Transforming Health Education Across Europe
The SUSA Project is an ambitious initiative aimed at reshaping health education in Europe. SUSA brings together 12 leading European higher education institutions, 6 SMEs, a hospital, a research center, and 2 networking organizations from 9 countries, creating a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to equip health professionals with the digital skills necessary for the future.
What is SUSA?
SUSA (Sustainable Healthcare with Digital Health Data Competence) is an innovative project that will introduce 46 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs, along with 16 lifelong learning modules. These programs are tailored to develop essential skills in digital health, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and cybersecurity, addressing the growing demands of the health sector across Europe.
Through the training of 6,558 graduates and the upskilling of 660 professionals, the SUSA project seeks to create a skilled workforce equipped to harness advanced digital health technologies. This will enhance patient care, boost efficiency, and promote sustainability within healthcare systems.
A Collaborative European Project
bringing together a diverse consortium of
12
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from 9 European countries
6
SMEs, a research center, a hospital, and two European networking organizations
19
Associated Partners, institutions and organizations supporting ecosystem engagement
The project adopts an innovative co-design and co-delivery approach, with educators, healthcare experts, and digital technology specialists.
The SUSA Educational Framework
The SUSA Project represents a forward-thinking educational model that integrates traditional academic learning with industry-led digital education. It addresses critical gaps in healthcare digital competencies, preparing students to reach key Learning Objectives (LO):
LO1. Explain the principles of European Health Data Spaces.
LO2. Recognize data flows in healthcare system.
LO3. Comply with data regulation and European values, such as GDPR, FAIR.
LO4. Examine the role of data and data quality in trustworthiness of AI and analytics.
LO5. Perform descriptive statistics, create and select visualisations.
LO6. Discuss ethical aspects in adoption of AI in decision making.
LO7. Indicate regulation related to adoption and use of AI in health.
LO8. Explain what AI is and what it is not.
LO9. Categorize different branches of AI, e.g. computer vision, logical reasoning, natural language processing, machine learning, deep learning.
LO10. Explain basic machine learning: supervised learning, unsupervised learning, federated learning and reinforcement learning.
LO11. Investigate the potential of medical IoT (e.g. sensors, wearables, cloud storage, wireless networking) in care
LO12. Examine the elements of modern digital enterprise architectures in healthcare (e.g. EHR).
LO13. Describe interoperability issues of health infrastructures, the role of standards.
LO14. Examine sustainability, eco-responsiblity and scalability elements of data sharing and infostructures.
LO15. Distinguish security and privacy challenges in health context.
LO16. Discuss privacy and security design approaches.
LO17. Identify relevant regulative frameworks in Europe and globally.
LO18. Apply accessibility guidelines in health applications.
LO19. Discuss the role of digital health data in global health, such as pandemic response, supporting mobility and achieving equity.
LO20. Analyze impact of digital health, for example, on sustainability.
Isomursu, M., Bardhi, O., Berler, et al (2025). Advanced Digital Skills for Health Professionals: 20 Joint Learning Objectives. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 327, 1084–1085. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI250550
How the Project is Conducted
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Collaborative Co-Design Workshops
A series of co-design sessions bring together consortium members and stakeholders to develop course content, and ensure the training programs meet industry needs.
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Shared Learning Experiences
A portfolio of Shared Learning Experiences (SLE) will be created so that partners can benefit from each other’s learning content and develop their own approach.
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Working with Real-World Data
A Virtual Campus will provide access to European health data resources such as the European Genome Archive, enabling students to gain practical experience in analyzing and managing complex health datasets.
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Matchmaking and Professional Opportunities
A dedicated matchmaking platform connects students with internship, job, and mobility opportunities, and allows educators to explore collaboration prospects.
The Sustainable Healthcare with Digital Health Data Competence (SUSA) initiative brings together students, educators, and healthcare professionals in a collaborative ecosystem, empowering the next generation of leaders to drive data-driven solutions for a more sustainable and efficient healthcare system.