Vitalis 2026: From Vision to Reality – A Digital and Data‑Driven Future Taking Shape
23 February / 2026
For more than two decades, Vitalis has been the arena where the Nordic region has articulated its vision for a digital, person‑centred and data‑enabled health and care ecosystem. In 2026, that vision is no longer aspirational—it is operational. As the programme is released on 23 February, Vitalis highlights a decisive shift: the ideas that once lived in strategy documents, pilot tests and conceptual frameworks are now materialising across regions, municipalities and healthcare organisations.
— What used to be talked about as a future reality is now evolving into real systems and workflows. 2026 is the year when digital transformation starts to deliver tangible results, says Hans Almvide, Programme Director, Vitalis.
AI in Practice: From Hype to Trustworthy Implementation
AI has moved from speculative potential to practical, everyday support in areas such as documentation, summarisation, triage, planning and decision assistance. The Vitalis 2026 conference programme marks this transition explicitly through the dedicated conference track Trustworthy AI.
This evolution underscores that the AI conversation is no longer only about capability, but about quality, accountability and safe integration into health and welfare workflows. This is showed in sessions like Benchmarking Triage – Methods, Results and Pitfalls and Who Signs Off on AI in Healthcare.
— AI has matured from experiments to something that requires craftsmanship—quality assurance, governance and an ethical compass. Trustworthy AI is the only AI that will gain long‑term acceptance in healthcare, says Hans Almvide.
Secondary Use of Data – A Catalyst for Value Creation
A major development highlighted at Vitalis 2026 is how better‑structured clinical data within healthcare systems is unlocking new possibilities for the secondary use of health information. As regions and municipalities advance their work with common standards, interoperable models and improved data quality, information that was previously siloed or inconsistently documented is becoming usable for broader purposes.
At the same time, the upcoming European Health Data Space (EHDS) is acting as a powerful catalyst, driving alignment around, formats, governance and updated legislation. Together, these shifts enable a more secure, scalable and value‑creating approach to secondary use—supporting quality improvement, population health management, research, innovation and data‑driven decision‑making across the Nordic health and welfare ecosystem.
Nordic Cooperation for the Life Science of the Future
The Nordic region continues to strengthen its position as a unified innovation landscape for digital health and life science. Shared values like trust, equity, strong public infrastructures and a collaborative governance culture make the Nordics a natural testbed for next‑generation health solutions.
Vitalis 2026 shines a light on how cross‑border Nordic collaboration is becoming increasingly important for:
- Scalable digital health technologies
- Data‑driven innovation
- Federated learning environments
- More effective pathways between research, industry and care delivery
This collaborative approach is a key ingredient in building the life science of the future—open, interoperable, ethically grounded and tightly integrated with real‑world healthcare operations. The theme is explored in dedicated conference tracks and sessions such as Nordic Cooperation for the Life Science of the Future, Precision Prevention – Nordic & European Leadership in Personalized & Preventive Medicine, and Lessons Learned from a Multi-Country Federated Analysis Using OMOP in the Nordics (the VALO pilot).
— The Nordic countries are uniquely positioned to lead global life‑science innovation. Our shared structures, values and data maturity allow us to develop solutions together that no country could achieve alone, says Hans Almvide.
A Meeting Place for Transformation — Where Ideas Become Operations
Vitalis has evolved into a forum where strategic ambitions, policy frameworks and practical implementation meet. With its broad representation from municipalities, regions, academia and industry, the event reflects a health and welfare sector no longer asking whether digital transformation is necessary—but focusing on how it is executed, scaled and governed.
Organisations attending Vitalis 2026 will find not only inspiration, but concrete approaches to implementation, governance and continuous value creation—hallmarks of a sector entering a more mature phase of digital transformation.
Vitalis takes place 4–7 May at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in Gothenburg. With more than 6,500 participants, 700 speakers and 200 exhibitors, Vitalis remains the leading Nordic event shaping the future of healthcare. The global conference GCPCC is held in parallel with Vitalis and is included in the conference pass.