EVOLVE2CARE took center stage at the EIC Summit 2026, one of Europe’s flagship events for innovation and entrepreneurship. Held on 4 June 2026, the Summit brought together startups, researchers, investors, policymakers, and innovation support organizations to discuss how breakthrough ideas can successfully reach the market and generate societal impact.
As part of the EUnicorners sessions hosted within the EIC Pavilion, EVOLVE2CARE contributed to two dedicated presentations showcasing how Living Labs can support innovators in navigating the complex journey from concept validation to real-world adoption.
Living Labs as a Competitive Advantage
The first session, “Living Labs as a competitive advantage for European companies” presented by Martina Desole from the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), focused on how Living Labs can transform innovation from a high-risk process into a structured, evidence-based pathway.
The presentation highlighted the unique value that Living Labs provide to innovators by offering access to users, facilities, expertise, and real-life testing environments. Through co-creation, experimentation, and validation, Living Labs help innovators reduce uncertainty, identify challenges early, and generate evidence that supports investment and market uptake.
The session emphasized that innovation success depends not only on technological excellence but also on understanding user needs, regulatory requirements, and real-world implementation conditions.
Accelerating HealthTech Innovation in Transitional Care
Later in the day, Despoina Petsani from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki presented the session “Accelerating HealthTech Innovation in Transitional Care through Living Labs: Lessons from the EVOLVE2CARE Project.” The presentation highlighted how EVOLVE2CARE supports innovators in validating HealthTech solutions within transitional care environments through Living Lab methodologies and real-world experimentation.
A central message was that successful healthcare innovation requires more than technological excellence. Living Labs provide innovators with access to users, multidisciplinary expertise, testing infrastructures, and structured co-creation processes that help address challenges related to validation, user acceptance, ethics, and regulatory compliance. The session also showcased AccelUP, the EVOLVE2CARE marketplace connecting innovators with certified Living Lab services, as well as the experimentation vouchers that enable companies to access testing and validation support.
As EVOLVE2CARE continues supporting innovators across Europe, the EIC Summit reinforced a key message: successful healthcare innovation requires more than technology alone. It requires collaboration, validation, and engagement with the people and environments where innovation will ultimately be used.
