Final Conference
MOBILISING NEW FINANCIAL APPROACHES FOR EQUITABLE HEALTH AND WELLBEING
28 May 2026 (09.00h-17.15h)
Venue: Brussels, European Committee of the Regions
How can we finance prevention, equity, and wellbeing in a sustainable way?
European health systems face increasing pressure from ageing populations, workforce shortages, rising costs, and the long-term impacts of COVID-19. Chronic diseases already account for over 75% of healthcare spending. Investing in prevention is no longer optional – it is essential.
The Invest4Health project, funded by Horizon Europe, addresses this challenge through Smart Capacitating Investment (SCI) – an approach that treats prevention as a long-term social and economic investment. SCI combines financial and non-financial resources to strengthen communities, address social determinants, and reduce inequalities.
Over four years, Invest4Health has worked with eight regional testbeds to design and test SCI in practice. The project has:
- Developed innovative and context-sensitive financing models
- Tested outcome-based and blended funding approaches
- Strengthened cross-sector collaboration and governance
- Generated evidence on what works and under what conditions
- Supported regions with tools for implementation and scaling
A key focus has been on innovative financing, combining public and private resources, as well as citizen involvement, ensuring solutions reflect real community needs
The final event marks a transition from project results to real-world uptake. It brings together policymakers, investors, and practitioners to explore how SCI can be scaled and embedded into health systems.
Join us in Brussels on 28 May 2026 at the European Committee of the Regions.
Let’s move from pilots to policy — and from short-term costs to long-term investment in health.
PROGRAMME
SESSION 1 – PLENARY
WELCOME AND KEYNOTE SPEECHES – SETTING THE CONTEXT
09:00 – 09:20 | WELCOME SPEECHES | From a Horizon Europe project to action: Mobilising Invest4Health – What our consortium built, why it matters, and what comes next
09:20 – 09:40 | KEYNOTE SPEECH | Why act now? Turning the prevention investment gap into an opportunity for equity and sustainability
09:40 – 10:00 | KEYNOTE SPEECH | From costs to capacity: Rethinking public investment in prevention – National investment models for prevention and the future of health financing
10:00 – 10:20 | KEYNOTE SPEECH | How to attract private and blended finance for investment in health promotion and well-being
10:20 – 10:30 | Q&A | Questions and discussion
10:30 – 11:00 | COFFEE BREAK | NETWORKING
SESSION 2 – PLENARY
FROM PILOTS TO SCALABLE INVESTMENTS – HOW THE SCI CONCEPT HELPS IN MOVING FROM PILOTS TO REPEATABLE AND SCALABLE PUBLIC HEALTH INVESTMENTS
11:00 – 11:15 | PRESENTATION | Smart Capacitating Investment: Investor motivation and available finance models
11:15 – 11:30 | PRESENTATION | What would draw banks into financing health impact? Investability and the management of risks
11:30 – 12:30 | PLENARY PANEL DISCUSSION | From pilots to scale: financing and governance models for prevention, health promotion and equity
12:30 – 13:15 | LUNCH | NETWORKING
SESSION 3 – PARALLEL SESSIONS
FROM TESTBEDS TO TRANSFORMATION: IMPLEMENTING AND SCALING SCI
A1) TESTBED EXPERIENCES – SMART CAPACITATING INVESTMENT IN PRACTICE
13:15 – 13:30 | INTRODUCTORY PRESENTATION | Framing the evidence from the regional testbeds
13:30 – 14:30 | ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION | Lessons learned from the Invest4Health testbeds
A2) UNDER CONSTRUCTION – PAVING THE PATH FOR UPSTREAM HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE
13:15 – 14:30 | INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP | Scaling SCI: From tools to implementation
14:30 – 15:00 | COFFEE BREAK | NETWORKING
SESSION 4 – PARALLEL SESSIONS
COMMITMENT AND NEXT STEPS
B1) POLICY CONSIDERATIONS OF INTRODUCING INNOVATIVE INVESTMENTS
15:00 – 16:00 | PANEL DISCUSSION | Mainstreaming health promotion investment: what should policy look like?
B2) DELIVERING SCI THROUGH SOCIAL FRANCHISING: A TRANSFERABLE CONCEPT
15:00 – 16:00 | INFORMATION AND Q&A SESSION | Supporting scaling of participatory health promotion initiatives across European regions and healthcare systems
SESSION 5 – PLENARY
CLOSURE
16:00 – 16:15 | CLOSING REFLECTIONS | Key insights from the sessions and summary of the day
16:15 | CONFERENCE CLOSE
RECEPTION
16:15 – 17:15 | RECEPTION | NETWORKING
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SPEAKERS
- Regional testbed representatives (Invest4Health)
- Finance and investment experts
- Public health experts
- Governance and policy specialists
- THCS partnership representatives
- EU and national policy representatives