Health Tech Spring 2026: Enabling collaboration for real‑world impact

Overview

From partnerships to real‑world solutions, Health Tech Spring 2026 highlighted what collaborative health innovation can deliver. Hosted by the Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland (HIRANI) on 23–24 April 2026 at the iconic Titanic Building in Belfast the two-day event showcased the power of collaboration across the health ecosystem.

From tackling Northern Ireland’s biggest causes of hospitalisation to reshaping how mental health support is delivered, Health Tech Spring 2026 demonstrated what’s possible when ambition, technology and partnership align. Over two days, leaders from healthcare, industry and research sent a clear message: the focus is no longer on ideas alone, but on turning innovation into action at scale.

Health Innovation Network South London was keen to attend, as in previous years, to connect in person with Mindset‑XR Innovation Programme partners HIRANI, and innovators including MindTrack360 and Greener Games.

Northern Ireland as a health innovation powerhouse

Headlines at the event included a newly cemented relationship between Northern Ireland’s health system and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, signed on the day of the conference.

This long‑term strategic partnership will begin with a programme focused on respiratory disease which is Northern Ireland’s leading cause of unplanned hospitalisation. Those working in mental health recognise that respiratory illness disproportionately affects people with mental health conditions and welcomed efforts to address this shared challenge.

Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland, Emma Little‑Pengelly, highlighted the importance of the health sector to the regional economy, employing 90,000 people and supporting more than 300 indigenous health companies. She emphasised that transformation is not pursued for its own sake, but to serve the population while growing the economy, noting that “the risk is not that we move too quickly, but that we stand still while the world moves on”.

On access to medical innovation, Mike Farrar, Permanent Secretary to the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, spoke of the need to bring treatment and prevention closer to where people are. The panel cited examples such as delivering health checks at farmers’ markets to reach busy rural communities. They also highlighted the realities of modern healthcare access, with one panel member noting, “we can’t stop people going on Amazon for their treatment, so we need to make the health system more accessible”.

Building an innovation ecosystem

A key theme of Health Tech Spring 2026 was the importance of building a connected innovation ecosystem, which is one that brings together health providers, researchers and technology developers to address real‑world challenges.

The programme emphasised:

• Collaboration across sectors
• Support for innovators at different stages of development
• Alignment with health system needs and priorities

This reflects a broader shift across the UK, where innovation is increasingly recognised as a collective effort. Rather than succeeding in isolation, progress depends on structured support, shared learning and clear pathways into adoption.

Programmes such as the Mindset‑XR Innovation Support Programme demonstrate how this can be achieved by combining funding, expert support and opportunities for collaboration to accelerate solutions towards market readiness.

From innovation to adoption

One of the strongest signals from the conference was the shift from early‑stage innovation towards implementation and scale.

A session facilitated by Dr Sean O’Connor, Cluster Innovation Lead at HIRANI, and chaired by Hassan Chaudhury, explored:

• Navigating regulation and evidence generation
• Demonstrating value within health systems
• Supporting workforce skills and capacity
• Building partnerships that enable adoption

This aligns closely with the objectives of national innovation programmes, where the emphasis is not only on developing new technologies but on ensuring they can be embedded into care pathways and deliver measurable outcomes.

Applications in mental health

Mental health innovation emerged as a clear area of opportunity throughout the event.

Digital and immersive technologies are increasingly being explored to:

• Improve access to care
• Support earlier intervention
• Deliver personalised therapeutic experiences
• Enhance patient engagement

Greener Games were on hand with their headsets to demonstrate to delegates the power of immersive digital technologies, even in a busy conference environment. The Mindset-XR Innovation Support Programme highlights how modalities such as extended reality can offer new forms of therapeutic intervention, enabling faster and more accessible support for people with mental health needs.

Crucially, these innovations are not developed in isolation. They are shaped through collaboration with clinicians, patients and health systems to ensure they are safe, effective and scalable.

The role of collaboration in mental health innovation

A consistent theme in both Health Tech Spring and national innovation programmes is the importance of collaboration in addressing complex challenges such as mental health.

Effective innovation requires:

• Co‑design with service users and clinicians
• Cross‑sector partnerships between technology and healthcare
• Support for evidence generation and evaluation
• Clear pathways to adoption within health systems

The Mindset‑XR Innovation Support Programme exemplifies this approach by creating networks for knowledge exchange, offering tailored support and facilitating collaboration across the UK.

Through events like this one, the team continues to build networks across Northern Ireland’s growing digital health and care sector.

Looking ahead

Health Tech Spring 2026 reinforced the importance of creating the right conditions for innovation to thrive through collaboration, shared learning and system‑wide engagement.

Sessions reflected a shared ambition – to move from innovation to implementation at scale, maximising the unique strengths of Northern Ireland’s health ecosystem.

For mental health, the opportunity is clear. With the right support, digital and immersive technologies have the potential to transform how care is delivered making it more accessible, personalised and responsive to need.

The challenge is to continue building the partnerships and infrastructure required to move innovation from concept to lasting impact.