Entrepreneurial enthusiasm combined with corporate and academic excellence

More than 75 participants joined German EIT Health Annual Symposium 2017

On 4-5 October 2017, EIT Health Germany gathered more than 75 representatives mainly from research institutes, universities, start-ups, government representations, life science companies and other healthcare organisations for its 2nd German EIT Health Annual Symposium. The first day was hosted by AbbVie Germany in Ludwigshafen and the second day was hosted by Roche Diagnostics GmbH in Mannheim. 17 out of 28 partners from EIT Health Germany were represented at the event (AbbVie Germany, Amgen, Bio.NRW, DKFZ, DZD, ETH Zurich, FAU-Erlangen-Nürnberg, Fraunhofer Institute, Heidelberg University, Janssen, Merck, Profil GmbH, RWTH Aachen, TUM, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, SAP, University of Cologne).

The focus of the event for both days was on “data, digital health and connectivity” with the overarching topic of “adding value to healthcare via connected partners and services”. Participants witnessed 2 inspiring days in an innovation- and research-friendly eco-system with plenty of networking opportunities. “We would like to find treatments that address the world’s most serious and complex diseases. Including the patient’s perspective and strong partnerships are essential to accomplish this task”, highlighted Dr. Stefan Simianer, Vice President, International Pharmaceutical Development & General Manager, Research and Development from AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co.KG in his speech. Examples from AbbVie, University of Cologne, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and Roche were presented to highlight how digital innovations can create value for patients and healthcare systems.

Dealing with data and digital health brings various challenges and opportunities and it also involves a lot of trust, responsibility and mutual understanding. By using the diverse resources of this strong network, the members of the EIT Health community can promote entrepreneurship and innovation and deliver value for patients and citizens. During interactive break-out sessions of the Kick-off discussions for the international EIT Health Workshop “Real World Data in Healthcare”, participants had the opportunity to discuss the topics of data analytics, data privacy and harmonized ethical requirements. A highlight of the first day of the Symposium was the keynote speech of Manuel Irun Molina, KIC Officer of EIT Health from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) who explained the EIT’s perspective on connectivity and how the EIT Health community combines education, innovation and business excellence.

The second day was marked by a high degree of entrepreneurial spirit, as 18 start-ups presented their innovative healthcare solutions and had the chance to further discuss their business ideas with other participants during matchmaking sessions. Topics included for example clinical trials, oncology, medical image management or workplace health. A highlight of the second day was the impressive keynote speech given by Horst Krämer, Programme Officer of DG CONNECT from the European Commission, on the current EU developments in this field like the new EU General Data Protection Regulation or the Public Consultation on Health and Care in the Digital Single Market.

Guidance for EIT Health Projects and updates about upcoming opportunities were given by representatives from the EIT Health HQ, while selected German project leads presented their innovative project solutions in short pitches and via posters during the Interactive Marketplace.

Altogether, the event showed that EIT Health offers an environment that stimulates entrepreneurship and innovation. “These events offer the perfect platform to connect with other organisations and initiate useful collaboration opportunities in the area of health”, emphasized Prof. Dr. Thomas Rausch, EIT Health Representative of Heidelberg University and Co-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the German EIT Health GmbH, in his conclusion.
The second German EIT Health Annual Symposium offered an impressive overview of the variety of EIT Health activities and the underlying potential of the EU consortium for the coming years.

More information about the event can be found here.

Official press release (in English)
Official press release (in German)