Newsletter – Issue 8
20 April 2026
We are pleased to invite you to the Invest4Health Horizon Europe project final event:
“Mobilising New Financial Approaches for Equitable Health and Wellbeing.”
Date: 28 May 2026 | 09:00–17:15
Venue: Brussels, European Committee of the Regions
European health systems are facing 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 Horizon Europe-funded Invest4Health project responds to this challenge through Smart Capacitating Investment (SCI), an approach that treats prevention as a long-term social and economic investment. By combining financial and non-financial resources, SCI strengthens communities, addresses the social determinants of health, and reduces inequalities.
Over the past three years, Invest4Health has worked with regional testbeds across Europe to design and test innovative financing approaches in practice. The project has developed new financing models, explored outcome-based and blended funding, strengthened cross-sector collaboration, and generated evidence to support implementation and scaling.
This final event is a mobilisation event, marking the transition from project results to real-world uptake.
WHO IS THIS EVENT FOR?
The event, hosted by the European Committee of the Regions, will bring together policymakers, investors, researchers, and practitioners to explore how SCI can be scaled and embedded into health systems. The event is designed for stakeholders at European, national, and regional levels, including policymakers, investors, public health professionals, and practitioners working across health, social care, and related sectors. It is also relevant for representatives of regional authorities, innovation hubs, and organisations involved in health promotion and disease prevention. The event offers a valuable opportunity for those interested in innovative financing approaches, cross-sector collaboration, and scaling impactful solutions to improve population health and reduce inequalities.
PROGRAMME AND SPEAKERS
The programme will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and interactive sessions on financing prevention, lessons from regional testbeds, and pathways for scaling and mainstreaming innovative investment approaches, followed by a networking reception. The detailed programme is available at the following link: https://invest4health.eu/final-conference/
We are pleased to welcome three keynote speakers: Graham Randles (WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development), Caroline Costongs (EuroHealthNet), and Stanleyson Hato (Invest-NL).
They will be joined by leading experts including Alain Coheur (European Economic and Social Committee; Solidaris, Belgium), Ushma Issar (Rypple Foundation), Pascal Lardier (éditoHealth and Radical Health Festival), Maureen Rutten-van Mölken (Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management), Vidya Oruganti (NHH Norwegian School of Economics), Jani Anant (University of Heidelberg), Jolanda Van Vliet (Region Skåne / Invest4Health), Joanna Lane (Health ClusterNet), Balázs Babarczy (Syreon Research Institute), David Evers (FIR Institute for Industrial Management), Shirin Bartholdsson (RISE – Social & Health Impact Centre), José María Romero Fidalgo (ACIS – Galician Health Knowledge Agency), Apostolos Tsiachristas (University of Oxford, NDPCHS & Psychiatry), Alison Massen (EuroHealthNet), Lars Münter (Nordic Wellbeing Academy; Invest4Health Citizen Patient Advisory Group), Balázs Nagy (Syreon Research Institute), Lina Papartyte (EuroHealthNet), Shabs Rajashekharan (IESE Centre for Research in Healthcare Innovation Management), Bengt Stavenow (Innovation Skåne), and Theologos Xenakis (Norway Health Tech).
REGISTRATION
Join us in Brussels to be part of the discussions shaping the future of health financing in Europe and to move from short-term costs to long-term investment in health.
Register here: https://forms.gle/vrwu4yP38S3PRNqt7
We look forward to welcoming you.
The content of the meeting is the sole responsibility of the organisers and does not reflect the views of the Committee of the Regions.