At Global Health Connector, we connect local needs with global solutions through our growing network of ecosystems.
Recently, Adriana Díaz, previously our Communities Manager, stepped into the role of Ecosystem Director. She now leads our global ecosystem network of 90 international communities, bringing together more than 17,000 participants across 200+ gatherings every year.
In the Q&A below, Adriana walks us through what our ecosystems are, the impact they create, and her new role as Ecosystem Director.
Ecosystems, as we call them, are connected networks that bring together stakeholders across public and private sectors to drive transformation in health, care, and wellbeing.
When Global Health Connector was formed as the ECHAlliance back 15 years ago, the concept of ecosystems had not been used within the healthcare setting. The idea of bringing together all the stakeholders of health was not common and there were (and still are) many silos in health where professionals, researchers, patients and companies for example never talk to each other.
This first ecosystem was developed in the UK, in Manchester and Belfast, and the concept soon spread out of the UK in collaboration with the European Commission. The idea of matching need and solution with a permanent group of multistakeholders coming together on a regular basis grew as did the economic opportunity that came with it.
Today, the Global Health Connector counts on 90+ ecosystems across the globe, spanning regions, sectors, and disciplines. This network continues to expand, and we plan to further accelerate growth in 2026 as we build an even stronger global community committed to improving health, care, and wellbeing.
First of all, I am genuinely excited about this new role. Since 2021, I have already been working closely with our global network of ecosystems, but my time was divided between ecosystem coordination and onboarding/engagement with members and partners. As we now clearly recognise the strategic value of our ecosystem network, my role will focus entirely on strengthening and scaling our ecosystem network globally.
My immediate priorities for the first quarter of 2026 will be dedicated to consolidating and organising our existing assets. This includes scanning our ecosystem intelligence, reviewing past content and presentations, and launching a thematic intelligence process focused on the four key themes of the Global Health Connector: women’s health, cancer, digital health and healthy ageing. This work will enable us to get as much knowledge as possible from our ecosystem network, including mapping innovation topics, target markets and ecosystem expertise more systematically.
I would also like to strengthen the tools and mechanisms that support our network, including publishing an updated Global Health Ecosystem Guidebook for new potential ecosystems, improving alignment between ecosystems and our flagship events, and creating closer coordination with the Innovation Team to encourage ecosystem participation in EU and non-EU project consortia.
Finally, I would like to use this foundation to grow and optimise the network. This will include strengthening the relationship we have with ecosystems who we already work regularly with, re-engaging with some less engaged ecosystems, and expanding our network strategically across Africa, APAC and the Americas.
Overall, my role represents both a continuation and an evolution: building on the foundations already developed in our organisation, but now with a singular focus on taking our ecosystems to the next level: strategically, geographically, thematically and economically.
The ecosystems from our global network, many of which take the form of health clusters, meet regularly throughout the year. Each ecosystem brings together government bodies, academics, patients and carers, healthcare professionals, companies and funders to address local or national priorities in a coordinated way.
To make this concrete, imagine an ecosystem working on the topic of menopause. The starting point is always the patient perspective: what do women experiencing menopause need? From there, the group considers what other stakeholders require: for example better knowledge, services, data or funding. The ecosystem then looks at what is already working well locally or nationally, and, with support from the wider Global Health Connector network, what best practice exists internationally.
This approach helps identify opportunities for collaboration, share best practice, and reveal who else is working on similar topics, which in turn helps break down silos. Ecosystems often hold pitch sessions for companies with relevant products or services, followed by networking opportunities such as lunches or coffee breaks with display space to encourage further connections and action-oriented follow-up.
The impact of being part of an ecosystem is often very tangible. Participants gain visibility on who else is working in their field, and long-standing silos between (and even within) organisations start to break down. In practical terms, ecosystems help share and scale best practice, identify funding opportunities, and outline new projects or partnerships.
They also create a space where funders and procurers can better understand what solutions exist on the market, while providers gain a much clearer view of real needs. This makes collaboration more targeted, efficient and ultimately more likely to lead to real-world implementation.
We have seen strong examples of impact within our ecosystems. In the UK, for instance, the Northern Ireland ecosystem has enabled better collaboration by connecting key stakeholders across the country, matching needs with solutions, supporting research partnerships, and fostering closer engagement with government bodies. More recently, this ecosystem has leveraged our global network to connect with counterparts in Finland, Nigeria, and Nashville in the USA, opening new opportunities for international collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Another example comes from our North Sweden Ecosystem, which has recently focused strongly on women’s health. In late 2025, they organised an open webinar for anyone interested in exploring collaboration opportunities in this field. A few weeks later, a smaller online meeting was held to continue the discussions, exchange ideas on next steps, and explore potential EU project collaborations.
A third example comes from our Nigerian ecosystem, which recently officially joined our global network of ecosystems. Last year, they hosted the first Nigerian Ecosystem Gathering in collaboration with the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), and the Cancer Consciousness Initiative (CCI), focusing on cancer. The event began with powerful testimonies from cancer survivors and brought together stakeholders from policy, healthcare, research, innovation, and finance to explore the future of cancer care, digital health, and healthcare financing in Nigeria.
