Technology is seen as a key part of the solution for the problems our healthcare system faces. This necessitates accelerating technological innovation in healthcare and better connecting the broad stakeholder landscape required for impactful solutions in daily care practice. The 4TU.Health event, organised by 4TU.Health Centre, on Thursday 28 May 2026 in Wageningen, brings together experts from the four technical universities, partners and other stakeholders to combine knowledge, experience and ideas. The event offers a unique opportunity to meet, connect and jointly develop a strategic agenda addressing the road towards a future where technology enables our healthcare system. The event is relevant for anyone active in technological healthcare innovation and seeking to contribute to structural solutions with societal impact.
General information
- Date: 28 May 2026
- Time: Full day
- Format: Live event
- Language: English & Dutch
- Location: Omnia - Congrescentrum, Hoge Steeg 2, 6708 PH Wageningen (on the campus of Wageningen University & Research)
For whom:
This event is intended for researchers, academics, and staff from the four technical universities (4TUs), as well as external professionals such as policy officers, innovation managers, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders involved in technological innovations in healthcare. It is a key opportunity to share knowledge, strengthen collaborations, and gain new insights into patient-centred healthcare innovations.
Programme
The programme starts with a plenary opening in which 4TU.Health Chair Noortje Bax reflects on developments and achievements of the past six years and actively engages participants in the co-creation of the new strategy. From there, the programme branches out into a series of parallel sessions, each one opening a different doorway into the future of health and technology. Depending on participation and programme structure, some sessions will be held in Dutch and others in English. During a networking lunch, there will be space for informal exchange as well as interactive activities. The day concludes with a panel discussion in which stakeholders from different perspectives will help shape 4TU.Health’s future strategy. Based on insights from the sessions, key issues around implementation, collaboration and societal impact will be addressed, followed by a plenary wrap-up translating the main insights into concrete next steps.
Time | What |
09.30 - 10.00 | Registration and coffee |
10.00 - 10.45 | Welcome & Introduction |
11.00 - 12.30 | Parallel programme - Thematic sessions 1/4 |
12.30 - 14.00 | Lunch & activities |
14.00 - 15.30 | Parallel programme - Thematic sessions 5/8 |
15.45 - 16.30 | Panel discussion |
16.30 - 16.45 | Wrap-up & Closing words |
16.45 - 17.30 | Informal drinks |
Thematic sessions
The core of these sessions is to explore, together with experts, the opportunities and challenges within the different themes. In doing so, we examine how 4TU.Health can respond to these developments: as a discussion partner for researchers, in a coordinating role, or in other ways that contribute to collaboration and impact. Depending on participation and programme structure, some sessions will be held in Dutch and others in English.
1. AI with purpose in healthcare
Artificial Intelligence is often presented as a versatile solution for a wide range of challenges in health and care. From clinical decision support to operational efficiency and research acceleration, AI promises broad applicability. At the same time, this raises important questions about focus, trust, and real-world impact. In this session, we explore when AI’s general-purpose nature adds value. Through examples from research and practice, we reflect on strategic, ethical, and practical considerations for responsible AI adoption in healthcare. Join this session to move beyond the hype and better understand how AI can meaningfully support health innovation.
2. Risk-based lifestyle change: daily-lifE moNiToring and Recommendations (RECENTRE): Collaborative Pathways for Cancer and Obesity Care
This session, hosted by the 4TU.RECENTRE program focuses on advancing remote health monitoring for individuals living with cancer or obesity. We will present current RECENTRE initiatives that integrate technology, data, and patient-centred design to support health within the home environment. Participants from policy, research, industry, healthcare, start‑ups, and funding agencies will engage in interactive breakout discussions to identify future needs, barriers, and opportunities. Together, we will explore how multidisciplinary collaboration can accelerate responsible innovation and improve long‑term health outcomes.
3. The care journey as the missing link between technology and practice
Technology is often seen as the solution to current and future workforce shortages and cost challenges in healthcare. However, every technological innovation must find its place within a complex care environment—one with established work and decision-making processes, limited innovation budgets, and professionals whose daily routines will change as new technologies are introduced.
In this session, we explore the implementation of healthcare technology from the perspective of everyday (hospital) practice. Participants will gain new insights and are encouraged to empathise with others and recognise the diverse realities within healthcare organisations. The ultimate goal is to co-create a care journey: a counterpart to the innovation journey and the patient journey, centred on the needs, steps, and challenges experienced by healthcare organisations.
