory system.
Contact: dice-sski@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
