On 16 September 2026, EVOLVE2CARE brought its community together online for the project’s Final Event, marking the culmination of two years of collaboration dedicated to strengthening experimentation and innovation in transitional care.
The event was not simply an opportunity to look back at what EVOLVE2CARE has achieved. It brought together the people, experiences and results that shaped the project: HealthTech innovators, Living Labs, project partners, the Advisory Board and representatives of the European innovation ecosystem. Together, they reflected on what happens when innovative health solutions move beyond development and are tested in real-life environments — and what Europe can do to make that journey easier, safer and more effective.
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From an Open Call to real-life experimentation
Following the welcome by Evdokimos Konstantinidis and Panagiotis Bamidis from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Kriza Christine, Project Officer, placed EVOLVE2CARE within the wider context of the HORIZON-EIE-2023-CONNECT-02-01 call and its ambition to strengthen connected innovation ecosystems.
A central part of the event was dedicated to one of the defining elements of EVOLVE2CARE: bringing HealthTech innovators and Living Labs together for real-life experimentation.
The EVOLVE2CARE experimentation approach and the outcomes of the Open Call were introduced before the floor was given to the innovators and Living Labs themselves. Through a series of real-life use cases, participants reflected on their collaboration and shared tangible experiences from the experimentation process. Rather than discussing innovation only in theoretical terms, these exchanges highlighted what real-world validation can reveal: how solutions interact with users, healthcare environments and existing practices, and how experimentation can help innovators identify what needs to change before solutions can progress further.
This practical experimentation model was at the heart of EVOLVE2CARE. Through the project, 10 mini-consortia were selected following the Open Call, enabling innovators to work with Living Labs and validate their solutions in real-world settings.
Looking beyond EVOLVE2CARE: what comes next for transitional care?
The Final Event also deliberately looked beyond the lifetime of the project.
During a dedicated Advisory Board session, participants discussed the future of transitional care, emerging challenges and opportunities, and the role that collaborative innovation could play over the next decade. The discussion reinforced a central lesson from EVOLVE2CARE: technological innovation alone is not enough. Bringing solutions into real healthcare environments requires collaboration among innovators, experimentation facilities, healthcare actors, users, policymakers and other parts of the innovation ecosystem.
The final part of the programme brought together some of the knowledge and tools developed throughout EVOLVE2CARE. Partners revisited the barriers and enablers identified during the innovation and experimentation process and presented the project’s policy recommendations for supporting the adoption and scaling of innovation in transitional care.
Participants were also introduced to the tools and resources that can carry the project’s work forward, including the AccelUP experimentation infrastructure, the EVOLVE2CARE KPI Framework and the project’s training resources for innovators and Living Labs. The session concluded by reflecting on the impact of the Open Call and the lessons generated through the experimentation journey.
The project ends, but its results continue
Although the Final Event marked the closing stage of EVOLVE2CARE, the knowledge, tools and connections developed through the project are intended to remain useful beyond its formal lifetime.
AccelUP provides a foundation for connecting innovators with experimentation opportunities; the KPI Framework offers a structured approach for assessing HealthTech experimentation and its impact; and the project’s training resources capture practical knowledge for both innovators and Living Labs. Together, these results reflect EVOLVE2CARE’s broader effort to make real-life experimentation more accessible and useful for HealthTech innovation.
Most importantly, EVOLVE2CARE leaves behind the experience generated by the people who participated in it — partners, innovators, Living Labs, experts, trainers, policymakers and stakeholders who contributed their knowledge, challenges, ideas and time throughout the project.
Thank you for being part of EVOLVE2CARE
As EVOLVE2CARE comes to an end, we would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey.
To our project partners, for two years of collaboration and commitment. To the innovators and Living Labs who took part in the Open Call and experimentation activities, for putting the EVOLVE2CARE approach into practice. To our Advisory Board, speakers, trainers and external experts, for challenging our thinking and sharing their expertise. And to everyone who joined our workshops, training sessions, events and online community, for helping us build a conversation around the future of HealthTech innovation and transitional care.
The project may be reaching its formal conclusion, but the collaborations, knowledge and resources created through EVOLVE2CARE provide a foundation on which others can continue to build.
Thank you for evolving with us.
