Success of the THCS General Assembly in Bilbao, hosted by Biosistemak

BIOEF and the Basque Government’s Department of Health shared the limelight at an event that brought together more than 100 people.

On 15 and 16 October, Bilbao became the epicentre of European healthcare innovation as it hosted the 2025 General Assembly of the Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS) partnership . The meeting, held at the Bizkaia Aretoa of the University of the Basque Country (EHU), brought together more than a hundred experts, representatives of international partner organisations, to share the progress made during the year and define the strategic priorities for 2026.

In this edition, Biosistemak played a leading role as host, together with BIOEF and the Basque Government’s Department of Health. The opening session was led by Iñaki Gutiérrez-Ibarluzea, Director of Research, Innovation and Health Assessment, who welcomed the partnership, highlighting its importance and the challenges it faces.

For her part, the Institute’s scientific director, Ane Fullaondo Zabala, spoke to highlight the role of Biosistemak in the Basque health ecosystem, as well as the research projects that have been successfully transferred to the Basque health system, demonstrating the importance of developing implementation projects in close collaboration with Osakidetza and entities in the Basque ecosystem.

A year of presidency

The event agenda included key presentations on work packages, discussions on artificial intelligence applied to health, and updates on the partnership’s strategy and roadmap. Of particular note were the sessions on the transfer of research projects to the system and collaboration in the development of innovative solutions based on scientific evidence.

With this Assembly, BIOEF and Biosistemak conclude their year as chair of the THCS partnership, a period in which they have led key initiatives to promote transnational cooperation and knowledge exchange among European partner entities, thus consolidating the Basque Country’s role as a benchmark in healthcare transformation.

The next THCS General Assembly will be held in Riga, where progress will continue to be made in European collaboration to strengthen and transform health and social care systems.