EDIH–TEF webinar: Recap

Building on discussions at the EDIH Network Summit 2026 and the relaunch of the EDIH–TEF Cooperation Guidelines, the session explored how the two networks can coordinate support around each innovator's needs and maturity.

Complementary roles, one coordinated journey

Through a short policy introduction, two practical cooperation examples and an open discussion, speakers showed how EDIHs and TEFs can connect early-stage support with sector-specific testing, validation and deployment. The focus remained firmly on how collaboration works in practice and how Europe's AI innovation ecosystem can become easier for companies to navigate.

EDIHs and TEFs offer complementary support. EDIHs can help companies and public-sector organisations assess their needs, understand available technologies, build skills, experiment and develop proofs of concept. TEFs add sector-specific expertise, infrastructure and independent testing in real operational environments, helping innovators prepare for adoption and scale.

This is not a rigid or automatic handover. The most effective route depends on the innovator's maturity, stage of development and validation needs. The practical objective is to establish clear roles, identify the right point for referral and provide one coordinated service journey.

Two networks, one pattern

In smart cities, InnDIH and CitCom.ai presented a regional cooperation model linking diagnosis, early experimentation and proof-of-concept support with validation in real urban environments. Their collaboration has created a practical referral pathway, improved understanding of each organisation's services and supported joint activities. The Valencia Urban Sandbox offers a concrete testing environment for traffic-management and green-corridor solutions, while the case also highlighted the importance of clear roles and identifying when a company is mature enough for TEF validation.

In healthcare, DigiHealthPT and TEF-Health presented the Hospital Innovation Challenge, a demand-led model in which hospitals identify clinical and operational needs, companies propose solutions and hospital teams assess them through structured discussions. Companies that are not selected receive feedback to help improve their solutions. The second edition involved nine hospitals, 17 challenges and 18 company applications, with six solutions due to be presented at the Innovating Health Together Conference.

What stood out from the discussion

The Q&A clarified how cooperation can be organised in practice. Each service provider sets its own prices, concludes its own agreements and reports its services separately, while eligible companies may access some TEF-Health services free of charge or at a reduced cost. The priority is to coordinate these arrangements behind the scenes so that companies experience one seamless journey, with the helpdesks providing a direct route to the right partner.

The wider discussion highlighted a central challenge: identifying when a company is mature enough to benefit from full TEF validation. Getting this timing right allows EDIHs and TEFs to combine their capabilities most effectively. Training offers a further opportunity for cooperation, with EDIHs supporting orientation and early experimentation and TEFs contributing sector-specific expertise linked to testing and real-world validation.

What's next

The webinar was part of ongoing DTA–CoordinaTEF work to strengthen cooperation between EDIHs and TEFs. The organisers confirmed that the Cooperation Guidelines will be updated and expanded in the coming months, alongside further online and in-person activities. In the meantime, the DTA and CoordinaTEF helpdesks remain the most direct routes to finding the right counterpart.

EDIHs and TEFs can act now by:

• Consulting the Cooperation Guidelines to understand the available cooperation models.

• Contacting the relevant helpdesk to identify a suitable partner.

• Clarifying their respective services and roles.

• Identifying companies that may be ready for real-world validation and coordinating the next steps.

Explore the Webinar's presentation: