Space for Health Symposium 4 December 2026

Space for Health: Unlocking Potential in Space Medicine & Biotech

Unlocking European Potential in Space Medicine & Biotech

Friday, 4 December 2026 

Space Business Innovation Centre, Noordwijk 

The Netherlands

Meet and interact with leaders from academia, government, industry, startups, investors, healthcare, defence, and the space sector to accelerate collaboration and unlock practical health innovation enabled by space 

You can now pre-register for this symposium here. Tickets will be available soon.

Space for Health will help position the Netherlands at the forefront of an innovation frontier where advances developed for or in space create direct value for healthcare and society on Earth.

Europe possesses world-class universities, medical centres, biotechnology clusters, and globally recognised space capabilities. Yet the full potential of these strengths at the intersection of space medicine, biomedical innovation, and strategic resilience remains underutilised.

Space for Health is a symposium designed to bring together leaders from academia, government, industry, startups, investors, healthcare, defence, and the space sector to accelerate collaboration and unlock practical health innovation enabled by space.

The symposium aims to become a platform where science, policy, investment, and innovation meet to create measurable impact for health systems, economic growth, and resilience.

This is not only an investment in space. It is an investment in the future health and competitiveness in Europe.

Why This Symposium, Why Now?

Europe is entering a new phase of human spaceflight, commercial low Earth orbit activity, sovereign capability development, and dual-use innovation.

At the same time, healthcare systems face increasing pressure from ageing populations, supply-chain vulnerability, workforce shortages, and rising costs.

Space-based research and operational medicine offer powerful solutions for terrestrial challenges, including:

• Accelerated drug discovery and development
• Advanced tissue engineering and disease modelling
• Regenerative medicine and bioprinting
• Remote monitoring and autonomous healthcare systems

Despite strong capabilities, many organisations remain insufficiently connected to programmes, funding pathways, commercial opportunities, and cross-sector partners.

This symposium aims to transform fragmented excellence into coordinated Dutch/EU leadership.

For whom is this symposium?

• Scientists and clinicians from Universities and Academic Medical Centres
• Pharma, biotech, and med-tech companies, including start-ups and scale-ups
• Space organisations and commercial operators
• Government, Defence and Policy leaders
• Investors and innovation funds

Programme 

The programme will be shared soon.

Symposium Chair:  Maybritt Kuypers, MD PhD

Contact information:  Info@spaceforhealth.eu