Menu
en
NederlandsEnglish
UTTechMedTechMed CentreEventsTechMed EventProgramme

The programme

09.30 - 09.45: Opening & Welcome

The TechMed Event 2025 kicks off with an inspiring welcome by Prof.dr. Vinod Subramaniam, President of the Executive Board of the University of Twente. He will introduce this year’s theme, Beyond the Breakthrough, focusing on what comes after innovation. A surprising opening activity will set the tone for a day full of inspiration, connection, and progress.

09.45 - 10.30: Keynote talk: Danina Kapetanovic 

Designing the Hospital of Tomorrow: Insights from the University of Waterloo

Danina Kapetanovic presents CareNext, a partnership between Waterloo Regional Health Network and the University of Waterloo. CareNext is a platform that builds the culture, governance, and infrastructure needed to future-proof healthcare and responsibly adopt new technologies. It drives co-creation of digital solutions with industry and integrates them into care, research, and policy, focusing on applied research, workforce development, policy innovation, and community engagement. It also provides the framework for designing a new, digitally enabled “hospital of the future” on the University of Waterloo campus.

Read more about the keynote talk

10.45 - 12.00: From clinical challenge to change

Building on the Plenary keynote on the hospital of the future, this track invites participants to translate insights into concrete action. Attendees choose one of three parallel sessions, each exploring a clinical domain: Women’s Health, Cardiovascular Health, or Musculoskeletal Health, as a starting point for multidisciplinary collaboration and technological innovation. Sessions offer space to dive deeper into trends, challenges, and emerging solutions, while moderators connect discussions back to the keynote, highlight recurring themes, and encourage reflection on practical application. Participants will leave with fresh perspectives, actionable lessons, and inspiration to advance innovation and teamwork in their own clinical practice, bridging the vision of tomorrow’s hospital with today’s reality.

Uniting for Impact: Advancing Women’s Health through collaborative innovation
This session explores how Dutch institutions are joining forces to innovate in women’s health through technology, education, and inclusive collaboration. It highlights efforts to close gender gaps by combining science with societal input.
Read more
Translating Cardiovascular Tech: from lab discovery to patient-centred solutions
This session explores how cardiovascular innovations, ranging from heart models to start-up solutions, can be translated from lab to clinic. It brings together science, business, and care to discuss how these technologies can truly benefit patients.
Read more
In a joint effort: where diverse perspectives meet in musculoskeletal health
This session highlights how cross-sector collaboration in musculoskeletal health leads to improvements in care and research. Through 3 case studies, we explore how involving experts and patients from the start strengthens both scientific and societal impact.
Read more

11.30 - 18.15: MedTech Innovation forum activities

The MedTech Innovation Forum serves as the central hub of the event, offering an interactive exhibition space where attendees can connect, network, and engage in substantive discussions within an informal setting. Organisations present their latest innovations and research findings through live demonstrations, prototypes, posters, and expert sessions. This environment offers an opportunity to explore emerging MedTech developments while fostering collaboration across various sectors.

Experience centre: Where innovation meets application
11.30 - 13.30 & 16.30 - 18.00

The Experience Centre is a lively space where organisations present medical technology innovations through demos, prototypes, and posters. It encourages exchange and collaboration, showing how science and technology are applied to shape the future of healthcare.
Read more
Breakthrough Path: A journey beyond innovation
11.30 - 18.30

Step into the Breakthrough Path, an immersive journey from vision to impact. Explore how ideas, discoveries, and visions shape the healthcare of tomorrow. Experience the voices of pioneers and engage in a symbolic journey from inspiration to action.
Read more
Innovation Safari Tours
15.00 - 15.45 & 17.30 - 18.15

Get ready for an Innovation Safari Tour inside the TechMed Centre building, where you will visit various labs and research spaces. On this journey, you’ll have the opportunity to explore a range of innovations and developments within the medtech field in a relaxed and engaging way.
Read more
Poster Moderated Tour
13.45 - 14.30

Join a moderator-led tour of scientific posters, where presenters give short pitches on early-stage research and innovations. Engage in Q&A sessions, discover new ideas, and connect directly with researchers and innovators.
Read more

13.15 - 14.30: From technological idea to reality

Building on the Plenary keynote on the hospital of the future, this track invites participants to explore how technological ideas make their way into clinical practice. Attendees choose one of three parallel sessions, each focusing on a specific technological discipline: AI in Action, Medical Imaging, or Bioengineering, to examine real-world applications, opportunities, and challenges. Sessions offer interactive formats that enable participants to engage with experts, discuss practical lessons, and reflect on how innovations can be scaled and integrated across various clinical settings. Moderators ensure continuity with the keynote, highlight recurring themes, and guide reflection on actionable takeaways. Participants will leave with practical insights into translating technology into patient care, a broadened perspective on multidisciplinary innovation, and inspiration to turn emerging ideas into reality within their own practice.

