The Medical University of Gdańsk hosted the Health Innovation Connect Day conference, which focused on the development of innovation in healthcare and collaboration between the scientific community and the socio-economic sector. The event was organised by the MUG’s Centre of Technology Transfer, the Pomerania Development Agency, and the University Clinical Centre, under the patronage of Pomeranian Voivode Beata Rutkiewicz, Pomeranian Voivodeship Marshal Mieczysław Struk, and Mayor of Gdańsk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz. The conference was attended by representatives from science, business, and the medical sector interested in the development of modern solutions for the healthcare system.
On behalf of the Medical University of Gdańsk, the event was opened by Prof. Agnieszka Zimmermann, Vice-Rector for Education at the MUG. The University Clinical Centre was represented by its Executive Director, Jakub Kraszewski, Ph.D., while the Pomerania Development Agency was represented by its Managing Director, Katarzyna Matuszak-Dzierżyńska. A presentation on innovation at the MUG and the University Clinical Centre was delivered by Katarzyna Waligóra-Borek, Ph.D., Acting Director of the MUG’s Centre of Technology Transfer , and Dariusz Szplit, Head of the Department of Innovation, Analytics, and Medical Technology Implementation at the University Clinical Centre, the MUG hospital.
The conference provided a space for exchanging experiences, presenting projects, and establishing cooperation among communities involved in innovation development. Participants had the opportunity for direct discussions, consultations, and presentations of their own ideas, which encouraged the initiation of new research and development projects and partnership building.
The event programme included presentations by experts and themed sessions dedicated to, among other things, funding opportunities for health projects, including European programmes. Speakers included Dagmara Robakowska-Hyżorek, Ph.D. Eng. from the National Contact Point for Research Programmes at the National Centre for Research and Development, Karolina Gutt-Mostowy from the European Commission’s Innovative Health Initiative, as well as Monika Ślęzak, Ph.D. and Marta Duda-Sikuła, Ph.D. from The Łukasiewicz Research Network’s Medical Technologies and Health Sectoral Contact Point.
The pitching session, during which innovative solutions and project concepts were presented, attracted significant interest. Participants had the opportunity to receive feedback from experts and potential business partners. Another key element of the event was the matchmaking area and the EXPO area, which facilitated individual meetings and in-depth discussions.
The conference was attended by representatives of universities and research institutions, companies from the medical and biotechnology sectors, startups developing healthtech solutions, as well as hospitals, clinical units, and institutions supporting the development of research and innovation. Such broad representation emphasized the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration in creating modern solutions for medicine.
The Health Innovation Connect Day event confirmed that the development of innovation in healthcare requires close cooperation between science, business, and clinical practice. The meeting created the conditions for the further development of joint initiatives and projects that may in the future translate into implementations and improvements in the quality of healthcare.
The event was organised by: Justyna Janczak from the Pomerania Development Agency, Karolina Lignowska from the University Clinical Centre, theMUG hospital, and Joanna Przybytek-Kobierna from the MUG’s Centre of Technology Transfer. The conference was covered by TVP3 Gdańsk and Radio Gdańsk.
