The SUSA project is leading a groundbreaking educational initiative to close digital skills gaps in the European healthcare sector.
This pan-European effort spans nine countries and aims to graduate 6,558 students and upskill 660 European healthcare professionals with advanced digital competencies.
The project will deliver 20 bachelor’s and 26 master’s programmes, complemented by 16 lifelong learning modules.
Built on 20 shared learning objectives, the SUSA model promotes collaborative, data-driven education and supports the European Green Deal’s vision for a healthier society.
Attracting top talent to promote health data sharing
By fostering interoperability, attracting top talent from across the European healthcare industry, and ensuring sustainability, SUSA empowers healthcare with innovative, multidisciplinary curricula designed for the future of health data sharing.
At its current stage, the project can present the results achieved by the different parties.
“The SUSA project has already shown us how bringing teachers and experts from different countries and organisations together will spark new ideas not only for learning content, but also for how to make learning more relevant, impactful and meaningful for learners and beyond,” explained SUSA project leader Minna Isomursu from the University of Oulu.
European healthcare professionals must be equipped for a digital ecosystem
The University of Oulu, coordinator of the SUSA project, is driving a major shift in healthcare education by embedding advanced digital skills into bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes in biomedical engineering and health sciences.
This transformation ensures that future European healthcare professionals are equipped to thrive in a data-driven, digital ecosystem.
In addition to curriculum redesign, the University of Oulu is developing a standalone module on customer-oriented digital services in social welfare and digital healthcare to support continuous learning for current professionals.
The SUSA project’s successful developments so far
“Through SUSA, we are not only modernising curricula but also fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between academia and industry to prepare the next generation of European healthcare innovators,” said SUSA project manager Corinna Uhr.
Some of the project’s current highlights include:
European Health Data Space (EHDS) integration
In partnership with Success Clinic, Oulu introduced EHDS concepts to students in information processing, software engineering, and health sciences.
The training included hybrid lectures and interactive sessions on the use of primary and secondary data, supported by SUSA’s Shared Learning Experience (SLE).
A joint survey study evaluated learning outcomes, informing future improvements.
Virtual lab for signal and spectral analysis
Together with the University of Zagreb, Oulu launched a cross-border virtual lab funded by the UNIC VIP Fund.
This initiative enhances engineering education through digitised exercises, challenge-based learning, and inclusive design – empowering students with practical skills and digital fluency.
Isomursu concluded: “SUSA continues to drive innovation in healthcare education, equipping thousands of European healthcare professionals and graduates with the digital skills needed to transform Europe’s healthcare ecosystem.”
