EVOLVE2CARE at ISPIM Connects Bangkok 2026

EVOLVE2CARE was presented at ISPIM Connects Bangkok 2026 (9–11 March), an international forum bringing together researchers, industry experts, and policymakers to exchange knowledge on innovation management and its real-world applications.

Addressing the Gap in Clinical Practice 

During the event, Evdokimos Konstantinidis from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) represented the EVOLVE2CARE through a presentation titled “Leveraging Living Labs to Integrate Research into Clinical Practice”, highlighting how Living Lab methodologies can support the adoption of digital health solutions in transitional care.

A central focus of the presentation was the persistent challenge of integrating research into everyday clinical settings. Drawing on findings from research involving Living Lab practitioners, Konstantinidis highlighted that while integration is essential, healthcare professionals face several critical obstacles:

  • Time Constraints: Heavy workloads often leave little room for research activities. 
  • Competing Care Priorities: Immediate clinical needs frequently take precedence over long-term research objectives. 
  • Misalignment: There is often a gap between research goals and actual clinical needs, coupled with a lack of aligned incentives for practitioners. 

The presentation emphasized that Living Lab methodologies are key to overcoming these barriers. By providing structured environments for co-creation and real-world testing, Living Labs act as enablers for transitional care innovation by: 

  • Improving Relevance: Ensuring research activities directly address clinical needs. 
  • Fostering Co-ownership: Engaging healthcare professionals directly in the innovation process. 
  • Enabling Collaboration: Facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships between researchers and clinicians. 
  • Supporting Validation: Testing and validating solutions within real care settings to ensure they work in practice. 

These insights align with EVOLVE2CARE’s broader mission to bridge the gap between innovation and implementation within healthcare systems.

Integrating research into everyday clinical settings remains a key challenge in healthcare innovation. Healthcare professionals often face barriers such as limited time, competing care priorities, and misalignment between research objectives and clinical needs. 

The EVOLVE2CARE contribution addressed these challenges by presenting findings from research involving Living Lab practitioners. The results underline that time constraints and lack of aligned incentives are among the most critical obstacles to integrating research into practice. 

From experimentation to Real-World Impact

Moving beyond theory, EVOLVE2CARE showcased its practical approach to supporting innovators through its experimentation frameworks. Rather than just providing theoretical guidance, the project matches innovators with Living Labs through a dedicated Open Call.

Under this model, selected innovators receive specialized experimentation services from certified Living Lab infrastructures to test their HealthTech solutions. The costs for these services are covered by the project’s Open Call budget, ensuring that financial barriers do not hinder the validation of high-impact technologies. 

Participation in ISPIM Connects Bangkok 2026 highlights EVOLVE2CARE’s contribution to international discussions on HealthTech innovation, Living Labs, and the integration of research into clinical practice.

Advancing Regulatory Learning in HealthTech through EVOLVE2CARE Workshops

Behind effective HealthTech innovation lies not only strong technology, but also a clear understanding of the regulatory environment in which it operates.

As part of its work on transitional care, EVOLVE2CARE organised two dedicated workshops in February and March 2026, bringing together innovators, Living Labs, researchers, and policymakers to explore how regulatory learning can support the real-world adoption of digital health solutions.

Workshop 1: Understanding regulatory barriers in transitional care

The first workshop, “Understanding Regulatory Barriers and Enablers in Transitional Care”, took place on 25 February 2026, gathering 19 participants in an interactive session focused on identifying key regulatory challenges.

The session introduced the concept of regulatory learning and explored how Living Labs can contribute to navigating complex regulatory environments. Through a hands-on exercise using a collaborative Miro board, participants shared real experiences, highlighting barriers related to compliance, policy fragmentation, and implementation constraints.

Beyond identifying challenges, the discussion also focused on potential solutions. Participants exchanged strategies for addressing regulatory obstacles and proposed policy measures that could better support innovation in transitional care.

Workshop 2: From insights to ecosystem-level discussion

Building on these initial findings, EVOLVE2CARE contributed to the ENoLL Joint Working Group on Regulatory Learning, relaunched on 4 March 2026, which brought together 61 participants.

During this session, EVOLVE2CARE presented the first results from the workshop and the regulatory learning survey, contributing to a wider discussion involving the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Living Lab practitioners across Europe.

The workshop also featured best practice examples, illustrating how regulatory learning approaches are already being applied in real settings. Participants reflected on key questions around skills development, capacity building, and the role of collaborative frameworks in supporting regulatory adaptation.

