European Union-funded MEDAIGENCY Project Harnesses AI to Strengthen Health Emergency Preparedness across the Mediterranean

MEDAIGENCY, a project co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, has officially launched its three-year initiative to make Mediterranean health systems better prepared for crises through the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Across the Mediterranean, communities continue to face emergencies triggered by climate events, conflict, displacement, and infrastructure strain. When crises strike, delays in coordination, information gaps, and limited preparation often cost lives. MEDAIGENCY—Mediterranean Health in Crisis: Harnessing AI for Resilience—aims to change this by developing and adapting AI-powered solutions that help institutions respond faster, smarter, and more equitably.

Over the next 36 months, partners from Lebanon, Palestine, Türkiye, Italy, and Spain will collaborate to match existing artificial intelligence technologies with identified needs, and develop six AI solutions supporting preparedness, response, and recovery. These tools will help health and emergency actors anticipate risks, allocate resources efficiently, improve communication during crises, and strengthen national and transnational coordination.

The project places strong emphasis on ethics by design, and stakeholder engagement. A Mediterranean-wide Stakeholder Board will guide the process, ensuring that policymakers, service providers, first responders, and community groups shape the design and adoption of each solution. MEDAIGENCY will also establish an Ethics Advisory Board to ensure responsible, trustworthy, and sustainable deployment of designed solutions. 

Beyond technology, capacity building is central to the project. More than 125 service providers and policymakers will participate in joint transnational training programs focused on operating, using, and maintaining the AI-powered solutions, supported by hands-on demonstrations and learning-by-doing methods. Roadshows, workshops, and dissemination events will support scaling and institutional uptake across the region.

The expected impact of MEDAIGENCY includes enhanced preparedness, response, and recovery capacities of health systems across the Mediterranean; stronger disaster risk reduction and emergency management that mitigates the consequences of emergencies on health systems and affected populations; ethically developed AI-powered solutions adopted and integrated into national systems and institutional infrastructures; and faster and more informed decision-making before, during, and after emergencies.

With a total budget of €2.5 million, of which €2.2 million (89 percent) is funded by the European Union, MEDAIGENCY represents a major investment in the future of health systems resilience, bringing advanced technologies and participatory approaches together for a safer, more connected Mediterranean.