RehAllianCE is an Interreg Central Europe project that aims to improve the quality of life in Central Europe through the use of digitalization, robotics, and smart medical technology in rehabilitation, with a particular focus on older people and structurally weak regions.

Six partners from five countries are working together to strengthen the innovative capacity of SMEs in the medtech sector and improve their access to research, innovation, and markets.

• Duration: May 1, 2024 – October 31, 2026 (30 months)
• Total funding volume: EUR 1,578,032.80
• Funding rate: 80% through the Interreg Central Europe

Role of BioRegio STERN in RehAllianCE

BioRegio STERN Management GmbH is actively involved in shaping RehAllianCE and is responsible for tasks in three key areas:

• Regional pilot project
  In the STERN region, we are testing the sensor-based pelvic floor training device Apelvo with a focus on gender-specific application. Together with Fysor GmbH and USE-Ing. GmbH, we are organizing a focus group to gather information on user experiences, acceptance, and potential for improvement

• Content-related Project Work & Strategy
  Collection and analysis of successful best-practice examples from all partner regions, contribution to the development of the Smart-Rehab-INDEX, and analysis of structural barriers to innovation. The goal is to identify transferable models for the use of innovative rehabilitation technologies and to promote their implementation.
• International Pilot Coordination & Sustainability
  Recruitment and support of SMEs for the transnational pilot study, standardization of evaluation methods, and knowledge transfer between regions. In addition, contribution to the establishment of the RehAllianCE Competence Centre to ensure that innovations remain available across Europe beyond the project’s duration.

Benefits for the BioRegion STERN

The project strengthens regional innovative capacity in digital healthcare, improves access to modern rehabilitation technologies, and opens up new market opportunities for SMEs in the European healthcare sector. At the same time, patients in the region benefit from better, more local, and individually tailored care.

Why this project matters

Demographic change, regional disparities in healthcare provision, and the rising demand for rehabilitation services are putting pressure on healthcare systems. RehAllianCE addresses:

• Unequal access to rehabilitation services between urban and rural areas
• Slow adoption of innovative technologies
• Lack of systemic rehabilitation models

Achievements & progress

• Best-Practice Catalogue created - collected successful technology-based rehabilitation solutions: RehAllianCE_Best-Practices-CATALOGUE-.pdf
• Pilot phase launched with five regional Living Labs:
  • Poland: Robotics-based rehab & rehab vouchers to reduce long waiting times
  • Hungary: Combination of physical therapies for joint degeneration (65+)
  • Austria: Wearables & digital home-based rehabilitation for rural regions
  • Germany: Sensor-based pelvic floor training with gender-sensitive adaptation
  • Italy: Neurorehabilitation with robotics, VR/AR & telerehabilitation
• Transnational pilot study with eight innovative SMEs for market validation and user testing. The study findings contributed to the development of the “RehAllianCE Acceleration Manual”, which serves as a guide for business support organisations in designing support measures for innovators in the rehabilitation sector.
  • ACTIMI (Germany)
  • DIGITALREHAB SRL (Italy)
  • Pro-PLUS SA (Poland)
  • REHABILITY (Italy)
  • GABEL S.R.L. (Italy)
  • Morecognition (Italy)
  • GAMETHERAPY s.r.o. (Slowakia)
  • ilogs smartwear GmbH (Austria)

With ACTIMI, a company from the BioRegion STERN is represented. Its platform connects wearables, medical devices, and health records to enable data-driven rehabilitation models.

RehAllianCE Competence Centre

A key component of the project is the RehAllianCE Competence Centre. This virtual platform brings together knowledge, project resources and support services for businesses, healthcare institutions, research organisations and other innovation stakeholders.

The Competence Centre covers the following areas: Technology Adoption & Acceptance, Funding & Investments, Market Analysis & Trends, Regulations & Reimbursement, Online Academy, and Scouting & Networking. Many analyses, best practices and other materials developed as part of the project are already publicly available on the platform.

The RehAllianCE Matching Platform also enables users to find suitable research, innovation and collaboration partners across Europe.

Register for free now and find partners.

Planned activities & outlook

By the end of the project, the results achieved so far will be further analysed and translated into transferable solutions and recommendations. Key activities include:

• Further development of the Smart-Rehab-INDEX as a tool for assessing regional rehabilitation systems and their capacity for innovation
• Development of solutions and recommendations based on regional and transnational pilot activities
• Further development of the RehAllianCE Competence Centre
• Development of a strategy for long-term cross-border collaboration and the continued use of project results beyond the project’s duration

RehAllianCE develops and tests technology-based rehabilitation solutions for use at home, in outpatient settings and in hospitals. The project focuses on people requiring rehabilitation, therapy and nursing professionals, as well as companies and start-ups in the rehabilitation and MedTech sectors. Pilot projects in five Central European regions provide practical insights and experiences, which are shared across borders through the RehAllianCE Competence Centre and made available for wider adoption throughout Europe.

Project partners

• GAPR – Upper Silesian Accelerator for Commercial Enterprises Ltd. (PL, Lead Partner)
• BioRegio STERN Management GmbH (DE)
• Pannon Business Network Association – PBN (HU)
• Carinthia University of Applied Sciences – CUAS (AT)
• NSBPROJECT Venezia (IT)
• ProMIS – Programma Mattone Internazionale Salute (IT)