Across both sessions, a clear message emerged: regulatory challenges remain a major barrier to scaling digital health solutions, but they can be addressed through structured, collaborative approaches. 

The Vital Role of Living Labs

Across both sessions, a clear message emerged: regulatory challenges remain a major barrier to scaling digital health solutions, but they can be adA recurring theme across both workshops was that while regulatory challenges are significant, they are manageable through structured, collaborative approaches. Living Labs are central to this effort because they enable: 

  • Real-world testing: Validating solutions in actual care environments. 
  • Early identification: Spotting regulatory constraints before they become roadblocks. 
  • Stakeholder collaboration: Building stronger ties between innovators, healthcare providers, and policymakers. 

Looking Ahead

The work continues with a third workshop scheduled for May 2026. This upcoming session will focus on translating workshop and survey data into actionable recommendations, capacity-building activities, and policy-oriented outcomes for the HealthTech ecosystem.

By fostering this ongoing dialogue, EVOLVE2CARE aims to bridge the gap between innovation and implementation, creating a more responsive regulatory environment for the future of healthcare.

From Applications to Experimentation: The Journey Behind the EVOLVE2CARE Open Call

Behind every successful experimentation phase lies a carefully designed selection process.

For EVOLVE2CARE, the Open Call was not simply a call for proposals. It was the foundation of a structured pathway connecting HealthTech innovators with Living Labs across Europe. The Open Call marked the transition from interest to engagement, and from ideas to implementation.

This blog builds on insights from Deliverable D2.2 – “Living Labs, Innovators and Researchers Scouting and Selection Report”, which is publicly available on Zenodo and provides a transparent overview of the scouting, evaluation, and selection process behind the EVOLVE2CARE Open Call.

Designing an Open Call with Purpose

HealthTech innovation thrives when solutions are tested where care actually happens. With this in mind, the EVOLVE2CARE Open Call focused on identifying innovators and Living Labs ready to collaborate in three critical domains of transitional care:

  • Hospital discharge management
  • Remote monitoring and home-based care
  • Ageing and chronic care support

The objective was not only to select promising technologies, but to ensure alignment between innovators’ ambitions and the real-world experimentation capacity of Living Labs.

A Structured and Transparent Process

The scouting and selection process was designed to be clear, fair, and impact-oriented.

Applications were evaluated against predefined criteria that considered:

  • Relevance to transitional care use cases
  • Technical feasibility and maturity
  • Potential for measurable impact
  • Readiness for collaboration within Living Lab environments

Beyond scoring, the process also focused on matchmaking, ensuring that selected innovators were paired with Living Labs capable of supporting meaningful experimentation.

This structured approach ensures that the experimentation phase is grounded in strategic alignment rather than opportunistic selection.

From Selection to Real-World Validation

With the Open Call phase completed, selected mini-projects have now entered Living Lab environments for real-world experimentation.

This marks a critical shift. The focus moves:

  • From proposal quality to implementation performance
  • From theoretical value to practical usability
  • From innovation potential to measurable impact

Within Living Labs, solutions are tested in real healthcare contexts, involving professionals, patients, and ecosystem actors. This enables innovators to refine their tools, identify integration challenges early, and generate evidence that goes beyond technical feasibility.

Building Evidence for Sustainable Uptake

The Open Call was the first step in a broader journey toward sustainability and scalability.

By documenting the scouting and evaluation methodology, EVOLVE2CARE reinforces its commitment to transparency and replicability. The structured selection process lays the groundwork for credible experimentation outcomes, stronger positioning of project results, and future ecosystem adoption.

Readers interested in understanding the full methodology behind the Open Call scouting and selection process can explore Deliverable D2.2 – “Living Labs, Innovators and Researchers Scouting and Selection Report”, available publicly on Zenodo.

From applications to experimentation, EVOLVE2CARE continues to build a pathway where innovation is not only selected, but validated, strengthened, and positioned for real-world healthcare transformation.

EVOLVE2CARE in Athens: Aligning for Impact and Sustainability

On 17–18 February 2026, the EVOLVE2CARE consortium met in Athens, Greece, for its 4th Plenary Meeting. Held in parallel with Athens Digital Health Week 2026 (ADHW2026) at the Royal Olympic Hotel, the gathering offered more than just coordination updates, it created a moment to reflect, realign, and strengthen the project’s next phase within Europe’s rapidly evolving digital health landscape.

Across two intensive days, partners focused on consolidating the Open Call results, reinforcing the EVOLVE2CARE experimentation framework, advancing the positioning of AccelUP, and scaling outreach and sustainability efforts.

