UL projects to advance digital and remote healthcare in rural and remote regions of Europe
Two projects at University of Limerick have received funding to advance digital and remote healthcare in rural and remote regions of Europe.
The discipline of General Practice at University of Limerick’s School of Medicine has secured funding for two projects under the 2026 call of the EU Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Programme, supporting the development and adoption of innovative approaches to healthcare delivery in rural, remote and sparsely populated regions of Europe.
The CONNECT and PRESAFE projects will address complementary challenges facing healthcare systems in northern regions, from accelerating the adoption of digital technologies to improving access to safe and sustainable remote prescribing services.
The PRESAFE project — Safety, Sustainability and Accessibility in Remote Nurse Prescribing across NPA Regions — will develop, test and implement a remote appointment model for nurse prescribers. The project aims to identify high-quality and safe approaches that can improve access to healthcare services for people living in sparsely populated Northern Periphery and Arctic regions.
Professor Roisin Doogue, lead of the PRESAFE project at the University of Limerick School of Medicine, explained: “PRESAFE is about exploring how we can use remote care to make healthcare more accessible without compromising safety or quality. For people living in rural and remote communities, distance can be a significant barrier to accessing services. By working with our European partners to develop and test a remote nurse prescribing model, we hope to identify an approach that is safe, sustainable and responsive to the needs of patients and healthcare professionals.”
The PRESAFE project partners are the UL School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland Department of Nursing Science, Wellbeing Services County of North Savo in Finland, and the University of Akureyri in Iceland. The total project budget is just over €1.1 million.
The CONNECT project — Collaboratively OptimisiNg the adoptioN of hEalth Care Technologies — has also been selected for funding as the only project approved under Priority 1 (Innovation Capacity) in the 2026 NPA funding call.
The project aims to streamline and accelerate the adoption of new digital technologies in healthcare while promoting greater engagement between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and healthcare agencies. CONNECT will seek to create more effective pathways for dialogue, collaboration and testing between healthcare actors and technology developers. The project will particularly support the development of greener and more innovative SMEs and digital solutions that can simplify the lives of citizens, organisations and businesses in rural and remote regions.
Project partners are the UL School of Medicine, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), University of Oulu, Wellbeing Services County of North Ostrobothnia in Finland, and Region Västerbotten in Sweden.
The total CONNECT project budget is approximately €1.25 million. The UL School of Medicine team is led by Professor Liam Glynn, chair of General Practice and also chair of the ICGP Standing Committee for Rural General Practice. The project is supported by Research Programme Manager Ms Monica Casey.
The UL School of Medicine’s participation in both projects reflects its growing role in developing and evaluating innovative models of healthcare delivery for rural and remote populations, while strengthening collaboration with European healthcare, academic and innovation partners. Both projects will commence in September 2026.
Professor Liam Glynn, Chair of General Practice and lead of the CONNECT project at the University of Limerick School of Medicine said: “These projects provide an important opportunity to work with our European partners to develop practical solutions to some of the most pressing healthcare challenges facing rural and remote communities.”
“CONNECT will help bridge the gap between healthcare needs and the development and adoption of digital technologies, while PRESAFE will explore new models of care that can improve access for patients. Together, they demonstrate the potential of international collaboration and innovation to strengthen healthcare services in regions where geography and population density can present significant challenges.”
