HELT 2026 AGENDA

08.15 - 09.00

Registration

09.00 - 09.15

Welcome and Opening Remarks by Prof. Paul QUINN, Director of VUB-HALL / Chair of HELT 2026, and Mr. Olivér VÁRHELYI, EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare (DG-SANTE)

Paul QUINN picture
Paul QUINN
Olivér VÁRHELYI picture
Olivér VÁRHELYI
09.15 - 09.35

Morning Keynote by Mr. Marco MARSELLA, Director for ‘Digital, EU4Health and Health Systems Modernisation’ at DG-SANTE

Marco MARSELLA picture
Marco MARSELLA
09.40 - 11.10

Main Hall

Responsible AI for HDABs: Ethical, transparent and trustworthy health data permit issuing in the EHDS (Organised by Sciensano)

Balcony Room

From wellness apps to data holders - The role of digital health apps in the European Health Data Space (Organised by TU Dresden – EKFZ)

Launch Pad Room

Collection, provision, use, and governance of planetary health data: Insights from the PLANET4HEALTH project (Organised by EU Project PLANET4HEALTH)

11.10 - 11.25

Coffee break

11.25 - 12.55

Main Hall

The role of existing health data repositories under the new rules on secondary use in the European Health Data Space (Organised by Universiteit Gent)

Balcony Room

Who will benefit from the EHDS? Benefit sharing in the framework of the EHDS Regulation (Organised by Universität Wien - ID Law)

Launch Pad Room 

Get REHDY to step into Europe’s Health Data Ecosystem – an interactive role-play workshop (Organised by imec-SMIT)

13.00 - 14.00

Lunch

14.00 - 14.20

Afternoon Keynote by Mr. Frank ROBBEN, Founder of the Belgian eHealth Platform, CEO of Smals

Frank ROBBEN picture
Frank ROBBEN
14.25 - 15.55

Main Hall

Private data, public interest – The intersection of GDPR and EHDS Panel (Organised by Data Protection Commission Ireland)

Balcony Room

From regulation to practice: Governing generative AI and health data under the EHDS (Organised by EU Project PUREMIND)

Launch Pad Room

[Title TBC] (Co-organised by Lexxion & Vrije Universiteit Brussel-HALL)

15.55 - 16.10

Coffee break

16.10 - 17.40

Main Hall

Implementation challenges in the domain of primary use of health data (Organised by Vrije Universiteit Brussel-HALL)

Balcony Room

Bridging genomics and healthcare: The legal status of genomic data and their relationship to the Electronic Health Record (EHR) (Organised by KU Leuven)

Launch Pad Room

Entangled data futures: Cross sector data governance linking health and agrifood systems in Europe’s emerging data spaces (Organised by EU Project DATA4FOOD)

17.40 - 17.45

Closing remarks by Prof. Paul QUINN, Director of VUB-HALL / Chair of HELT 2026

Paul QUINN picture
Paul QUINN
17.45

Farewell

09.00 - 09.15

Welcome and Opening Remarks by Prof. Paul QUINN, Director of VUB-HALL / Chair of HELT 2026, and Mr. Olivér VÁRHELYI, EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare (DG-SANTE)

Paul QUINN picture
Paul QUINN
Olivér VÁRHELYI picture
Olivér VÁRHELYI
09.15 - 09.35

Morning Keynote by Mr. Marco MARSELLA, Director for ‘Digital, EU4Health and Health Systems Modernisation’ at DG-SANTE

Marco MARSELLA picture
Marco MARSELLA
09.40 - 11.10

Responsible AI for HDABs: Ethical, transparent and trustworthy health data permit issuing in the EHDS (Organised by Sciensano)

Panel Discussion

Nienke SCHUTTE (Moderator) picture
Nienke SCHUTTE (Moderator)
Milana TRUCL (Moderator) picture
Milana TRUCL (Moderator)
Julian ANSOTTE picture
Julian ANSOTTE
Martina FONSECA picture
Martina FONSECA
Tom LENAERTS picture
Tom LENAERTS
Ildikó VAJDA picture
Ildikó VAJDA
Audrey van SCHAREN picture
Audrey van SCHAREN
11.10 - 11.25

Coffee break

11.25 - 12.55

The role of existing health data repositories under the new rules on secondary use in the European Health Data Space (Organised by Universiteit Gent)

Panel Discussion

Mahsa SHABANI (Moderator) picture
Mahsa SHABANI (Moderator)
Inge FRANKI picture
Inge FRANKI
Magdalena KOGUT-CZARKOWSKA picture
Magdalena KOGUT-CZARKOWSKA
Rick van NULAND picture
Rick van NULAND
13.00 -14.00

Lunch

14.00 - 14.20

Afternoon Keynote by Mr. Frank ROBBEN, Founder of the Belgian eHealth Platform, CEO of Smals

Frank ROBBEN picture
Frank ROBBEN
14.25 - 15.55

Private data, public interest – The intersection of GDPR and EHDS Panel (Organised by Data Protection Commission Ireland)

