When Belgian hospitals and companies shape the hospital of tomorrow
More than 400 Belgian healthcare stakeholders — hospital executives, policymakers and innovators — gathered this Thursday in Brussels to help shape the future of healthcare. The objective: to connect hospitals’ needs with innovative technologies developed by Belgian companies. Two projects were recognised during the Innovation Awards ceremony.
Addressing hospitals’ challenges
The main ambition of the event was to bridge the gap between hospitals’ needs and the solutions proposed by innovators, for the benefit of patients. Unlike traditional formats where companies present what they have developed, this initiative adopted a reverse approach: seven hospitals took the stage to present their real-life challenges, inviting the healthTech community to co-design relevant solutions.
“Belgium’s healthcare market is structured around three distinct regions. Being able to meet, in a single day, hospitals from all three regions gathered under one roof is a valuable opportunity. We primarily came to listen to their needs and support them in reflecting on their organisational challenges. Concretely, our technology enables them to move from a reactive to a predictive approach,” explains Nora Harouchi, CEO of DECISIOS.
The conference also provided an opportunity, through keynotes and expert panels, to explore the promises and questions surrounding the hospital of tomorrow, particularly on topics such as artificial intelligence, home care and predictive medicine.
“In Belgium, Hospitals.be is redefining its role. Not above hospitals, nor in their place. Hospitals.be acts as a connector, a platform and an accelerator, while always remaining close to what is experienced on the ground, every day, in hospitals,” emphasised Dr Wissam Bou Sleiman, President of Hospitals.be.
Innovation Awards: showcasing tangible collaborations
The event concluded with an Innovation Awards ceremony, recognising the most promising hospital/startup duo projects in two categories. Each winning duo received €10,000 in direct funding to support prototyping and the early stages of their project.
Winner of the “Patient Impact” Award (co-sponsored by Curewiki and the four organisers):
Project Baby Detect, led by Klinik Sankt Jozef (Saint-Vith) & Thameus
Baby Detect aims to complement standard neonatal screening with a genomic test capable of identifying, at birth, 165 treatable paediatric genetic diseases that often go undetected today. The project addresses the challenge of late diagnosis by enabling early intervention, thereby reducing mortality, disabilities and inequalities in access to care.
Winner of the “Hospital Impact” Award (sponsored by Hospitals.be):
Project SIM BLOOD, led by the Europe Hospitals & PLAY IT
SIM BLOOD addresses the risk of transfusion errors by offering a serious game designed to train hospital staff in best practices for blood transfusion. This solution enhances patient safety, standardises practices, and reduces incidents and waste in a context of blood product shortages.
A Belgian ecosystem united around innovation
Health on Stage was initiated by Belgium’s three regional health innovation clusters: Biovia (Flanders), BioWin (Wallonia) and lifetech.brussels (by hub.brussels). These key players work daily to stimulate the healthTech ecosystem, coordinate R&D projects and facilitate cross-sector collaborations. For this second edition, the event also welcomed a national player, Hospitals.be — the Belgian Hospital Association — which was celebrating the 40th edition of its annual congress.
