ICT&health World Conference 2027
Tuesday 26 till Thursday 28 January 2027
Healthcare transformation is no longer a future discussion. It is already shaping daily practice in hospitals, primary care, homes and boardrooms. Clinical AI supports decision making, digital triage is becoming standard in primary care, robotics and smart logistics reduce workload and interoperable data infrastructures connect healthcare systems across regions and countries.
The ICT&health World Conference is the annual gathering where healthcare leaders, clinicians, policymakers, researchers and technology innovators come together to discuss how these developments are implemented in practice.
With thousands of participants and a community in which more than seventy percent work directly in healthcare, the conference offers a unique environment where practical experience, policy, technology and leadership meet.
Solutions are demonstrated, implementations are discussed and collaborations are initiated. Ideas are tested and strategic decisions take shape.
If you want to understand where healthcare is heading, this is where the conversation happens.
Location: MECC Maastricht
Registration for this event is unavailable.
Information
Where healthcare transformation takes shape
Healthcare systems around the world are undergoing rapid transformation. Clinical AI is supporting decision making in hospitals, digital triage is becoming common in primary care, robotics and smart logistics are reducing pressure on healthcare staff and interoperable data infrastructures are connecting healthcare systems across regions and countries. The conference brings together more than 10,000 healthcare professionals, policymakers, innovators and technology leaders from across Europe and beyond.
At the same time, healthcare systems are facing increasing workforce shortages, financial pressure and organisational complexity. Innovation itself is no longer the main challenge. The real challenge lies in implementation, governance and making strategic decisions about how healthcare systems should evolve.
The ICT&health World Conference 2027 is the international platform where these questions are discussed and addressed. Each year, the conference brings together more than 10,000 participants from across Europe and beyond and has grown into one of Europe’s leading gatherings on healthcare transformation. More than seventy percent of attendees work directly in healthcare, including hospital leaders, medical specialists, nurses, CIOs, policymakers and healthcare innovators.
Hosted in Maastricht, at the heart of Europe, the conference provides a natural meeting place for healthcare leaders, policymakers and innovators from across countries and healthcare systems.
The exhibition floor functions as a real-world experience environment. Organisations demonstrate solutions that are already being used in practice as well as innovations that will shape the near future. Visitors experience how AI is applied in radiology and pathology, but also in primary care and population health management. They see how robotics and smart logistics support workflows in hospitals and nursing homes, how remote monitoring and hybrid care models are implemented and how healthcare organisations are building secure and interoperable data infrastructures.
Conversations at the conference focus on implementation, governance, scaling and financing rather than promises or hype. This makes it possible to distinguish between emerging ideas and solutions that are already proving their value in practice.
From strategy to real-world implementation
The conference programme includes more than 150 sessions across three days. International keynotes, leadership panels, deep dives, strategic workshops and live demonstrations together create a comprehensive programme focused on real-world healthcare transformation.
Increasingly, organisations attend with multidisciplinary teams. Hospital leadership, clinicians, IT leaders and healthcare professionals participate together, strengthening collaboration, improving internal alignment and helping organisations move faster from strategy to implementation. For many international participants, January has therefore become the moment when the healthcare year effectively begins, when priorities are set, partnerships are explored and new initiatives are launched.
From the Netherlands, ICT&health plays a connecting role between healthcare systems, policymakers, innovators and technology partners across countries. The conversations that start during the conference continue throughout the year through the national and international ICT&health platforms, interviews and podcasts.
Anyone working to improve healthcare knows that innovation alone is not enough. It requires collaboration, leadership and the willingness to make strategic choices.
The ICT&health World Conference brings together the people responsible for making those choices.
For more information about participation or strategic partnerships:
events@icthealth.org
Program
The programme of the ICT&health World Conference 2027 is carefully designed around the central question facing healthcare today: what works, what scales, and which decisions truly make the difference?
Over three days, international keynotes, in-depth sessions, strategic workshops and live demonstrations are brought together in a format that connects policy, practice and technology. Not isolated presentations, but coherent programme tracks in which implementation is the guiding principle.