Panel Discussion

David MURPHY (Moderator) picture
David MURPHY (Moderator)
Georgeta BOTAS picture
Georgeta BOTAS
Marta MUSIDLOWSKA picture
Marta MUSIDLOWSKA
15.55 - 16.10

Coffee break

16.10 - 17.40

Implementation challenges in the domain of primary use of health data (Organised by Vrije Universiteit Brussel-HALL)

Panel Discussion

Paul QUINN (Moderator) picture
Paul QUINN (Moderator)
Catherine CHRONAKI picture
Catherine CHRONAKI
Henrique MARTINS picture
Henrique MARTINS
Alberto ZANINI picture
Alberto ZANINI
17.40 - 17.45

Closing Remarks by Prof. Paul QUINN, Director of VUB-HALL / Chair of HELT 2026

Paul QUINN picture
Paul QUINN
09.00 - 09.15

Plenary Session @Main Hall

09.15 - 09.35

Plenary Session @Main Hall

09.40 - 11.10

From wellness apps to data holders - The role of digital health apps in the European Health Data Space (Organised by TU Dresden – EKFZ)

Panel Discussion

Stephen GILBERT (Moderator) picture
Stephen GILBERT (Moderator)
11.10 - 11.25

Coffee break

11.25 - 12.55

Who will benefit from the EHDS? Benefit sharing in the framework of the EHDS Regulation (Organised by Universität Wien - ID Law)

Workshop

Katarzyna BARUD (Moderator) picture
Katarzyna BARUD (Moderator)
Catarina ALMEIDA picture
Catarina ALMEIDA
Wolfgang Alexander KOLAR picture
Wolfgang Alexander KOLAR
Klaudia KWIATKOWSKA picture
Klaudia KWIATKOWSKA
Ibrahim SABRA picture
Ibrahim SABRA
13.00 - 14.00

Lunch

14.00 - 14.20

Plenary Session @Main Hall

14.25 - 15.55

From regulation to practice: Governing generative AI and health data under the EHDS (Organised by EU Project PUREMIND)

Panel Discussion

Elena TAMBURINI (Moderator) picture
Elena TAMBURINI (Moderator)
Koushik MAHARATNA picture
Koushik MAHARATNA
Nasser Siabi OBE picture
Nasser Siabi OBE
Nicholas VRETOS picture
Nicholas VRETOS
15.55- 16.10

Coffee break

16.10 - 17.40

Bridging genomics and healthcare: The legal status of genomic data and their relationship to the Electronic Health Record (EHR) (Organised by KU Leuven)

Panel Discussion

Gert MATTHIJS (Moderator) picture
Gert MATTHIJS (Moderator)
Marte BERCKMANS picture
Marte BERCKMANS
Jeroen van ROOIJ picture
Jeroen van ROOIJ
17.40 - 17.45

Plenary Session @Main Hall

09.00 - 09.15

Plenary Session @Main Hall

09.15 - 09.35

Plenary Session @Main Hall

09.40 - 11.10

Collection, provision, use, and governance of planetary health data: Insights from the PLANET4HEALTH project (Organised by EU Project PLANET4HEALTH)

Workshop

Suzana BLESIC (Moderator) picture
Suzana BLESIC (Moderator)
Stefano CAMPOSTRINI picture
Stefano CAMPOSTRINI
Carla MAIA picture
Carla MAIA
Ruoxin SU picture
Ruoxin SU
Teresa G. VALENCAK picture
Teresa G. VALENCAK
Caradee Y. WRIGHT picture
Caradee Y. WRIGHT
11.10 - 11.25

Coffee break

11.25 - 12.55

Get REHDY to step into Europe’s Health Data Ecosystem – an interactive role-play workshop (Organised by imec-SMIT)

Workshop

Mandy ‘Melissa’ Jane WITTENS (Moderator) picture
Mandy ‘Melissa’ Jane WITTENS (Moderator)
Erik BOLLEN picture
Erik BOLLEN
Daniela SPAJIĆ picture
Daniela SPAJIĆ
Ilse VERMEULEN picture
Ilse VERMEULEN
13.00 - 14.00

Lunch

14.00 - 14.20

Plenary Session @Main Hall

14.25 - 15.55

2026 EHPL & HELT Young Scholars Award (Co-organised by Lexxion & Vrije Universiteit Brussel-HALL)

Paper Presentation

Anastasiya Kiseleva (Moderator) picture
Anastasiya Kiseleva (Moderator)
15.55 - 16.10

Coffee break

16.10 - 17.40

Entangled data futures: Cross sector data governance linking health and agrifood systems in Europe’s emerging data spaces (Organised by EU Project DATA4FOOD)

Workshop

Pia GROENEWOLT (Moderator) picture
Pia GROENEWOLT (Moderator)
17.40 - 17.45

Plenary Session @Main Hall