Three Leading Digital Health Hubs Join Forces to Build a Pan-European Innovation Network

Three Leading Digital Health Hubs Join Forces to Build a Pan-European Innovation Network

Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub, Future4care, and the Future of Health Grant unite to drive cross-border collaboration and accelerate the growth of digital health solutions across Europe.

Lausanne, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid – September 2025

Three of Europe’s most dynamic health innovation ecosystems are joining forces to create a pan-European alliance dedicated to the future of digital health. The Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub, Future4care, and the Future of Health Grant (led by EPFL Innovation Park in Switzerland) have signed partnership agreements to accelerate cross-border startup support, collaborative research, and shared access to healthcare systems. Together, they aim to transform the way health innovations are tested, validated, and scaled across Europe.

A Partnership Born in Barcelona

This collaboration took shape at the Health Revolution Congress 2025 in Barcelona, where the three organizations shared a panel on "International Hubs’ Collaboration Across Countries." The discussion emphasized a shared vision: that in order to succeed, health startups must think multi-country from Day 1.

“We need to pilot solutions on the field with providers and payers, do so in one health care system and rapidly replicate in another,” said Mathilde Durvy, Manager of the Future of Health Grant. “That’s what this partnership is about—making it easier for European health innovators to scale across borders.”

One concrete example is Onescope, a Future of Health Grant-supported startup that showcased its AI-powered “Shazam® for Lungs” at the Congress. Following the event, Onescope began exploring collaboration with both Future4care’s Go-to-Market program and Barcelona Health Hub’s Digital Health Validation Center, while continuing to pilot in Swiss hospitals. This multi-country approach is exactly the kind of dynamic the partnership aims to support.

“One of the biggest challenges for digital health startups is clinical validation in real-world settings,” said Eva Rosell, CEO of Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub. “Through this partnership, we’re opening doors to faster, cross-border validation and helping innovators bridge the gap between prototypes and market-ready solutions.”

Connecting Europe’s Leading Digital Health Ecosystems

Each partner brings unique strengths to the collaboration:

Future of Health Grant (Switzerland)
Launched in 2022 by CSS and the EPFL Innovation Park, the Future of Health Grant supports early-stage digital health startups through tailored coaching, non-dilutive funding (up to CHF 90,000), and access to Switzerland’s leading healthcare institutions. Switzerland’s collaborative healthcare environment and global pharmaceutical presence make it an ideal testbed for health innovations.

Future4care (France/Germany)
Based in Paris and powered by Capgemini, Generali, Orange, and Sanofi, Future4care is a leading Franco-German HealthTech ecosystem. Its mission is to connect startups, industry, clinicians, and researchers to accelerate the success of innovative solutions. Future4care drives internationalization and scale-up through tailored programs, strategic partnerships, a unique network, and privileged access to the French and German healthcare markets.

Barcelona and Madrid Health Hub (Spain)
Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub is an international reference in digital health innovation. With more than 500 members, it combines Barcelona’s strength in clinical validation through its Digital Health Validation Center with Madrid’s role as a new epicenter for digital transformation in healthcare, making it a gateway to Southern Europe’s health market and beyond.

A Shared Vision: Europe-Wide Impact

Through signed Memoranda of Understanding, the three organizations have committed to:

Ecosystem Cross-Connections – Facilitate introductions between startups and relevant partners (corporates, hospitals, investors) across Switzerland, France, Germany, and Spain.

Co-Organized Events & Workshops – Host joint webinars and physical events to explore shared healthcare challenges and market-specific insights.

European Consortium Support – Identify opportunities to co-develop Horizon Europe, Eurostars, or IHI-funded projects by leveraging each ecosystem’s network and expertise.

Moving From Regional Innovation to Europe by Design

This alliance reflects a broader ambition: to build an interconnected European innovation ecosystem where a startup can launch in one country and pilot in another within a year, with smoother access to validation, regulatory alignment, and market entry.

“This is just the beginning,” said Agnès de Leersnyder, CEO at Future4care. “At Future4care, we truly believe in the power of alliances and collaborations, and this partnership between our three organizations will enable us to go further and faster. It lays the foundation for truly European innovation in digital health.”

Media Contacts:

EPFL Innovation Park / Future of Health Grant
Mathilde Durvy – Manager Future of Health Grant
durvy@epfl-innovationpark.ch

Future4care
Justine Spitzer – Head of Communications
justine@future4care.com

Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub
Marta Santiago Machado – Director of Communications & Institutional Relations
msantiago@barcelonahealthhub.com