On 26 March, Innovation for Health 2026 brought together over 800 leaders, innovators, and investors from the life sciences ecosystem for an inspiring day of exchange and collaboration. The event offered a dynamic environment for old friends to reconnect and for new partnerships to form. The day’s thematic focus was on bridging gaps in health innovation.
The Moulin Rouge theme added color and energy to the plenary sessions, reinforcing this year’s central message of “bridging the gap” across perspectives, sectors, and stages of innovation. Against this backdrop, the programme underscored how innovation only delivers impact when stakeholders connect early and often around shared challenges and opportunities. There was shared sentiment that Europe continues to lag behind the US and China in translating innovation into real-world impact, not due to a lack of ideas, but because of structural bottlenecks. The ambition to accelerate innovation clashes against the growing complexity of regulatory and clinical requirements. What is changing is how the ecosystem responds. Collaboration is moving earlier in the innovation cycle, with investors engaging sooner, corporates co-developing, and public actors actively shaping innovation pathways. As these roles become increasingly blurred, navigating this complexity is becoming a defining factor for success, something clearly reflected in the ventures highlighted throughout the day.
Throughout the day, the 1-on-1 networking tables and dedicated partnering areas stayed busy as attendees explored collaborations, funding trajectories, and co-development opportunities. This energy carried into the closing panel on bridging innovation to investment. The speakers reflected on lessons from the past year and on what it takes to translate momentum into sustainable financing and growth. It was especially encouraging to see female leadership and diversity highlighted through the Women’s Health Pitch and the presence of TopX.
Innovation for Health also took time to spotlight outstanding contributions across the ecosystem. Warm congratulations to this year’s awardees: I4H Young Innovator Award 2026 winner Tim Sakkers (UMC Utrecht), Start‑up Pitch Contest 2026 winner Koen Vanderschuren (Wavefront Therapeutics), Women’s Health Pitch winner Dr. Karlheinz Samenjo (Chloe Innovations), and Venture Challenge 2026 winner Syntric Medical.
For FFUND, I4H 2026 was not only a day to reconnect with long-standing partners, but also an opportunity to meet the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators. We’re grateful for another chance to connect, learn, and be inspired by the people and companies driving health innovation. See you next year!
