EIC appoints Federica Zanca to lead Medical Imaging and AI in healthcare portfolio

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has appointed Federica Zanca as its new Programme Manager responsible for Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. The announcement, made on 17 January 2024 by the EIC and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), frames the hire as a move to broaden the EIC's technological coverage and to provide continuity in the agency's MedTech activities. Zanca's background spans academia, industry and consultancy in medical physics, medical imaging and AI applications in healthcare.

Who is Federica Zanca

Federica Zanca is presented by the EIC as a senior clinical medical physicist and scientist with more than 23 years of experience. Her academic work at KU Leuven included research and teaching in mammography, computed tomography, interventional and general radiology, perception in medical imaging and the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. She founded Palindromo Consulting in 2018 to advise industry and hospitals and has held leadership roles in both industry and private diagnostic networks. Her past positions include Chief Scientist and director at GE Healthcare and Head of R&D at a Swiss private network of diagnostic centres. She also chaired the Working Group on AI in healthcare for the European Federation of Medical Physics and published on regulatory aspects of AI in healthcare.

What an EIC Programme Manager does

The EIC uses a model of in-house Programme Managers to actively manage thematic portfolios of funded projects and to develop forward-looking visions for technological breakthroughs. Programme Managers are high level experts employed by EISMEA to identify strategic challenges, design 'Pathfinder Challenge' calls, select and steward project portfolios and broker connections between projects, investors, regulators and other ecosystem actors. They also act as a point of contact between funded consortia and the wider EU innovation landscape, including the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, the European Research Council, national initiatives and private partners.

Programme Managers are appointed for a limited period of up to four years. They operate alongside EIC Project Officers and interact with the EIC Board and President. Appointees are subject to strict rules on conflicts of interest and confidentiality and are expected to have deep technical expertise, experience managing multidisciplinary teams and strong communication and influence skills.

Selection process and institutional safeguards

According to the EIC announcement, Zanca was appointed following a highly competitive selection procedure that evaluated candidates based on leading expertise in breakthrough technology fields and their capacity to craft visions for future breakthroughs. Programme Manager roles are full time and competitive. The EIC emphasises conflict of interest and confidentiality rules for these positions because Programme Managers will interact with grant applicants, juries and investors.

Why this appointment matters to the EU innovation ecosystem

The medical imaging and AI in healthcare space sits at the intersection of advanced hardware, software, clinical practice and regulation. EU policymakers and funders have increasingly prioritised health technologies that can improve early detection, diagnostics and care pathways while navigating new regulatory regimes such as the EU Medical Device Regulation and the AI Act. A Programme Manager with academic, industry and regulatory experience can help bridge the different communities working on medical devices, clinical validation and trustworthy AI.

The EIC is one of the Commission's flagship instruments for scaling deep tech in Europe. Its activities are implemented by EISMEA and supported by an in-house EIC Fund that co-invests alongside private capital. The EIC portrays itself as a major deep-tech investor in Europe. Those managing EIC portfolios therefore play an outsized role in shaping which projects receive not only grants but also access to investor networks and advisory services.

Federica Zanca's public engagement and outreach record

The EIC profile for Zanca lists an extensive set of speaking engagements, workshops and matchmaking activities from 2024 and 2025. These events indicate an active role engaging investors, clinicians, regulators and startups across Europe and internationally. The list below is a selection of events where she represented the EIC or contributed as a speaker or moderator.

This outreach footprint shows active matchmaking between innovators, clinical users, funders and regulatory bodies. It also reflects the EIC practice of Programme Managers acting as visible intermediaries in conferences and workshops to promote portfolio projects and to surface policy needs.

Operational context and related actors

EIC Programme Managers work within an ecosystem that includes EISMEA which implements the EIC, the EIC Fund which co-invests with private capital, the European Investment Bank when acting as adviser, national and regional innovation actors such as Horizon Europe National Contact Points and Enterprise Europe Network, and regulatory agencies like the European Medicines Agency. The EIC also runs calls such as the Pathfinder and Accelerator, including targeted 'Pathfinder Challenge' calls where Programme Managers are instrumental in defining topics and shepherding portfolios.

Implications and what to watch

Appointing a Programme Manager with deep experience in medical imaging and AI signals the EIC's intent to focus attention and resources on MedTech at a time when regulators and payers in Europe are updating rules and pathways for AI-enabled devices. Observers should watch for concrete outputs such as targeted calls, coordinated clinical validation efforts, closer links to regulatory science activities and matchmaking that produces co-investment rounds for EIC-backed startups.

At the same time it is important to calibrate expectations. Translating prototype AI models and imaging hardware into widely adopted clinical tools takes time. Success metrics should include not just number of funded projects but measurable progression along regulatory approval, clinical validation, procurement and commercial adoption pathways. Finally, transparency about conflict of interest management will be important because Programme Managers combine prior academic and industry ties with portfolio influence.

Practical information

The EIC announcement is dated 17 January 2024 and was published by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency. Further information on the role of EIC Programme Managers, how they are appointed and the EIC's broader instruments can be found on EISMEA and EIC web pages. Programme Managers are appointed for up to four years and subject to confidentiality and conflict of interest rules.