It’s the annual event that the entire digital health ecosystem has been waiting for. From March 20 to 22, 2026, the Strasbourg Faculty of Medicine will be transformed into a bustling hive of activity to host Hacking Health Camp. With a simple but ambitious promise: healthcare innovation starts here.

A 50-hour creative marathon

Forget long, traditional development processes. Hacking Health Camp is the world’s largest healthcare hackathon. The concept? Breaking down barriers. Over the course of a weekend, worlds that rarely intersect will work hand in hand: healthcare professionals, patients, developers, designers, and entrepreneurs. The goal is not to theorize, but to come up with a working prototype by Sunday evening that can solve a real clinical or everyday problem.

IHU Strasbourg: Loyal sponsor of the hackathon

By supporting the 2026 edition, IHU Strasbourg is reaffirming its position as a catalyst for innovation in healthcare. More than just sponsorship, the institute offers participants direct access to cutting-edge expertise in image-guided surgery and artificial intelligence. Its teams will be on hand to guide technological and clinical projects, with the aim of developing viable solutions for augmented surgery and the care pathway.

Why participate?

Whether you have a project idea or simply want to put your skills to work in healthcare, this is the place to be. Learn, test, co-create, and perhaps launch the start-up that will change the game.

The countdown has begun. Take up the challenge from March 20 to 22 in Strasbourg.

Do you have an idea for improving surgery or healthcare? Don’t keep it to yourself. Come and prototype it with the support of the IHU.

Registration is now open: [Registration link]

Last week, IHU Strasbourg hosted the “Ablation from A to Z” course, organized by the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE). This event marks the start of the 20th anniversary year of its educational department, the European School of Interventional Radiology (ESIR).

An experimental platform for European training

The choice of IHU Strasbourg for this symbolic launch was no coincidence. Since 2022, under the leadership of Prof. Afshin Gangi, a founding member of ESIR, IHU has regularly hosted practical training courses for the learned society.

For these highly technical sessions, the IHU’s state-of-the-art experimental platform offers participants the ideal conditions for learning complex procedures in interventional radiology, particularly in the areas of ablation and embolization.

ESIR: 20 years of educational excellence

Photo credit: CIRSE

This training session illustrates the success of an educational program of international excellence. In two decades, ESIR has established its quality standards, as evidenced by its key figures:

• 149 courses organized across Europe;
• More than 5,000 participants trained;
• A presence in 26 countries.

Find out more about CIRSE: www.cirse.org

👉 Looking for a venue for you training courses?
Discover a unique venue for preclinical innovation: www.ihu-strasbourg.eu

On Thursday, January 22, the IHU Strasbourg had the honor of hosting the launch of the 2026 Call for Projects from the Force for Innovation and Research in Health Foundation. This event brought together the main players in the Alsatian innovation ecosystem, as well as numerous researchers, clinicians, and entrepreneurs.

The main guidelines for the 2026 edition were presented, emphasizing the importance of supporting projects capable of sustainably improving healthcare, particularly in the Alsace region.

The morning session was led by Lilla Mérabet, Executive Director of the Force Foundation, and Dr. Ali Hamiche, Director of Research at the IGBMC, who is Secretary General and member of the Force Foundation’s Scientific Council.

They highlighted the Foundation’s agility and high standards in selecting and monitoring projects and emphasized the mark of excellence that the Foundation Force label now represents for projects.

A call for projects opens to all forms of innovation

The 2026 edition is particularly significant for the Force Foundation, which is celebrating its 35^th anniversary this year. Projects must fall within four areas that reflect the Force Foundation’s ambition to transform practices: prediction to anticipate risks and personalize care, coordination to streamline care pathways, technologies to equip professionals and patients, and social innovation to develop inclusive solutions tailored to needs.

Applications will be evaluated according to several criteria, including the maturity and feasibility of the project, the quality of the team, consistency with the priorities of the call for proposals, potential impact, regional roots, and consideration of environmental issues.

The IHU Strasbourg, a committed partner

By hosting this event, IHU Strasbourg is part of the dynamic driven by the Force Foundation, which combines agility and scientific rigour to bring about initiatives that bring together local stakeholders to provide solutions with real-life applications.

In 2025, the FAST-Tx project, led by IHU Strasbourg, was awarded a grant by the Force Foundation for the development of a streamlined pathway for the diagnosis and surgical treatment of lung cancer.

Call for projects 2026 from the Force Foundation (in French): www.fondation-force.fr
FAST-Tx Project: www.ihu-strasbourg.eu

From January 14 to 16, the international congress of the Bariatric Endoscopy World Association (BEWA) brought together a global community of physicians, surgeons, and experts in Strasbourg, all committed to advancing bariatric and metabolic endoscopy. Designed as a major scientific and educational milestone, the event highlighted the essential role of training, innovation, and knowledge sharing in shaping tomorrow’s clinical practices.

Ahead of the scientific sessions held on January 15 and 16 at the Palais des Congrès in Strasbourg, January 14 was dedicated to hands-on training workshops hosted on the experimental platform of IHU Strasbourg. These practical sessions offered participants the opportunity to develop advanced skills in bariatric endoscopy within an environment specifically designed to foster learning, peer-to-peer exchange, and the comparison of clinical practices.

Throughout the three days, the depth of the scientific program and the presence of internationally recognized experts from Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East underscored the truly global reach of BEWA. Live cases, lectures, interactive sessions, and forward-looking discussions addressed the key challenges facing the field, from clinical indications to technological and organizational innovations.

This dynamic is driven by Prof. Silvana Perretta, President of the BEWA Congress and Director of Educational Programs at IHU Strasbourg. Her commitment reflects a long-term vision in which continuing education, educational innovation, and the transmission of expertise are essential to preparing healthcare professionals for the rapid evolution of medicine and surgery.

Through its involvement in this event and the development of specialized training programs across multiple innovative fields, IHU Strasbourg supports practitioners throughout their professional journey and contributes to training the experts of tomorrow.

• Discover the training courses offered by IHU Strasbourg and continue your specialization in endoscopy:
  www.ihu-strasbourg.eu/education/formations
• Learn more about the Bariatric Endoscopy World Association:
  www.bewa-endoscopy.com

BEWA 2026: Strasbourg becomes the global capital of bariatric endoscopy

From January 14 to 16, 2026, Strasbourg will host the fifth global congress of the Bariatric Endoscopy World Association (BEWA) at the Pierre-Pflimlin Convention Center, bringing together global experts in bariatric and metabolic endoscopy.

BEWA’s mission is to advance this field through research, innovation, training, and sustained international collaboration. The goal is clear: to ensure safe and effective access to endoscopic procedures for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders, while raising standards of care and training.

This edition will be co-chaired by Prof. Silvana Perretta, Director of Education Programs at IHU Strasbourg and a world-renowned specialist in endoscopic bariatric surgery, and Dr. Christine Stier, President of BEWA.

Three days to explore, learn, and share

• January 14: Hands-on workshops at IHU Strasbourg
  Participants will have the opportunity to put theory into practice in interactive, immersive workshops organized on the IHU Strasbourg experimental platform. A hands-on experience to refine techniques and skills under the guidance of experts.
• January 15 and 16: Conferences at Pierre-Pflimlin Convention Center
  Two days of presentations and discussions highlighting the latest innovations and research.

An international community dedicated to innovation
With participants from around the world, BEWA aims to be a place for direct exchanges, enriching discussions, and lasting collaborations. Each event—session, workshop, and meeting—contributes to improving patient care in a spirit of clinical excellence.

Learn more about BEWA and its mission: www.bewa-endoscopy.com
Registration: www.bewa-endoscopy.com/registration