4. Strengthening support structures for HealthTech innovators
Bringing health technologies from research to real-world impact requires strong and well-connected support structures for researchers, spin-offs and startups. This session explores how Technical Universities currently support HealthTech innovation, including technology transfer, IP development and entrepreneurship support. Participants will exchange experiences on existing local support structures, their focus, scope and funding models. The session will also address how these initiatives can connect more effectively to national innovation structures such as TTOs, NWO programmes and regional development organisations. The aim is to identify opportunities to better align efforts and strengthen the ecosystem for future HealthTech innovators.
5. Shaping Tomorrow’s Imaging
Imaging is transforming healthcare by empowering researchers, clinicians, and innovators to tackle urgent challenges and accelerate personalised care. Breakthroughs in modular imaging systems, multispectral hybrid technologies and image-guided interventions drive rapid change across healthcare & society. In this session, we provide insights into the National Technology Strategy (NTS) Imaging and share key outcomes from the Precision Medicine project. Together, we’ll explore how to turn knowledge and strategy into real-world solutions. Join us, be inspired and help shape the imaging future now
6. Monitoring of bioengineered systems: challenges and innovations
Bioengineered systems such as organs‑on‑chip, miniaturised tissue platforms, and advanced cellular bioreactors offer unprecedented potential for studying human physiology, modelling disease, and developing next‑generation therapies. However, to fully harness their capabilities, robust and precise monitoring technologies are essential. Developing continuous, non‑invasive insights into the dynamic behaviour of the bioengineered systems is crucial for maintaining control, ensuring reproducibility, and generating meaningful biological data.
In this session, we explore the scientific and technological challenges that currently limit real‑time monitoring of engineered biological platforms. We will highlight emerging innovations in detection strategies, functional readouts, and sensor integration, ranging from electrical and optical approaches to biochemical and mechanical sensing. Special attention will be given to how these technologies can be embedded directly into bioengineered systems, enabling high‑resolution, real‑time assessments of tissue function, microenvironmental conditions, and cellular responses.
Join us to discuss the latest advances, identify unmet needs, and envision the future of integrated monitoring solutions that will drive the next leap forward in bioengineered system design and implementation.
7. Implementation and Scaling in MedTech
Technological innovation alone is not enough to transform healthcare. This session explores implementation and scaling in MedTech, and what makes this sector fundamentally different from other industries. We will highlight key gaps and hurdles along the MedTech innovation journey, and examine how these challenges impact healthcare delivery in practice. By sharing both success stories and real-world obstacles, the session aims to foster a sense of shared responsibility across the entire MedTech stakeholder ecosystem to collectively turn innovation into sustainable healthcare impact.
8. How Technology Transforms the Professional
Technology is transforming our world at a rapid pace. What does this mean for the professions as we know them today? Not only for radiologists, surgeons, or nurses, but also for new professionals who will play a role in healthcare transformation and prevention. In this session, we will demonstrate how the Technical Universities (TUs) are investing in innovative education to train future-ready professionals who can engineer technology in practice and strengthen healthcare.
Together with participants from clinical practice, the TUs, and professional associations, we will engage in a discussion on collaboration to shape innovative education. The session will start with two presentations on innovative educational initiatives at the TUs that are being developed in collaboration with healthcare partners. This will be followed by a discussion with participants and a panel about the role of the TUs in the coming years in developing new educational programmes and the role of other stakeholders in positioning these new professionals.
Registration
To participate in this event, please register. Participation is free of charge; however, registration is not without obligation. Lunch and drinks will be arranged, and a badge will be prepared for you. Additionally, spots are limited. Therefore, we count on you to inform us if you cannot attend. Please cancel your registration properly and on time (at least 7 days before the event) by sending an email to health@4tu.nl or replying to your confirmation email after registration.
Organisation
Within the 4TU.Health centre, the four Dutch universities of technology join forces to develop advanced technology for patient-centred healthcare innovations. By combining technological innovations with insights from social and medical sciences, the universities of technology contribute to solutions for important issues in healthcare. Engineers and healthcare professionals work together to optimise healthcare processes, putting the patient’s voice at the heart of the changing healthcare environment. By working together, we accelerate the valorisation and implementation of innovations in the healthcare sector and contribute to the transformation of healthcare.
