TechMed Event 2026: Hospital of the Future

Pressure on Dutch healthcare is mounting: more patients, more complex care needs, and a shrinking pool of healthcare professionals. To keep good care accessible and affordable, healthcare needs to be organised differently. On Thursday 5 November 2026, the TechMed Centre at the University of Twente will host the eighth edition of the TechMed Event. This year's central theme is ‘The Hospital of the Future: towards a tenfold increase in healthcare productivity’. The event looks at how technology, innovation and smart forms of organisation can dramatically expand healthcare capacity without losing sight of quality of care.

Care closer to the patient

Hospitals aren't going anywhere: for surgery, acute care and complex treatments, they remain indispensable. But not every check-up, measurement or step in recovery needs to happen within those walls. Smart sensors, remote monitoring and digital care solutions make it possible to organise a growing share of care closer to the patient: at home, in the community or digitally. The Hospital of the Future is therefore less about the building itself, and more about the question of which care belongs where. That is exactly the question at the heart of the TechMed Event.

A day of inspiration and in-depth discussion

The programme combines a plenary programme with nine inspiration sessions. The day opens with the essentials: the urgency behind the Hospital of the Future, explored from different perspectives and with an active role for the audience. It closes with an interactive keynote from AI expert Hendrik van Zwol. Between the plenary sessions, visitors can build their own programme from an inspiring line-up of breakout sessions covering topics such as AI and data-driven care, healthcare robotics, medical imaging and oncology screening, care beyond hospital walls, personalised treatment technologies, international MedTech collaboration, the MedTech Twente NextGen Final, and the cross-pollination between defence and healthcare.

The MedTech sector's central meeting point

Every year, the TechMed Event brings together 400+ MedTech professionals from more than 100 organisations: medical specialists, researchers, companies, policymakers, executives, talent and investors. It's precisely this mix that makes the event unique. It's the place where science, technology and clinical practice meet, knowledge is shared, and new collaborations take shape that will define tomorrow's healthcare. In the Experience Centre, the Innovation Labs and the TechMed Talent Area, innovation comes to life, and you'll meet these professionals in person. Here, visitors can not only see the latest technologies but experience them first-hand through prototypes, live demonstrations, posters and workshops.

Pre-register your innovation or research by 30 September

Do you have an innovation or poster that showcases the healthcare of tomorrow? Register for a spot in the Experience Centre or the TechMed Talent Area. Places are limited for both, and participation is by selection. The pre-registration deadline is 30 September 2026.

Don't miss out - book your ticket

The number of tickets is limited, and, as in previous years, the organisers expect the event to sell out. An individual ticket (including lunch, drinks and bites) ranges from €75 to €100. Group tickets are also available. Accreditation is being requested from ABAN and NVvTG.

The Hospital of the Future initiative

The Hospital of the Future is an initiative of the University of Twente (UT), Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST), FME and Twente Board, bringing together knowledge institutions, healthcare partners and businesses. Through the use of medical technology, they are developing the hospital of the future so that, despite staff shortages, good care can continue to be delivered.