Session 7
Unlocking European competitiveness
How the rare disease ecosystem drives health innovation
Wednesday, 30 September 2026 | 10:30-11:45 | Kursaal
Organised by Brains for Brain Foundation, HLM4RARE and EUCOPE
Europe’s competitiveness agenda places health innovation at the core of strategic renewal, with rare diseases serving as its ultimate proof-of-concept. The rare disease field can scale solutions Europe urgently needs: cross-border expertise, multi-country clinical trials, integrated data infrastructures, coordinated Health Technology Assessment (HTA) pathways, patient’s centricity, and solidarity-based financing.
This session explores how a fully resourced rare disease ecosystem can serve as a blueprint for the broader health sector. Built around 24 European Reference Networks (ERNs) spanning 1,606 specialised centres in about 400 hospitals of excellency, this unique ecosystem is a powerful engine for European growth. The panel will address how to implement these building blocks in practice, to overcome systemic barriers, boost global competitiveness, and position the European Union as a world leader in translational health innovation.
SPEAKERS
- Javier Padilla Bernáldez, Secretary of State for Health, Ministry of Health, Spain
- Vytenis Andriukaitis, Member, European Parliament
- Maurizio Scarpa, Director of the Rare Disease Programme, IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori Research Hospital, Monza, Italy
- Holm Graeßner, Managing Director of the Centre for Rare Diseases, University Hospital Tübingen
- Alexander Natz, Secretary General, EUCOPE
- Ruth Ladenstein, Professor of Paediatrics, Head of the Clinical Trials Unit S²IRP - CCRI (Studies & Statistics for Integrated Research and Projects) St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung e.V.
- Jean Saslawsky, Chief Executive Officer, EURORDIS
- Maria del Mar Mañú Pereira, Head of research lab in rare anaemia disorders, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute Barcelona
MODERATOR
- Josep Figueras, Director Emeritus, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
