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Healthcare technology

Biomedical/pharma, Healthcare technology

From Self-Healing Robots to Surgical Phantoms: How Materials Science is Reshaping Medical Training

When Seppe Terryn first appeared in a Biovia article member spotlight in 2024, he was an academic working on self-healing robots. Today, those same materials are being stitched — quite literally — into the future of surgical training, with the new VLAIO-funded project RESSURG.

From Local Strength to Global Scale: Why Belgium’s Health Innovators Need a United Front

Belgium has the science to compete globally, but its market is too small and fragmented to support companies alone. To help startups scale, the ecosystem needs to act less like a set of competing regions and more like a unified, internationally visible launchpad for health innovation.

Health Innovation Funding: Spearhead Clusters Lead the Way in Flanders

BioVox spoke with Sara Van Overmeire and Annie Renders of Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) about the origin and role of spearhead clusters. VLAIO is the Flemish government’s point of contact for all entrepreneurs in Flanders. It relies on Biovia and other spearhead clusters to bring companies together and support them in setting up innovative projects.

MeSH Counter: A Tool to Track Biomedical Research Trends

Venture investing in early-stage companies hinges on spotting transformative technologies before they become hyped. To support this, we built the MeSH Counter: an R-based tool that tracks monthly frequencies of specific terms in PubMed, allowing us to visualize trends in the life sciences. Publication trends are not the same as investment signals, yet the MeSH Counter can help efficiently map the research landscape, so investors can prioritize deeper, human-led diligence.

Bioprinting Living Tissues with BIO INX

Belgian startup BIO INX develops bioinks to 3D print cells into living tissues and organ-on-chip technologies. The company is working with academic and industry partners to develop products ranging from artificial corneas to cartilage. The aim: translate academic ideas into to real-world applications with tangible patient impact.

HERAN Partners Raises €90 Million Fund for European Healthtech

Belgian venture capital firm HERAN Partners has announced a €90 million close for its second healthtech-focused fund, HERAN HealthTech Fund II, and says it aims to scale to €110–120 million. The firm invests in early-stage medtech and healthtech companies across Europe, backing technologies designed to make healthcare and life sciences R&D more efficient, data-driven, and scalable.

Hospitals and Belgian Companies Unite to Shape the Future of Healthcare

On 29 January 2026, 400 Belgian healthcare stakeholders — hospital executives, policymakers, and innovators — gathered in Brussels to help shape the future of healthcare. The objective was to connect hospital needs with the innovative technologies developed by Belgian companies. Two projects were honored during the event’s Innovation Awards: Baby Detect and SIM BLOOD.

MDR and IVDR Revisions Bode Well for European Medtech Innovation

In December 2025, the European Commission unveiled proposed revisions to the EU’s Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR). The changes aim to accelerate the path to market for medtech and digital health companies by making the rulebook easier to navigate without lowering the bar on patient safety. Innovators have greeted the announcement with cautious optimism.

Celebrating the Pitch Winners of HealthTech Investor Summit 2025

Europe’s healthtech pipeline was on full display at the HealthTech Investor Summit 2025 in Utrecht, with the regions brightest rising stars in the spotlight. From surgical robotics and implantable devices to bioelectronics and next-generation diagnostics, here are the pitching companies that stood out to both the judges and audience.

Healthtech Success: An Investor’s Perspective

Europe’s healthtech scene is buzzing, with innovators racing to re-shape how we prevent, diagnose and treat disease. Many of the field’s brightest stars will gather at the HealthTech Investor Summit in December to connect, compare notes and compete for attention. Ahead of the event, we asked one of the participating investors, Vlaamse Investeringsmaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV) what they’re scouting for in Europe’s future healthtech champions.

A Champions League of European Health Innovation Clusters

Recently at the Medicon Valley Alliance Summit in Copenhagen, the spotlight was on European competitiveness. In a keynote, panelists from four of Europe’s leading life sciences hubs shared their intention to establish a “Champions League” of clusters, working as a team to strengthen health innovation for Europe as a whole.

A New Horizon in Cancer Care: The Promise of Multi-Source Liquid Biopsies

For the many women who develop metastatic breast cancer, treatment options are increasingly determined using blood-based diagnostics. But there are many other bodily fluids that can also be screened, potentially opening doors to new therapies for these patients. This broader approach to testing could improve clinical trial designs and be extended to other cancer types.

Personalized medicine: Europe’s seeds are sown but not yet grown

To truly improve patients’ lives through personalized medicine, the seeds of innovation must be sown, and its capacity must be grown. Europe undoubtedly excels as an R&D hub, yet we fall behind when transforming ideas into tangible products and services. So how can we create an environment where personalized medicine can flourish and deliver real solutions for patients? That question was the focus of a recent meeting at the European Parliament where the PRECISEU consortium brought together key stakeholders to discuss the future of the field.

Reclaiming the mind: How virtual reality helped one woman silence the voices in her head

After 30 years of schizophrenia, a Danish woman found freedom through virtual reality therapy. Now the startup behind it HekaVR is changing the face of mental health care. This emotional story of success will be shared in a keynote at the HealthTech Investor Summit on 8-10 December in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Science for Health 2025: Stronger Regions, Greater Impact

Belgium’s flagship “biology meets technology” conference returns to Brussels this fall with a clear message: collaboration is key to keeping Europe at the front of health innovation. On 4 November 2025, Science for Health will explore how Belgium’s regional strengths and synergies can be combined to accelerate ATMP and new modalities—such as radioligand therapies and digital health solutions—to reinforce the country's global position in biotech and healthtech.