Photo: Rigshospitalet’s CEO, Rasmus Møgelvang, welcomes participants to the first day of the Copenhagen Life Science Summit, where experts from across Europe will work to find a common recipe for implementing the European Life Science Strategy.
More than 300 European leaders, researchers, clinicians, patients, and policymakers are gathered in Copenhagen to ensure that the EU’s new life science strategy, Choose Europe for Life Sciences, does not remain words on paper but leads to real change.
On October 8, Rigshospitalet and the Capital Region of Denmark are hosting the first of two conference days, while Healthcare Denmark will host the second day at the Maersk Tower on October 9. On the opening day, the participants will work side by side to develop concrete recommendations for implementing the European life science strategy.
- “The summit is about starting a new kind of conversation across the ecosystem – one where we work together to find solutions. It’s not just about ideas but about implementation. By the end of the day, we want to deliver concrete input that can guide Europe’s next steps in health innovation – with patients at the centre,” says Rasmus Møgelvang, CEO of Rigshospitalet.
Throughout the day, participants will take part in breakout sessions covering five key themes: improving translational research, stimulating innovation through better knowledge sharing, boosting the uptake of medical technologies and reducing low-value care, advancing personalised medicine powered by data and AI, and enabling faster regulatory processes.
Bold recommendations
The roundtables will not just highlight the obstacles holding Europe back, but also bring for-ward tangible solutions designed to change how health innovation reaches patients. The participants have been asked to bring bold solutions to the table.
One concrete idea that they will discuss is the creation of a European Council for Health Research – a body that could provide the strategic leadership needed to overcome the current fragmentation of research efforts across member states. Another is to simplify and harmonise the rules for clinical trials and data use, making it easier and faster to test new treatments and technologies across borders.
Experts will also discuss how Europe can mobilise stronger, mission-driven partnerships to tackle some of the continent’s biggest health challenges, from cancer and cardiovascular disease to antimicrobial resistance. Patients’ lives could also be transformed by a fully operational European Health Data Space, where clear rules for data sharing and consent would finally unlock the potential of Europe’s unique registries and biobanks. And to make sure promising innovations actually reach hospitals and patients, proposals include rethinking state aid and regulatory frameworks so that investment flows more freely, and adoption of new solutions happens faster.
The ambition is to create a European life science ecosystem that delivers faster research, smarter use of data, and quicker access for patients – while at the same time boosting jobs, investment, and Europe’s position in global competition.
The outcomes from today’s discussions will be consolidated into a report with recommenda-tions for the European Commission and member states. The goal is to provide actionable proposals on how Europe can speed up research, innovation, and uptake of new solutions – and thereby position itself as the world’s most attractive region for life sciences by 2030.
Five key themes
In breakout sessions, international experts will debate five of the most pressing challenges for European healthcare and life science. Each group will deliver concrete implementation proposals:
1. Improved translational research
Europe is strong in basic research but lags in translating discoveries into patient bene-fit. Proposals will focus on better coordination, less bureaucracy, stronger funding across the research value chain, and new collaborative models such as clinical academic groups and multinational platform trials.
2. Stimulating Innovation through better knowledge sharing
Hospitals, universities, industry, investors, and regulators must work more closely to-gether to accelerate the development and deployment of new sustainable healthcare solutions. Experts will outline pathways for stronger knowledge transfer both within and between Europe’s innovation districts.
3. Boosting the uptake of medical technologies and reducing low-value care
Up to 20% of healthcare spending brings little or no patient benefit. Proposals will in-clude using adaptive platform trials and health data to speed up evaluation, validating de-implementation of ineffective care, and freeing resources for high-value innovation that benefits both patients and healthcare systems.
4. Personalised medicine powered by data and AI
Europe holds unique health data resources but lacks full integration. Proposals will include unlocking access through the European Health Data Space, building sustainable supercomputing infrastructure, and ensuring AI is developed and applied in line with European values. The aim: make personalised medicine and prevention available to more patients, from rare diseases to cancer.
5. Faster regulatory processes
Europe’s regulatory framework is seen as too complex and fragmented. Experts will propose bold solutions such as harmonised interpretations across member states, digitalised and AI-supported approval processes, and agile regulations that can adapt to new technologies without compromising patient safety.