Day 1: From Open Call Results to Real-World Experimentation

The first day was dedicated to a pivotal transition point for the project: moving from Open Call completion to structured implementation in Living Lab environments.

Reflecting on the Open Call Impact

With the Open Calls now officially finalised, the consortium reviewed:

  • Key statistics and insights from the application and selection process
  • Improvements introduced through Deliverable D2.2
  • The shift from recruitment to real-world pilot implementation

Beyond numbers, the discussion focused on impact. How can the lessons learned from the Open Call strengthen communication materials and support the long-term positioning of project outcomes?

The emphasis is now clear: experimentation must generate measurable, documented value within Living Labs.

Strengthening the EVOLVE2CARE Experimentation Framework

Day 1 also included final roadmap presentations for three central deliverables shaping the project’s experimentation model:

  • D1.4 – Roadmap on navigating complexities enabling innovative technologies in transitional care
  • D1.5 – Stakeholder Needs Analysis and KPI Framework
  • D1.6 – EVOLVE2CARE Action Plan

Concrete decisions were taken to reinforce structure and comparability across pilots:

  • Each mini-project will submit a structured “initial context” (solution, target users, key assumptions) before pilots begin, enabling meaningful before/after analysis.
  • A Regulatory & Ethics Log will allow Living Labs to systematically record compliance and data-related issues during implementation.
  • The KPI framework will be disseminated beyond the consortium, engaging relevant European health clusters and sister projects.

Day 2: Connecting Ecosystem Dialogue with Strategic Planning

The second day blended external engagement at ADHW2026 with focused internal alignment on evaluation, outreach, and long-term sustainability.

Engaging the Digital Health Ecosystem at ADHW2026

On the morning of 18 February, EVOLVE2CARE hosted the workshop:

“Engaging the Value of Living Labs to Innovate Healthcare”

Chaired by Despoina Petsani (AUTH), the session brought together innovators, clinicians, researchers, and ecosystem actors to tackle a pressing HealthTech question:

How can promising digital solutions successfully transition from pilot testing to routine clinical practice?

The discussion went beyond technology development and addressed the structural realities of healthcare innovation, including regulatory complexity, GDPR compliance, interoperability limitations, integration into clinical workflows, and fragmented stakeholder collaboration.

Across contributions, Living Labs emerged as structured experimentation environments capable of reducing deployment risks while generating real-world validation.

🔗 Read the full workshop recap here.

Aligning the Next Phase of the Project

Returning to the plenary discussions, partners focused on shaping the next phase of EVOLVE2CARE.

The agenda centred on five strategic priorities:

  • Structuring the evaluation framework for mini-project experimentation
  • Aligning questionnaires and feedback tools for innovators and Living Labs
  • Strengthening AccelUP’s positioning beyond the Open Call phase
  • Expanding participation in European Commission and EIT-related events
  • Planning sustainability and exploitation activities for all project results

Key Highlights from the Discussions

  • Evaluation tools were aligned to ensure structured before/after feedback capturing both technical and market-oriented value.
  • Pricing perception and value-creation questions were integrated into experimentation surveys.
  • Complementary assessment mechanisms were coordinated to ensure systematic data collection.
  • The exploitation approach was further defined, combining questionnaire-based validation with market and competitor analysis.
  • Dissemination efforts will intensify in the “Global Outreach & Sustainability” phase, with stronger participation in European-level events, broader press outreach, and enhanced digital engagement.
  • Strategic planning began for participation in Open Living Lab Days and policy-oriented events to showcase the project’s KPI framework and experimentation insights.

Key Decisions Moving Forward

  • Mini-project evaluation will follow a structured, comparable methodology capturing both experimentation outcomes and market insights.
  • Two internal exploitation workshops will be organized. One dedicated to AccelUP positioning, and another focusing on the remaining project results.
  • Outreach efforts will prioritise European Commission–related events and EIT KIC engagement.
  • Communication efforts will intensify, with coordinated partner promotion and increased focus on subscriber growth and stakeholder engagement.

A Strategic Transition Point

The 4th Plenary Meeting marked a clear evolution for EVOLVE2CARE:

  • From Open Call recruitment to structured pilot implementation
  • From framework design to measurable evidence generation
  • From awareness-building to strategic European outreach
  • From experimentation to sustainability planning

With mini-projects underway, evaluation tools aligned, and exploitation strategy defined, EVOLVE2CARE moves forward with a clearer pathway toward scalable, validated, and ecosystem-integrated HealthTech innovation!