Strengthening health innovation in Europe: a week in Krakow

Last week, Clust-ER Health had the privilege of taking part in a landmark series of packed yet dynamic events hosted in Krakow, Poland, under the framework of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The gathering brought together regional, national, and European stakeholders in the life sciences sector, highlighting a united effort to advance innovation, collaboration, and patient-centred solutions in healthcare.

Represented by Cluster Manager Sauro Vicini and EU Programme Manager Clémence Foltz, Clust-ER Health participated in four key events, each offering valuable insights into the evolving European health innovation ecosystem.

🎯 CEBR Annual Meeting (13–14 May 2025)

As active members of the Council of European BioRegions (CEBR), we joined peers from over 50 European life sciences clusters for two days to exchange ideas, align strategies, and increase collaboration. We took part in strategic discussions on the role of clusters in driving regional innovation, supporting the EU Compass priorities, and strengthening Europe’s health ecosystems. Topics included CEBR’s current initiatives, European strategic programmes like the Regional Innovation Valleys, and the future of European collaboration to boost European competitiveness. We are proud that our Manager Sauro Vicini continues to serve on the CEBR Board, contributing his experience to help shape the network’s priorities. He also presented during the panel session dedicated to “Clusters Supporting EU & Regional Innovation Growth“, with further interventions from Jitka Vocaskova (European Commission) and Pirita Lindholm (ERRIN).

💡 InnoMedCatalyst Focus Group

Our Cluster Manager also spoke as a panellist in this workshop that strived to represent the perspective of representatives from patients, industry, research, regional policies, and healthcare systems. They explored the gaps and challenges in European innovation ecosystems that hinder the journey from research to real-world precision medicine solutions. The discussion highlighted the importance of raising awareness and understanding of precision medicine among all patients, fostering trust and transparent communication about data use, and ensuring collaboration between industry, government, and academia. Emphasis was also placed on the need for cultural change, inclusive governance, digital skills development, and involving policymakers in the full innovation lifecycle to support effective adoption. The findings will be used by the partners of the InnoMedCatalyst project to design regional roadmaps for precision medicine.

🧬 PRECISEU High-Level Event

As partner in the PRECISEU project, we participated in this strategic event entitled “Tailoring Tomorrow: Personalised Medicine in the EU Compass”. The panel brought together policymakers, researchers, patient representatives and innovators who focused on how to make personalised medicine a reality across national health systems. The discussions underscored the need for better use of real-world data, overcoming challenges for effective translation of advanced therapies into practice, and ensuring stronger policy alignment, patient involvement, and healthcare system transformation to advance personalised medicine.

🌍 LifeScience4EU Conference (15-17 May 2025)

Closing the week, we attended the LifeScience4EU conference, an exploration of how the life sciences sector can drive competitiveness, sustainability, and patient impact across Europe that was organised by Klaster LifeScience Krakow. The conversations at the conference underscored the need for stronger EU-wide collaboration to overcome regulatory fragmentation, accelerate breakthrough innovation, and ensure real-world impact in personalised medicine. From eliminating bureaucratic and legislative inconsistencies, enabling agile coalitions, supporting SMEs and widening countries, to driving system-level change through co-created, patient-centered solutions, the sessions highlighted the transformative potential of health innovation when supported by cohesive strategy and strong networks.

Across all events, one message was clear: Europe’s strength lies in its diversity of innovation ecosystems and the power of collaboration. We returned inspired and motivated to continue building bridges across regions, sectors, and disciplines to advance health for all. We thank all the events organisers for their incredible work in hosting such impactful conversations. Until next time!