Innovation Awards

Health on Stage & Hospitals.be Innovation Awards 2026

The Innovation Awards foster collaboration between Belgian hospitals and the health innovation industry by providing direct financial support for pilot projects that address pressing healthcare challenges.

From challenge to pilot:
Bringing innovation to Belgian hospitals

Belgian hospitals face urgent challenges but often lack resources to test innovative solutions. Startups and SMEs offer fresh ideas but need pilot opportunities.

The Hospitals.be + Health on Stage Innovation Awards provide targeted financial support to two selected collaborations, with €10,000 awarded per project helping hospital–startup/SME collaborations to launch pilot projects and present the results at Health on Stage 2028.

Award themes

Projects must fall under one of five categories:

01.

Humanless Hospitals

Efficiency without empathy? From robot-assisted surgeries to automated pathways

02.

AI-Powered Hospitals

Algorithms as doctors: responsibility, safety and clinical intuition

03.

Brick-less Hospitals

Virtual wards, remote diagnostics: liberation or alienation?

04.

Patient-free Medicine

Predict, prevent, treat before illness appears

05.

Big Data, Little Care

When numbers dominate, do we still listen to patients?

What we fund

Joint pilot projects between a Belgian hospital and an EU-based startup/SME (<10 years), addressing a pressing hospital challenge
Two Awards of €10,000 each, with the hospital covering any additional costs required to conduct the pilot
Selected projects must present preliminary results at Health on Stage 2028

Eligibility & Applications

Awards are open to Belgian hospitals indicating an intention to collaborate with an EU-based startup/SME
Maximum three applications per hospital, with funding starting at €5,000 for each project. The hospital must cover any additional costs required to conduct the pilot
Projects must be feasible within 18 months, starting Q1 2026
Applications can be submitted in English, French or Dutch