HERACLES showcased its transnational AI-health innovation network at DeepTech Connect 2026, highlighting advances in predictive medicine, crisis preparedness, and the uptake of AI-driven healthcare solutions.
The HERACLES project – Healthcare Enterprises and Research Alliance for Collaboration, Learning, and Exploitation of AI-driven business Solutions – took part at the DeepTech Connect 2026 International Conference, held on 24 April 2026.
DeepTech Connect is a major international academic and entrepreneurial conference designed to bridge the gap between deep-tech research, universities, and industry. It is co-hosted across several European university hubs, with a primary focus on driving scientific innovation and commercialization. One of the conference locations was the University of Ioannina, where one HERACLES partner is located: the Department of Economics – Laboratory of Business Economics and Decisions (LABED). This milestone further strengthens the connection between the event, LABED, and the HERACLES project.
The conference gave the partnership the opportunity to present the HERACLES vision to an international audience. In particular, it highlighted the project’s contribution to AI-driven healthcare innovation, predictive medicine, and health crisis preparedness.
In fact, HERACLES addresses a key challenge for Mediterranean healthcare systems. The project focuses on transforming research results and Artificial Intelligence capabilities into clinically relevant and trustworthy solutions. These solutions will therefore generate concrete value for healthcare systems, enterprises, and communities.
As part of the conference, the HERACLES team prepared a scientific paper entitled “Building a Transnational AI-Health Innovation Network for Predictive Medicine and Health Crisis Preparedness: the HERACLES Project”. The article has been published in the official conference proceedings and focused on the creation of a transnational AI-health innovation network across the Mediterranean.
HERACLES brings together universities, research centres, healthcare actors and business-support organisations from Italy, Greece, Spain, Lebanon and Tunisia. Through this multi-country partnership, HERACLES strengthens collaboration between research and business actors. At the same time, it supports the uptake of advanced technologies in healthcare and promotes the co-development of AI-driven solutions for predictive medicine and crisis preparedness.
In this context, the Laboratory of Business Economics and Decision-Making (LABED) at the University of Ioannina contributes to the interface between research and business within HERACLES. LABED supports stakeholder engagement, business-oriented analysis, the development of innovation capabilities, and knowledge transfer activities. Its work is also linked to HERACLES’ virtual incubation and commercialization pathways. All these activities will serve to translate AI-based healthcare solutions into sustainable, market-oriented, and practically applicable outcomes.
HERACLES integrates scientific research, clinical needs, regulatory awareness, and business development. It promotes a cooperation model in which AI in healthcare is treated as a technological challenge, as well as a broader ecosystem-building process. This approach is especially relevant for the Mediterranean area where stronger cooperation between research, healthcare, and innovation actors can reduce fragmentation and help build more resilient health systems.
HERACLES is co-financed by the European Union through the Interreg NEXT MED Programme 2021–2027, under Priority 1 – A more competitive and smarter Mediterranean, Specific Objective 1.1: Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies.
For more information about LABED’s activities, visit the LABED LinkedIn page:
https://gr.linkedin.com/company/labeduoi
For more information about DeepTech Connect 2026, visit:
https://a-side-project.eu/deeptech-connect-conference-2026/
Last Update
03/06/2026
Next Med