Last week we attended the Rebuild Ukraine international exhibition and conference in Warsaw, together with representatives from 33 countries interested in coordinated European engagement for Ukraine’s reconstruction. We presented the Clusters4Health consortium and our collaborative approach to connecting health-related innovation ecosystems across Europe and Ukraine. The discussions confirmed that structured cluster cooperation can accelerate access to expertise, infrastructure and validated solutions.
Ukrainian universities, companies and regional stakeholders requested details about our methodology, including partner discovery, needs assessment, and the design of joint pilot actions. During the event, we also exchanged with colleagues from Oslo Cancer Cluster and agreed to prepare thematic working sessions and site visits scheduled for early December in Oslo, focused on practical immersion and project-driven matchmaking.
On the European Commission stage, we emphasised our joint interest in health-related technologies that contribute to resilience, including topics relevant to security and defence. The knowledge gained in Romania and Catalonia has already helped us identify committed partners and understand how mature cluster ecosystems operate. We continue the collaboration process with consortium members and maintain active contact with organisations in Scotland, Belgium and Poland.
The event programme included intensive B2B sessions and investment project pitches from more than 150 Ukrainian communities. A recurring message concerned the need for financing pathways that allow innovative solutions to progress despite resource constraints. We believe that coordinated partnerships, supported by cluster-based collaboration, can help transform validated ideas into implementable results.
