Clust-ER Health at TechCare Expo 2026
RIMINI – Technological innovation, inclusion, and new models of care. These were the key themes running through TechCare Expo 2026, the exhibition dedicated to health and autonomy held on March 26–27 at Rimini Fiera, attracting companies, institutions, and professionals from across Italy and beyond.
Two days of intensive discussion explored the digital transformation of healthcare not only as a technological driver, but as a cultural and organizational process capable of making a tangible impact on people’s quality of life. As Clust-ER Health, we took this opportunity to showcase our initiatives and projects, while also highlighting companies within the ecosystem by giving visibility to businesses such as Niverbec and DataRiver.
From Europe to Italy: comparing models
The first day opened with an international perspective through the workshop “Digital Care Pathways: European and Ukrainian Success Stories from Rehabilitation to Health System Digitalisation,” which concluded the Deep Dive Days of the Clusters4Health project.
This final discussion was not only engaging but highly appreciated, comparing European and Ukrainian experiences in the digitalization of care and patient rehabilitation. In both cases, shared challenges emerged, highlighting the essential need to integrate skills, technologies, and organizational models to make healthcare systems more resilient and effective.
Among the panelists, moderated by Enrica Lombardo (Clust-ER Health), were: Olga Maistrenko (Rivne Regional Clinical Hospital), Chiara Rambelli (Sol et Salus S.p.A. Hospital), Valeria Marichereda (Royal Education World – Odessa National Medical University), Natalya Gorochova (National Social Policy Initiatives, Ukraine), and Filippo Giliberti (Villabella – Institute for Complex Care).
The key issue: truly “human-centered” healthcare
On the second day, the debate moved to equally important questions: how can we ensure that digitalization does not remain a purely technical process, but instead becomes a tool genuinely serving people?
This was the focus of the workshop “Human-centered Digital Care: Third Sector, Research, and Businesses Working Together to Innovate Care.”
From the discussion among research, businesses, and the third sector, several clear directions emerged:
👉 Technology for people: designing digital solutions truly centered on users’ needs, especially the most vulnerable
👉 Physical and digital accessibility: a fundamental prerequisite to ensure equity in care services
Alongside these themes, the need to rethink healthcare organizational models also became evident, leveraging digital potential to innovate services—without overlooking a crucial element: sustainability, meaning the ability to make solutions scalable and durable over time.
The roundtable, moderated by Paola Bello (Clust-ER Health) and introduced by Massimiliano Malavasi (AIAS Bologna Onlus), involved: Mirko Orsini (DataRiver and Value Chain SalusTech), Luca Arcangeli (Clust-ER Innovate), Italo Pasotti and Filippo Ferrari (Niverbec), Silvia Fantozzi (CIRI Life Sciences – University of Bologna), and Susanna Esposito (University of Parma and Associazione Amici del Bambino Malato).
Beyond technology: the value of relationships
A key takeaway from the discussion was clear: technology alone is not enough. What truly makes a difference is the ability to build connections among the various stakeholders—research, industry, healthcare, and patient associations.
In this context, European projects such as AMBITIOUS were highlighted as concrete examples of multi-sector collaboration, capable of addressing the challenges of healthcare digitalization in an integrated way.
Equally important was the emphasis on the role of caregivers and the need to assess the real impact of digital solutions in care pathways, moving beyond innovation for its own sake.
Bridging the gaps
This is the message that best summarizes the two days of TechCare Expo 2026: bridging the gaps—between needs and solutions, innovation and accessibility, and among all actors within the healthcare system.
The event concluded with the award ceremony for the project work of the DIGICARE advanced training course in Bologna, signaling an increasingly necessary investment in skills to support ongoing transformation.
TechCare Expo 2026 thus closed with a strengthened awareness: the future of healthcare lies not only in digital technologies, but in the ability to truly put them at the service of people.
