L'artificial intelligence it is already a consolidated reality in the MedTech sector Italian, but its impact on care models is still limited. This is what emerges from "AI Adoption Gap in Healthcare", the first systematic study on a national scale dedicated to the diffusion of AI in healthcare, published byTech4GlobalHealth Observatory dell 'Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma e Intesa San Paolo.
The research, conducted on approximately 300 companies, including SMEs and startups, depicts a dynamic and innovative system, yet still grappling with structural obstacles that are slowing its full transformation. According to the data, 78% of companies in the sector have already integrated artificial intelligence solutions into their products or services, while 61% are in advanced stages of development and validation. Despite this, the technologies are still struggling to translate into widespread applications in clinical settings and generate concrete changes in care models. The so-called "adoption gap" represents one of the main challenges for the healthcare system today. The critical issues identified by the study relate less to technological maturity than to regulatory, organizational, and cultural factors. Among the main obstacles reported by companies are: the complexity of regulatory processes (69,6%), the lack of qualified resources for certification and validation (58,6%), and difficulties accessing financing (57,5%). This context highlights the need for a systemic approach capable of supporting innovation throughout its entire development and implementation cycle.
The report identifies some lines of intervention aimed at the main actors in the system – institutions, industry and the National Health Service – to foster greater integration of innovative technologies. Priorities include: making regulatory processes more predictable and rapid, investing in data infrastructure and interoperability, developing business models compatible with public procurement, and strengthening organizational skills, involving the entire healthcare system. A key element also concerns the rebalancing between territory and hospitalWhile major health challenges emerge at the local level, much of the innovation remains concentrated in hospital settings.
The activities of the Tech4GlobalHealth Observatory are part of a broader research ecosystem, which integrates the analyses of the ResearchDepartment di Intesa Sanpaolo with national and international contributions on the growth dynamics of the sector.
Added to this is the collaboration with the LIFT (Life Sciences Innovation & Transformation) SDA Bocconi Lab, which will help to deepen the economic, organizational and scalability implications of innovative solutions in the life sciences field.
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 Zambito Marsala, Head of Education Ecosystem and Global Value Programs Intesa Sanpaolo commented: "Life sciences have an increasingly strategic role for a country called upon to face growing demographic challenges. With the Campus Bio-Medico University we have promoted a Tech4GlobalHealth Global Health Observatory, which involves researchers from around the world. Intesa Sanpaolo supports applied research, talent, initiatives to combat brain drain, internationalization, and the integration of academia and industry, to support the country's growth. A research laboratory coordinated by Prof. Leandro Pecchia, with the task of exploring the 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 to training, from dissemination to policymaking, with the aim 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 for its contributions over the past four years, a unique achievement worldwide 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: doctors, engineers, economists, computer scientists, and a philosopher and bioethicist reflects the complexity of the challenges faced and the project's international scope. The broader synergy with Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma It is part of the commitment that Intesa Sanpaolo promotes - in line with the EU's strategic agenda for research and the fourth Mission of the PNRR - for universities and schools, through support for research, the valorization of merit, including through scholarships to promote educational inclusion, the development of initiatives to attract talent and the internationalization of universities, the integration of school and academic curricula with the industrial, productive and service sector, for the growth of the country.".
