CONVERGING highlights the power of collaboration at the HaDEA Showcase Event 2026
On the 19th of January 2026, the CONVERGING project took centre stage at the HaDEA Showcase Event in Brussels, a major European forum organised by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. The event brought together policymakers, researchers, industry representatives and innovators to spotlight EU-funded projects delivering tangible impact across Europe’s digital, health and industrial ecosystems.
The Showcase Event served as a platform to explore how European research and innovation can move more efficiently from concept to real-world application. Across panel discussions and exchanges, participants examined ways to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness by improving regulatory environments, reinforcing skills development, scaling innovation along value chains and ensuring that project results are effectively communicated beyond research communities.
Advancing innovation through skills, trust and engagement
CONVERGING’s presence at the event underscored its commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration and inclusive innovation models. Represented by Nikos Dimitropoulos, the project actively contributed to discussions on closing the gap between academia and industry, one of the recurring challenges highlighted throughout the event.
During the panel “Boosting Innovation and Enhancing Competitiveness,” Dimitropoulos emphasised the importance of investing in training and engaging users early in the innovation process. He underlined that building trust and ensuring adoption requires more than technological excellence; it depends on involving local industry and end users from the outset, aligning solutions with real needs and expectations.
The panel brought together perspectives from several Horizon Europe initiatives, including SYNTECS, REEPRODUCE and THCS, highlighting how collaboration across sectors and disciplines accelerates innovation and improves outcomes.
Communication, sustainability and the role of AI
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the need for clear and accessible communication across the entire value chain. Speakers agreed that innovation results must be presented in simple, shared language and supported by visible success stories to ensure knowledge transfer beyond project environments and into wider markets and society.
Sustainability also emerged as a core pillar of European competitiveness. Participants stressed that innovation must be developed with long-term impact in mind, supported by value-chain integration and multidisciplinary approaches that allow solutions to progress from research to deployment.
Artificial intelligence was identified as a powerful enabler of this transition. David Bruneel highlighted AI’s ability to accelerate data analysis, uncover patterns and address complex challenges more efficiently, while noting that Europe’s strong scientific and technological base provides a solid foundation for scaling such solutions.
A connected European innovation ecosystem
Through its contributions to the event, CONVERGING reaffirmed the importance of ensuring that knowledge generated within EU-funded projects is not only excellent, but also understandable, transferable and adopted well beyond project lifecycles, turning research results into lasting value for Europe’s economy and society.
YouTube link preview: https://youtu.be/-M1VW15z-bg?si=4R5gpWkaa0elhxcJ