Clust-ER Health at Exposanità 2026: innovation, discussions and the future of digital healthcare

From 22 to 24 April 2026, Bologna hosted Exposanità, a leading national and international event for the healthcare and social care sectors. Once again, the event provided an important opportunity for institutions, businesses, researchers and professionals to come together, with an increasingly strong focus on technological innovation, digitalisation and new models of care.

Within this context, Clust-ER Health played an active role in the event, hosting in the Digital Pavilion a space dedicated to the most advanced solutions in the fields of e-health, artificial intelligence, telemedicine and health technologies. Its presence in the Digital Pavilion highlighted Clust-ER’s role as a facilitator of connections between research and industry, as well as a promoter of innovative projects at regional, national and European level.

Over the course of the three days, Clust-ER Health organised and took part in a number of themed events, providing opportunities for discussion and in-depth analysis of key issues for the future of the healthcare system.

22 April – Innovation ecosystems, data and technologies for the healthcare of the future

On the first day of Exposanità 2026, Clust-ER Health presented a programme of workshops focusing on the key drivers of transformation in the healthcare system, including entrepreneurship, data use, artificial intelligence and collaborative models. On this occasion, Clust-ER also had the pleasure of hosting the delegation from the European InnoMedCatalyst project, comprising various European clusters and organisations – including Imago-Mol, Biocat, BioVia, HBIO, Health Cluster Portugal, HLSC Sofia, Klaster Life Science Krakow, Cluster Sivi, Startup Madeira, Inpulse and Euregha – helping to strengthen international dialogue on the topics of precision medicine and innovation.

The workshop “Driving the Transformation of Healthcare: The Critical Role of Entrepreneurship and Accelerators in Scaling Precision Medicine” highlighted the strategic role of entrepreneurship and accelerator programmes in supporting the development and adoption of innovative solutions, emphasising the importance of collaborative ecosystems between research, industry and healthcare.

The topic of data was explored in depth during the workshop “Health data to improve care and services: opportunities and challenges of secondary data use within the context of the European Health Data Space“, which examined – partly in the light of the PRECISEU project – the level of preparedness of Italy and Emilia-Romagna with regard to the EHDS, highlighting opportunities and challenges relating to governance, security and trust.

The seminar organised by the Clust-ER Health Big Data & AI Value Chain, entitled “Artificial Intelligence meets Biotechnology, Medicine and Pharmacology“, provided an overview of the integration of artificial intelligence and the life sciences, from theoretical foundations to applications in clinical settings and drug development, highlighting the need for interoperable infrastructure and robust data management.

The day concluded with the “Quintuple Helix Open Dialogue: Building Interconnected and Sustainable Innovation Ecosystems“, a focus group that facilitated discussion among key innovation stakeholders on the importance of strengthening interconnected and sustainable ecosystems.

Overall, it has become clear that there is a need for an integrated approach that combines technological innovation, collaboration between stakeholders and the strategic use of data.

23 April – Regional projects and applied innovation

On the second day of Exposanità 2026, Clust-ER Health showcased the regional ecosystem through the presentation of various projects funded by the Emilia-Romagna Region, offering a concrete overview of innovation pathways in the biomedical, technological and clinical fields.

The workshop “From bench to bedside: the role of BioHubs in the healthcare system” provided an opportunity to discuss the value of biotechnology research as a strategic driver for sustainable innovation. Through the contributions of the regional BioHubs involved in the BioHubs4STEP project, it became clear how important it is to focus research on real-world needs, promoting multidisciplinary approaches and strengthening dialogue between the scientific, clinical and social spheres.

The workshop “From Data to Personalised Care: AI-driven innovations” presented the AI4ChemoBrain and REMEDY projects, highlighting the potential of data-driven approaches and solutions based on artificial intelligence and remote monitoring systems in the development of personalised care models and in supporting clinical decision-making processes.

The workshop “Biotechnological innovation in Emilia-Romagna: projects, synergies and future prospects” highlighted projects such as N2ERT, GLYMED, Uni-recondition and REMAP, emphasising the regional system’s ability to develop innovative solutions through interdisciplinary synergies and collaborations.

The workshop “newMAT4CEC – New smart membranes in extracorporeal circulation for the prevention of neurological complications” presented advanced solutions to improve the safety of extracorporeal circulation systems through the use of innovative plasma-treated membranes, with the aim of reducing complications and improving clinical outcomes.

The day concluded with two closing sessions dedicated to the projects “HF 2.0: Innovation in treatments for the new generation of blood oxygenators“, followed by “Biomimetic 3D models and translational platforms for precision medicine“. The first event illustrated the development of hollow fibres modified using nano-coating techniques to increase the efficiency of biomedical oxygenators, whilst the second explored the role of biofabrication and bioprinting technologies, through the 3D_MAB and 3D-PIONEER projects, in the development of advanced experimental models for precision medicine.

Overall, the event highlighted the regional ecosystem’s ability to translate research into practical applications, strengthening the link between scientific innovation, clinical practice and industrial development.

24 April – Skills and new roles in digital healthcare

The third day of Exposanità 2026 focused on the topic of training and skills development in the healthcare sector, highlighting the growing need for hybrid professionals capable of working at the intersection of clinical, technological and managerial fields.

It was against this backdrop that the “DIGItal Technology and Telemedicine for healthCARE (DIGICARE)” roundtable took place, exploring the role of digital transformation as a driver of innovation to improve the accessibility, quality and sustainability of healthcare systems. The initiative, in collaboration with the European Erasmus+ BrightSkills project, highlighted the link between technological development and emerging skills needs in the pharmaceutical, medtech and bio-manufacturing sectors.

The discussion between clinical, academic and institutional experts addressed practical applications of digital health and telemedicine, with a particular focus on organisational challenges and the prospects for implementation at regional level. Experiences relating to the management of chronic conditions, remote monitoring and decision support were also shared.

A key issue that emerged during the discussion concerns the growing mismatch between the skills on offer and the demands of the labour market. The findings of analyses carried out at European and regional level highlight the need to strengthen upskilling and reskilling pathways, with a particular focus on the development of interdisciplinary skills, the ability to manage complexity, expertise in data and artificial intelligence, as well as regulatory skills.

The final day highlighted the urgent need to invest in training ‘hybrid’ and ‘bridge’ professionals, who are essential for supporting the adoption of innovation and guiding the evolution of healthcare systems towards increasingly digital and integrated models.