From Barcelona to Brussels, Europe’s collective effort to bring Virtual Human Twins (VHTs) into real-world healthcare took a major step forward.
On 21 October 2025 in Brussels, DG CONNECT hosted a high-level event on Virtual Human Twins (VHTs) - digital models that can simulate biological processes, forecast disease progression and test treatments virtually.
Through the European Virtual Human Twins Initiative, the European Commission facilitates cross-sector collaboration and helps innovators harness AI, health data and supercomputing for VHTs. Over 200 participants from academia, industry, healthcare, patient organisations and policymaking joined the event, with interesting discussions on how to accelerate VHT development and deployment across Europe.
Key takeaways resonated strongly, from Frank Rademakers' reminder that “we should be less risk-avoiding” to Valentina Strammiello’s powerful call to “keep patients at the center” and ensure VHTs are “accessible to all. Prof Liesbet Geris, VPH Director, captured the spirit of collaboration perfectly: “The biggest achievement has been the establishment of this ecosystem, starting from a clinical and societal pull."
It was a great day for the growing European VHT community and a powerful reminder that credibility, transparency, and accountability are key to shaping the future of health.
This first event was followed by the Virtual Human Global Summit II (VHGS II) that took place on 23–24 October 2025 in Barcelona. The summit, built on the outcomes of the inaugural VHGS held in 2023 in New York, gathered international leaders from science, medicine, industry, and policy to move from vision to implementation, accelerating adoption.
Discussions focused on aligning research with clinical needs, developing regulatory clarity, and fostering international cooperation for real-world adoption. Prof. Liesbet Geris chaired a high-level panel with representatives from patient organisations, the European Commission, and academia, stressing that: “Transparency, collaboration, and shared purpose will shape the next chapter of VHT development.”
From Europe to the whole world, the message is clear: collaboration is the key to bringing Virtual Human Twins from research to bedside, for the benefit of patients everywhere.
