Intesa Sanpaolo and the Bio-Medico Campus University of Rome have published the first study on the diffusion of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Key findings from the Tech4globalhealth Observatory:

• Italy is a leader in healthcare innovation, with 78% of companies in the sector having already integrated artificial intelligence into products or services and 61% operating in advanced stages of development and validation.

• but new technologies struggle to concretely transform care models, the barriers are not technological but regulatory, organizational and cultural;

• It is essential to invest in data infrastructures, in applied research, to strengthen the skills and organizational capabilities of the healthcare system (not just individual skills), to foster cooperation between research and innovation,

• The challenges for citizens' health come from the territory, but most innovation is still concentrated on the hospital

Artificial intelligence is already a reality in the Italian MedTech sector, one of the most dynamic in Europe: 78% of companies have integrated it into their products or services, and 61% are in advanced stages of development and validation. Yet, these technologies are still struggling to reach patients, systematically enter departments, and concretely transform care models. These are some of the findings at the center of “AI Adoption Gap in Healthcare”, the first systematic study conducted in Italy on a national scale involving approximately 300 companies in the sector, including SMEs and startups, published today by the Tech4GlobalHealth Observatory, of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma and Intesa Sanpaolo.

The barriers to adoption identified by companies are not technological, but systemic and organizational: regulatory complexity (69,6%), lack of qualified resources for certifications and validations (58,6%), and difficulty in obtaining funding (57,5%) are the three obstacles most cited by companies.

The report offers operational recommendations for the three main stakeholders in the system: regulators and policymakers at the European, national, and regional levels; industry (SMEs, startups, and large companies); and National Health Service (NHS) organizations. Priorities identified include making regulatory process timelines more predictable, investing in data infrastructure and interoperability, developing business models compatible with public procurement, and strengthening training, involving not only technical specialists but the entire healthcare organization, from top and middle management to clinicians.

Overcoming barriers requires coordinated action across multiple dimensions: greater regulatory clarity, structural investments in data, widespread skills development programs, and tools capable of supporting the growth and scalability of innovative solutions, with particular attention to small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Observatory's research Tech4globalhealth implement insights from the Research Department of Intesa Sanpaolo, with national and international context analyses and growth trends in this sector, and will be integrated through Intesa Sanpaolo's partnership with LIFT (Life Sciences Innovation & Transformation) SDA Bocconi Lab, which will analyze the economic, organizational, and impact implications of the transformations underway in the life sciences sector and will contribute to adding value through economic and scalability analyses of the new solutions identified.

Prof. Leandro Pecchia, Director of Tech4GlobalHealth and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma:Healthcare challenges are local, but innovation is still centered on large hospitals. AI is a systemic challenge, but much training and planning still focuses on individual players. Regulatory complexities require synergies, but many still perceive a conflict that must be overcome. The report highlights many of these dichotomies and suggests a way to overcome some of them. Artificial intelligence is a critical lever for ensuring the sustainability, equity, and competitiveness of the healthcare system and Italian companies.

Elisa Zscopio Marsala, Head of Education Ecosystem and Global Value Programs Intesa Sanpaolo: commented: "Life sciences play an increasingly strategic role for a country facing growing demographic challenges. With Campus Bio-Medico University, we have promoted a global health observatory, Tech4GlobalHealth, which involves researchers from around the world. Intesa Sanpaolo supports applied research, talent, initiatives to combat brain drain, internationalization, and the integration of academia with industry, to support the country's growth..

Alongside the Observatory, a research laboratory coordinated by Prof. Leandro Pecchia, with the mission of exploring barriers to the adoption of enabling technologies in the National Health System and building concrete bridges between companies, healthcare agencies, and industry. The Laboratory also serves as an incubator for initiatives, from research and training to dissemination and policymaking, with the goal of translating scientific evidence into real change. In April, the Laboratory was accredited as a WHO Collaborating Center for Biomedical Engineering for Global Health, a prestigious recognition of its contributions over the past four years, unique in the world and a confirmation of the choices made. The Observatory and Laboratory work together with a team of young researchers from Italy, Spain, Ethiopia, Benin, and the United Kingdom. This deliberately multidisciplinary group—physicians, engineers, economists, computer scientists, and a philosopher and bioethicist—reflects the complexity of the challenges faced and the international scope of the project.

The broadest synergy with Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma It is part of Intesa Sanpaolo's commitment—in line with the EU's strategic research agenda and the fourth Mission of the PNRR—to universities and schools, through support for research, the recognition of merit, including through scholarships to promote educational inclusion, the development of initiatives to attract talent and the internationalization of universities, and the integration of school and academic curricula with the industrial, manufacturing, and service sectors, for the growth of the country.