AI in action: From lab simulation to patient lives
This session explores how Artificial Intelligence in healthcare can move from lab to bedside, with insights from patients, start-ups, and engineers. We dive into the practical challenges of adoption – from trust and transparency to clinical validation – and ask: what does it take to make AI truly meaningful, safe, and impactful for real patients?
Read more
From simulation to reality: Medical imaging as a MedTech growth engine
This session explores how medical imaging innovations can move from concept to clinical and commercial reality. Through examples from the REFIT collaboration and broader R&D efforts, we’ll discuss how ecosystem-wide cooperation can help overcome barriers and deliver meaningful impact.
Read more
BioEngineering labs unlocked: Accelerating research and innovation
This session explores how the BioEngineering Labs at the TechMed Centre support MedTech innovation through a flexible environment for research and development. By fostering collaboration and industry partnerships, the labs help turn scientific ideas into real-world medical applications.
Read more

14.45 - 16.00: From shared innovation to transnational impact

Building on the Plenary keynote on the hospital of the future and insights from the clinical and technological sessions, this track invites participants to transform shared knowledge into collaborative action. Attendees choose one of three sessions: Defence & Health Synergies, Expanding global MedTech Access, or Accelerating Healthcare Innovation, to explore how local innovations can be scaled, applied across disciplines, and even translated to an international context. Through interactive discussions, scenario exercises, and guided reflection, participants contribute their expertise, uncover new perspectives, and co-create practical strategies. This track emphasises hands-on collaboration, allowing participants to deepen lessons from earlier sessions and discover concrete ways to turn innovative ideas into real-world impact.

Unlocking dual impact: Where defence and healthcare meet
This session explores how defence and healthcare can support each other by sharing expertise, technologies, and practical experience, with examples from TNO, military medicine, and dual-sector experts. Cross-domain collaboration is increasingly vital in today’s crisis-driven world.
Read more
Crossing borders: Regional access to the global MedTech market
This session explores the requirements for bringing medical devices to the global market, focusing on various complex regulatory landscapes. Using examples from different international collaborations and clusters, it highlights how cross-border cooperation can help overcome regulatory challenges and market entry barriers.
Read more
From idea to impact: Accelerating healthcare innovation
This session explores how promising health innovations can move from idea to impact through better alignment between science, care, and entrepreneurship. With real-world examples, we examine key steps like early validation, clinical testing, and cross-sector collaboration to accelerate effective implementation.
Read more

16.10 -16.30: Award ceremony

The closing plenary session of the TechMed Event begins with the Award Ceremony, celebrating excellence and innovation. Two prestigious prizes will be presented, honouring outstanding contributions that push the boundaries of medical technology. This inspiring moment sets the stage for the final keynote, leaving you energised for the future of healthcare.

16.30 - 17.15: Keynote talk: Femke Nijboer 

How to Wreck Your Health and Be Happy

Femke Nijboer from the University of Twente takes the stage to close the conference with wit, wisdom, and a refreshing dose of irreverence. Illness can happen to anyone, but how can you cause your own disease? In a country anxious about ageing and collapsing healthcare systems, psychologist and author Femke offers an alternative: don’t strive for a long life — go for a good one. As a self-declared “general”, she trains you to look at your organs with awe… and then wreck them with flair. Her bestselling book on the topic sparked so much enthusiasm that she’s now a columnist for Tubantia and a sought-after speaker across the country.

Read more about the kenyote talk

17.15 - 18.30: Closing words & informal drinks

At 17:15, we conclude the TechMed Event 2025 with a brief reflection and closing remarks, highlighting the day's key moments and looking ahead to what’s next. Right after, join us for informal drinks, the perfect opportunity to unwind, share your thoughts, and connect with fellow participants one last time.

Close
Suggestions