FOLLOWHEALTH SL

Their core work

FollowHealth is a Barcelona-based digital health SME that develops IoT-enabled platforms for collecting and analyzing real-world patient data to support clinical research and regulatory evidence generation. Their core product, evidenced by the HumanITcare project, is a remote monitoring system designed to produce Real World Data (RWD) and Real World Evidence (RWE) that accelerates and improves the accuracy of clinical trials. Beyond platform development, they have embedded their capabilities into academic research consortia focused on complex chronic conditions — specifically the brain-gut axis, where gastrointestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome co-occur with anxiety, depression, and somatic pain. Their profile is that of a technology company that simultaneously builds digital health tools and applies them in multi-site EU clinical research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

FollowHealth's first H2020 involvement (HumanITcare, 2019) had no disease-specific keywords — it was technology-first work focused on building an IoT and RWD/RWE infrastructure for clinical trials broadly. By 2020, they joined DISCOvERIE, a large research consortium where all the recorded keywords are disease-specific: irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, depression, somatic pain disorders, and brain-gut interaction. The trajectory is clear: from generic digital health platform builder to specialist contributor in chronic conditions at the intersection of gastroenterology and psychiatry.

FollowHealth is moving from building general-purpose clinical data infrastructure toward positioning as a digital health technology partner within specific disease research communities, particularly the brain-gut axis and psychiatric comorbidity space.

How they like to work

FollowHealth has led one project independently (HumanITcare via the SME Instrument Phase 1) and joined one large multi-partner RIA as a participant — a pattern common to technology SMEs that use small solo grants to validate a product, then bring that product into larger academic consortia. Their 20 unique partners from 11 countries across just two projects indicates they work in broad, internationally distributed networks rather than tight bilateral partnerships. Working with them likely means they come as a platform provider or data technology contributor within a larger academic-led consortium.

With 20 unique consortium partners across 11 countries from only two projects, FollowHealth's network density is high relative to their project count — driven largely by DISCOvERIE, which is a large RIA with broad European participation. Their reach is European but concentrated in health and biomedical research institutions.

What sets them apart

FollowHealth occupies an unusual niche as a small SME that bridges digital health platform technology and serious academic clinical research — they are not purely a software vendor, nor purely a research unit. Their participation in DISCOvERIE alongside academic health institutions gives them credibility that most digital health startups lack when approaching research consortia. For a consortium building a project that needs both patient monitoring technology and a commercial partner with clinical research experience, FollowHealth offers both in a single small organization.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HumanITcare
  FollowHealth led this project as coordinator under the competitive SME Instrument, which validates their platform as commercially and scientifically credible enough to win a solo EU grant.
• DISCOvERIE
  A long-running RIA (2020–2025) on gender-specific IBS and mental health comorbidities, placing FollowHealth inside a large academic health research network and demonstrating their relevance beyond pure digital infrastructure.