Hardware innovation in Healthcare

Program of the event

• 16.30: Welcome

• 17.30: Expert insights with Julien Penders from Bloomlife, Benoit Pirard from Trasis, Diane Lejeune from Ignity and Francesca Rapino from THERAtRAME

• 19.30: Networking

Bringing healthcare hardware from idea to impact is never a solo effort. It takes rigorous research, disciplined engineering, entrepreneurial drive, clinical insight, and an ecosystem that knows how to move together under real‑world constraints.

We come together as partners because we see the same challenge from different angles, and we know that progress happens where those perspectives meet.

• With imec.istart, promising ideas gain traction. Early‑stage teams are supported with the structure, coaching, and strategic guidance needed to validate technology, attract funding, and grow into ventures that can stand up to healthcare’s demands.

• At ULiège, biomedical research lays the groundwork. Strong science, protected and matured with intent, ensures that innovation starts on solid footing and is shaped with clinical relevance from the earliest stages.

• Through Bridge2Health, development realities enter the picture early. By connecting researchers, spin‑offs, and start‑ups with hands‑on hardware expertise, potential risks surface sooner, decisions become sharper, and concepts are challenged before they stall.

• At LégiaPark, this collaboration is anchored in a shared environment. With a state-of-the-art, flexible and solution-oriented facility, the ecosystem gains a physical and strategic home where partnerships form naturally and innovation accelerates.

• And at Comate, they operate at the intersection of all these forces. As an engineering and design partner for high‑stakes medical hardware, they translate research, ambition, and collaboration into reliable, buildable products - owning the complexity and pushing ideas toward execution.

Together, we believe healthcare innovation succeeds when knowledge moves, experience is shared, and responsibility is collective. By acting as one connected ecosystem, we increase the chances that more healthcare hardware technologies move beyond promise, and start making a real difference for patients.

• Learn how hardware startups scale in regulated environments

• Discover real-world use cases

• Network with medtech founders & investors