EUROPE’s number one healthcare innovation event, HLTH Europe, was held this year in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from the 16th–19th June, 2025, with over 5,000 leaders and innovators from all corners of the healthcare ecosystem. Attendees and speakers included representatives from health systems and providers, startups, government, healthtech, pharmaceutical and life science companies, insurers, investment sectors, and more.
Known for its world-class speakers, immersive attendee experiences, incredible networking events, and impactful networking programmes, HLTH Europe continues to fulfil its mission of empowering individuals within healthcare to solve complex challenges, foster innovation, and catalyse change for good and for all.
Building on a successful European debut in 2024 and HLTH’s ongoing success in the USA, this year’s event provided a platform for experts to tackle Europe’s unique healthcare opportunities and hurdles.
2025 Theme: Growth in all its forms
This year’s agenda reflected the evolution of traditional care models towards more flexible and interconnected approaches in the health ecosystem. Speakers and panels addressed tough challenges, such as the limitations of outdated IT systems and the pressing need for innovative, inclusive solutions. In particular, the agenda addressed the following eight key topics:
1 Clicks and mortar: How hospital IT is changing healthcare
2 Charting GPT: Mapping the next steps for data and AI
3 Breaking the mould:New models of care
4 Shaping the health systems of tomorrow: A glimpse into the future, today
5 Access granted: The health equity evolution
6 Bureaucracy and balance sheets: Bridging the innovation/ reimbursement gap
7 Mind matters: Shaping the future of mental and behavioural health
8 Blueprints to breakthroughs: Scaling healthtech to new heights
Day by day highlights
Day 0
Officially referred to as ‘Day 0’, attendees first met on Monday, 16th June, at the Rai Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The event kicked off with the start of the Health Transformation Summit. Here, healthcare’s most senior policymakers gathered to pave the way for actionable change in European and global healthcare policy. Sessions included ‘Setting the Scene: State of Global Healthcare Innovation’, which explored insights on global healthcare innovation trends; a keynote from Lorena Boix Alonso, Deputy Director General at the European Commission’s DG SANTE; and a discussion on the future policy and regulatory strategies across Europe with the session ‘Shaping the Future of Healthcare Through Policy and Regulation: Perspectives From Across Europe’.
The afternoon of Day 0 featured curated Partner Programmes, with sessions led by healthcare leaders and experts from governments, associations, providers, and innovators. Sessions examined the strategic collaborations with NHS Trusts in Northern England, exploring successful partnership models for trials, evaluations, and procurement between healthtech and the NHS. Another session focused on the intersection of clinical expertise and healthtech innovation, offering clinicians insights into transitioning into tech roles and guidance for startups on best practices for recruiting clinicians to maximise impact.
Day 1
On Day 1, the mainstage opened with remarks from HLTH Europe’s leadership team: Henry Stoneley, Head of Health Systems at Providers at HLTH Europe and Lina Behrens, Head of Strategy and Content, welcomed attendees and explained the importance of this year’s theme, ‘Growth in All Its Forms’. Next, the mainstage hosted a compelling keynote from Ihsan Almarzooqi of GluCare.Health, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Tom Hale from ŌURA, Oulu, Finland. They spoke about the evolving role of wearable technology, emphasising how continuous biometric data can be transformed through AI into real-time, proactive medical care, with the potential to reshape preventative medicine and empower individuals to take charge of their own health.
Also available to enjoy on Day 1 was a fascinating Q&A with Maybritt Kuypers, Senior Flight Surgeon at the European Space Agency, Paris, France, on the startup stage. Kuypers shared insights on how space medicine principles are driving innovation on Earth. From radiation science to the effects of gravity on human biology, this session was a unique and insightful perspective on medicine.
Day 2
For some, Day 2 started with a morning yoga class, one of the several activities available throughout the event. For those who dove straight into the action, the ‘Pharma & Life Sciences Spotlight Stage’ explored the future of cancer treatment, with discussions on the potential of precision medicine and shifting away from traditional chemotherapy. For others, the startup stage offered a practical workshop titled ‘The Dos & Don’ts of Pitch Deck Building’. In this session, an expert panel helped entrepreneurs build effective pitch decks to secure funding.
Another impactful session for startups was the ‘HLTH Europe Startup Pitch’, which spotlighted Europe’s brightest emerging healthtech companies, who were given 150 seconds to present their pitch to a panel of expert judges. Later, on the Main Stage, Nūmi, Suresnes, France, was announced as the HLTH Europe Startup Pitch winner. Nūmi is a company that aims to transform the field of breast milk with their innovative, lab-created breast milk that promises to redefine infant nutrition and support parents when breastfeeding isn’t an option.
Day 2 also saw the start of the Women’s Health Summit, which highlighted significant underinvestment in research into female-specific health conditions outside of oncology, and the need to champion the future of women’s health. Sessions like ‘Sleep Signals’ examined the evolving science of sleep across the female lifespan and how digital health tools can create personalised interventions.
Another standout on Day 2 was the commencement of the Dutch Innovation Programme, which showcased Dutch startups, scale-ups, and hospital-led initiatives. From AI-powered diagnostics to patient-led platforms and new models of care delivery, attendees learnt how the Netherlands is building a smarter, more resilient health system, and how they can drive similar success in their own work.
Day 3
As the spectacular event drew to a close, HLTH Beach provided a relaxed waterfront venue for final networking. However, that’s not to say that innovation and collaboration weren’t still at the forefront. Provider spotlight sessions brought together CEOs, CIOs, and CMOs from leading healthcare organisations to share their insights and first-hand experience on innovation and strategy that’s shaping the future of care delivery.
In another session titled ‘Forgotten Humanity: Healthcare for Refugees’, attendees were reminded of the need to recognise and honour the health rights of all people, across borders and circumstances. One of the final sessions, ‘The Human Element’, offered an interactive workshop on human-centred design in healthcare, equipping attendees to build smarter solutions based on real-world needs.
Looking Ahead
These highlighted sessions were just a small portion of what was on offer for attendees at HLTH Europe 2025. Beyond the insightful and inspiring sessions, HLTH Europe 2025 offered far more than formal panels and keynotes; attendees could enjoy canal cruises, art gallery workshops focused on oil pastel macro flowers, morning yoga sessions, and social events such as the Survivors’ Barbecue. In summary, HLTH Europe 2025 exceeded expectations by providing a forum that united diverse voices around the shared goal of advancing healthcare with innovative ideas and strategic insight. Read on for some more insights from the 4-day event, including exclusive interviews with speakers and one of the key players behind it all, Henry Stoneley. Also, look forward to HLTH Europe 2026, back in the iconic RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, the Netherlands, from 15th–18th June.
