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ProTego · Project

Cybersecurity Toolkit That Protects Patient Data in Connected Hospitals

healthPilotedTRL 6
protego-project.eu

Hospitals are connecting more and more devices to the internet — patient monitors, wearables, tablets doctors carry around — and every one of them is a door that hackers can try to open. ProTego built a smart security toolkit that watches all those doors at once, using AI to spot suspicious activity the way a guard dog senses trouble before you do. It also encrypts sensitive patient records so thoroughly that even if someone breaks in, the data is useless to them. The whole system was tested in real hospitals to make sure it actually works where it matters most.

By the numbers
2
Hospitals where toolkit was validated
13
Consortium partners
6
Countries represented
8
Industry partners in consortium
62%
Industry partner ratio
18
Total project deliverables
3
Demonstration report rounds completed
The business problem

What needed solving

Hospitals are rapidly adopting IoT devices, cloud services, and mobile technology — but every connected device is a potential entry point for cyberattacks. Healthcare data is the most valuable on the black market, making hospitals prime targets for ransomware and data theft. Meeting GDPR and NIS Directive requirements through traditional risk assessments is expensive, labor-intensive, and increasingly inadequate for these complex connected environments.

The solution

What was built

ProTego delivered an integrated cybersecurity toolkit combining AI-powered threat detection (deep learning for real-time monitoring), advanced encryption (including hardware-based full memory encryption), multi-party identity and access management, and ultra-secure data exchange portals. The project produced 18 deliverables including 3 rounds of demonstration reports documenting validation at 2 hospitals.

Audience

Who needs this

Hospital IT directors managing connected medical device fleetsHealth system CISOs responsible for GDPR and NIS Directive complianceMedical device manufacturers building IoT-connected productsHealth data exchange platform operatorsPrivate clinic chains adopting telemedicine and remote patient monitoring
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Healthcare IT
enterprise
Target: Hospital groups and health system operators managing connected medical devices

If you are a hospital network dealing with the growing risk of ransomware and data breaches across IoT medical devices — this project developed an AI-powered security toolkit that detects threats in real time and protects patient data with hardware-level encryption. It was validated in case studies at 2 hospitals, covering IoT and bring-your-own-device scenarios across 13 partner organizations in 6 countries.

Medical Device Manufacturing
mid-size
Target: Manufacturers of connected medical devices and wearables

If you are a medical device maker struggling to meet GDPR and NIS Directive requirements for your connected products — this project created security-by-design guidelines and machine intelligence tools that bake data protection into devices from the start. The toolkit covers 5G, IoT, and cloud environments, helping you ship compliant products without slowing down development.

Health Insurance and Data Services
enterprise
Target: Health data processors and insurance companies handling sensitive patient records

If you are a health data company worried about the cost of data breaches and regulatory fines — this project built advanced encryption and identity access management systems specifically for multi-party healthcare data exchange. The ultra-secure data exchange portals protect information at rest and in transit, validated through real hospital demonstrations.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this toolkit in our hospital?

The project data does not include specific pricing or implementation costs. As a publicly funded EU research project with 13 partners, the toolkit was developed for validation purposes. Licensing or deployment costs would need to be discussed directly with the coordinator INETUM ESPAÑA S.A. or consortium partners.

Can this scale to a large hospital network with thousands of connected devices?

The toolkit was designed to handle the complexity of IoT systems, cloud services, and 5G networks in healthcare settings. It was validated in case studies at 2 hospitals covering both IoT and BYOD scenarios. Scaling to larger networks would depend on the specific deployment architecture discussed with the consortium.

Who owns the intellectual property and how can we license it?

The project was coordinated by INETUM ESPAÑA S.A. (Spain) with 13 partners across 6 countries. IP rights are typically shared among consortium members under EU funding rules. Licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated with the relevant partners holding specific technology components.

Does this help us comply with GDPR and the NIS Directive?

Yes — the toolkit was specifically designed to address requirements of both the EU NIS Directive (EU 2016/1148) and GDPR (EU 2016/679). It includes risk assessment capabilities, security measures for identified risks, and breach reporting support — all requirements under both regulations.

How does the AI threat detection actually work?

The system combines two approaches: machine inference using prior security knowledge for security-by-design analysis, and deep learning from data for real-time threat detection and diagnosis. This means it can both prevent known attack patterns and learn to spot new, emerging threats.

Is this ready to deploy or still experimental?

The project completed 3 rounds of experiments and demonstrations (preliminary, intermediate, and final) and validated the toolkit at 2 hospitals. Based on available project data, the technology has been piloted but would likely need further productization before full commercial deployment.

Consortium

Who built it

The ProTego consortium is heavily industry-driven — 8 out of 13 partners (62%) come from the private sector, with only 3 universities and 2 research organizations. This is a strong signal that the results are built for real-world deployment, not just academic papers. The coordinator INETUM ESPAÑA S.A. is a major European IT services company (not an SME), which means there is commercial muscle behind productizing the toolkit. The 6-country spread across BE, ES, FR, IL, IT, and UK brings together European healthcare IT expertise with Israeli cybersecurity know-how. The inclusion of 2 SMEs adds agility to specific technology components. For a business buyer, this consortium profile means the technology was developed with commercial deployment in mind from day one.

How to reach the team

INETUM ESPAÑA S.A. (Spain) — a major IT services company, reachable through their corporate website or the project portal

Order a report on this consortiumSee INETUM ESPAÑA S.A. profile →
Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the ProTego team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner for your specific healthcare cybersecurity needs.

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