Digitalisation is both an opportunity and a challenge for public health systems around the world. Complex regulatory environments and stakeholder constellations meet dynamic innovation cycles and market entrants. The task for a yet-to-be-defined health innovation policy is not only to nurture an environment where ideas can be developed into prototypes, but to establish mechanisms of selection and scaling. This is particularly important in establishing effective and public value-oriented interfaces with private sector innovators. Recent initiatives in the EU environment, for instance regarding digital health applications, provide signposts for possible next steps in the Austrian environment.