Israel’s largest hospital, Sheba Medical Center, and Karolinska University Hospital, one of Europe’s leading medical centers, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a new collaborative partnership between them that will focus on innovation. 

Located at Tel Hashomer/Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, Sheba was ranked by Newsweek magazine for the past three years in a row as one of the 10 best medical centers in the world for the last three years. 

Sheba’s City of Health boasts an acute-care hospital, rehabilitation hospital, research and innovation hubs, medical simulation center and center for disaster response on one comprehensive campus in the center of Israel. A university teaching hospital affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University, Sheba is shaping the future of healthcare, educating the next generation of care providers. 

Karolinska is ranked number seven globally and second in Europe on Newsweek’s list of World’s Best Hospitals 2021. It is also rated amongst top global healthcare providers on the list of World’s Best Smart Hospitals 2021 and Best Specialized Hospitals 2021.

Karolinska has cared for over 20% of the total number of COVID-19 patients (11, 350 patients September 2021) in Sweden, and its Comprehensive Cancer Center is a certified center of excellence for cancer care and research and the first in that country. 

The hospitals seek joint development in the areas of digital health, clinical data and precision medicine, an area that Karolinska has highlighted as a priority to bridge the gap between healthcare, research and innovation.

“Developing strategic and innovative partnerships with other international hospitals is a key area we must actualize if we are to deliver fully on our vision to cure and relieve tomorrow what no one can cure and relieve today,” said Björn Zoea, CEO of Karolinska University Hospital.

“Karolinska offers a pioneering spirit of innovation and collaboration with others, and we strive to be a leader in the areas of healthcare, research and education. As an institute of prominence globally, Karolinska is an attractive partner offering our advanced knowledge and international standing; there is great potential to develop new groundbreaking solutions together, so I am very pleased that we are ready to get started with Sheba,” he added. 

“It is the ambition of the two award-winning hospitals to expand their innovative ecosystems by working jointly to bring new healthcare solutions that benefit patients,” continued Zoëga. “Sheba is most noted for its efforts in developing digital healthcare solutions that have been adopted both in Israel and internationally.”

“We are very excited to begin working together with Karolinska to push healthcare innovation to the next level. I am confident that our two leading institutions, with our significant track record in research and development to date, can bring about meaningful solutions that will bring value to our patients,” commented Prof. Eyal Zimlichman, Sheba’s chief medical and innovation officer. “Together, we will change the future of healthcare.”