In 2027, the programme will provide additional depth in areas such as the international AI track, the European data agenda and the European Health Data Space, cultural change and leadership, nursing innovation and the established Nurse Track, hybrid care models, governance and sustainable financing. Dedicated sessions will address the specific perspectives of board members, healthcare professionals, IT leaders, technology partners and public authorities.
Live podcast recordings will also be integrated into the programme, offering space for speakers and experts to deepen and contextualise the dialogue.
The full programme will be announced in the coming months. What is already clear is that substance, practical relevance and measurable impact will lead the agenda.
Search for sessions
Conference board
The ICT&health World Conference 2027 is guided by a dedicated Conference Board consisting of Lucien Engelen, Conny Helder, Bianca Rouwenhorst and Tom Xhofleer. Together, they combine experience from clinical practice, executive leadership, public policy and international innovation. Through their respective roles and networks, they safeguard the substantive direction of the conference and ensure that the programme reflects the realities shaping healthcare in the Netherlands and internationally.
The Conference Board advises on the strategic thematic lines, the selection of speakers and the positioning of the conference within the broader healthcare landscape. In doing so, it ensures that the ICT&health World Conference is not only current, but also directional and relevant for decision-makers and professionals. Their involvement underscores the character of the conference as a content-driven platform where quality, implementation and collaboration are central.
Conny Helder
Board member ICT&health
Lucien Engelen
CEO Transform.Health
Bianca Rouwenhorst
Director of Information Policy Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport
Tom Xhofleer
CEO & Founder ICT&healthImpression
Location
The ICT&health World Conference 2026 takes place at MECC Maastricht, located at Forum 100, 6229 GV Maastricht, the Netherlands. This international convention centre sits in the heart of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion and is easily accessible from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Thanks to the city’s compact layout, the congress venue, hotels and the historic city centre are all within short distance of each other.
MECC Maastricht offers modern conference facilities, extensive exhibition space and all the infrastructure required for international knowledge exchange. Combined with Maastricht’s historic city centre nearby, it creates an environment where discussions, networking and new collaborations naturally continue beyond the conference sessions.
Accommodation
Would you like to combine your visit with a comfortable stay, as many other participants do? You can book your hotel accommodation here and secure your stay in Maastricht during the conference.
Car
As you approach Maastricht, you will see ‘MECC’ indicated on motorway signs; these will guide you to the MECC Maastricht car parks. Coming from Amsterdam/Eindhoven, take exit 55 (Randwyck-MECC) and from Paris-Liège take exit 56 (Gronsveld-MECC).
Open in MapsBus
A bus leaves every five minutes from Maastricht city centre or Maastricht Central Station headed to MECC Maastricht (Forum MECC bus stop).
Plan your trip with 9292ov.nlTrain
The Maastricht-Randwyck train station is 250 metres from MECC Maastricht, and is connected to an international rail network. There are also regular connections to Maastricht Central Station which is part of the (inter)national rail network.
Plan your trip with 9292ov.nlAirplane
Several international airports are located within a short travel distance, including Maastricht Aachen Airport, Eindhoven Airport, Brussels Airport and Düsseldorf Airport. Thanks to the compact nature of the city, hotels, restaurants and the historic centre are all within easy reach of the conference venue.
Plan your tripThe city as an extension of the conference
Maastricht is compact, accessible and internationally oriented. The historic city centre is located just minutes from MECC. Conversations continue there after the sessions conclude, in an informal setting where executives, professionals and innovators meet in an environment where content and networking naturally come together.
In collaboration with Visit Maastricht, Maastricht Marketing and the Maastricht Convention Bureau, additional activities and tailored arrangements are developed for participants and exhibitors. These may include cultural programmes, culinary experiences and partner events. All options are offered through a dedicated environment, with bookings and arrangements handled directly between participant and provider.
For inspiration on accommodation and activities, please visit the city’s official platform: Visit Maastricht.
Limburg as a strategic meeting place
From Limburg, the conference gains broader European relevance. The region functions as a bridge between countries and healthcare systems, strengthening both the international positioning of the conference and the Netherlands as a global hub. The combination of accessibility, scalability and hospitality makes Maastricht a logical location for a platform where international collaboration and implementation are central.
Join the ICT&health World Conference 2027. For participation or strategic partnership: events@icthealth.org
