Hospitals and universities from Spain, Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands join forces to study human-tech complementary in digital solutions

29th of October 2024 – Dublin, Ireland

The TechConnect Consortium of partners meets in Tallaght Voluntary hospital to define leading case studies and design the research scope to produce a human-tech index.

The €3 million Horizon Europe project has the ambition to change how digital solutions are built, bought and applied starting with healthcare. Advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, hold significant promise for alleviating humans from what are commonly referred to as “the 4 Ds”: Dull, Dirty, Dangerous, or Dear tasks. However, there is a pressing concern that, as humans are transformed into mere caretakers or servants of machines, the true potential of human skills to contribute organisational and societal value may be compromised.

Understanding the interplay between human skills and technological advancements is crucial in navigating the future of work and ensuring that technology serves to enhance, rather than undermine, human potential. The TechConnect project seeks to address these critical issues by exploring the concept of Human-Tech Skill Complementarity, aiming to foster a synergistic relationship between humans and technology in the evolving digital landscape.

Bringing together key partners for collaborative growth

The session hosted by TCD and Tallaght Hospital in Dublin brought together over 20 consortium members and stakeholders, including representatives from nine key partners: Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Mälardalen University (MDU), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Universiteit Utrecht (UU), Tallaght University Hospital (TUH), Västmanland Hospital, Västerås (RV), Hospital Ramon y Cajal (FIBIRYCIS), University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), and strategic consultancy BluSpecs (ES).

During this event, the consortium members engaged in comprehensive discussions to analyse the plans and tasks, ambitions of the project. This collaboration ensured all members were aligned and understood their contributions to the project, allowing them to set ambitious goals for the initiative.

Exploring healthcare innovations at Tallaght University Hospital

Leading professors, researchers, hospital managers, technology providers met to define 12 case studies to measure the factors behind adoption and rejection of technologies across occupation levels in the four host hospitals in Dublin, Madrid, Utrecht and Vasterland.

They explored the pioneering use of predictive models and  robotics presented by Hospital Ramon y Cajal (FIBIRYCIS), Västmanland Hospital Västerås (RV) and University Medical Center Utrecht in Tallaght Hospital and shared selected cases within their own locations.

The TechConnect consortium counts on the involvement of various stakeholders, including technology providers, government bodies, hospital management, staff, employee associations, and patient groups in the delivery of this cutting edge project.

The TechConnect approach adopts a systems-level perspective, examining the effects of technology use not just at the user-task level but also considering its reflective and complex impacts across the entire system, including the interrelated roles of users, teams, and departments.

Setting a course for action

The project will achieve in the next 3 years the development of a set of key systems, tools and groundbreaking methodologies to include:

• A Human-Tech Skill Complementarity Conceptual Framework: Unique unit of theory that applies to tech-human complementarity supported by 3 annual cross-sectoral reports.
• A Human-Tech Skill Complementarity index: An assessment method for identifying diagnoses and assess human-tech complementarity based on 12 case studies, 4 locations, and 3 occupational groups
• A Human-Tech Skill Complementarity Strengthening model: A validated predictive model for tech developers and tech adopters based on 12 factoral experiments
• A Human-Tech Skill Complementarity toolkit: A toolkit with guidelines, examples and tools for tech adopters, policy makers and tech developers based on 25 business cases defined, 6 sectors and 3 ESCO professional occupation groups covered

This collaborative effort fosters partnerships with technology associations, professional groups, and government entities. Grounded in the research-informed, evidence-based and practice-driven approaches, TechConnect will make a meaningful impact on the quality of employment and competitiveness, contributing to social and economic resilience. The collective efforts of the consortium are geared towards disseminating findings and recommendations widely, with the ultimate goal of influencing policy and practice for inclusive growth in the digital landscape.

Paving the way for a competitive technological future

TechConnect is laying the foundation to provide novel and practical knowledge of the impact of advanced digital technologies on human skills and how they complement each other through cross-sectoral industry landscape surveys, in-depth case studies in healthcare organisations and validating the findings beyond these sectors, together we will increase Europe’s competitiveness.

The definition of a working model provides a tool for social and policy researchers to perform large-scale assessments and analysis across technologies and industries to unblock the Productivity Paradox and give evidence for investment and development in further studies and technologies.

The practical and applied approach of the TechConnect research is targeted to deliver on the impact of quality employment and competitiveness. The objective is to support the development of high-quality jobs, drive increased productivity, and enhance competitiveness, all while ensuring that technology’s broader societal benefits are accessible to everyone.

In the context of the challenging social context of the dual Digital and Green Transitions, a multi-stakeholder approach is required to effectively steer the development, deployment, and integration of advanced digital technologies amongst all stakeholder groups. Through the improved development and adoption of technologies, TechConnect will enable the efficient development of new technologies and the retirement of legacy systems overcoming the commonplace issues of operating multiple computing systems and platforms. The cumulative effect of the reduced use of Shadow IT and parallel systems will ensure the deployment of digital technologies are modern, efficient and reduce carbon dioxide.

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About TechConnect

The TechConnect project aims to deepen the understanding of how advanced digital technologies impact human skills by focusing on Human-Tech Skill Complementarity. Through desk research, industry surveys, and case studies in healthcare, TechConnect explores how human skills and technology interact in real-world contexts. The project develops a systemic framework to address the gap between intended and actual technology use, offering practical guidelines for technology procurement, development, and training. By providing tools to enhance human-tech integration, TechConnect aims to boost productivity and employment across industries, driving greater alignment between technology and human skills.