Women’s health has long been treated as a secondary concern in medical research, clinical trials and health innovation funding. Conditions that predominantly or exclusively affect women, such as endometriosis or menopause-related symptoms, are still frequently under-researched, underdiagnosed and undertreated across Europe. This gap is not just a health issue, it is a matter of gender equality: when half the population’s health needs are structurally under-addressed, the consequences ripple into employment, economic autonomy and quality of life.

 

On November 27 2026 in Paris, Femtech France will host the Women’s Health Europe Forum, the first pan-European event bringing together those who design, develop, fund and implement the innovations shaping the future of women’s health. Researchers, healthcare professionals, startups, industry leaders, investors, institutions and EU decision-makers will come together for a day of conferences, meetings and collaboration, united by a shared ambition: to accelerate women’s health innovation across Europe, and with it, greater equity in how health systems serve women.

 

A gap that is finally gaining political momentum

 

Across Europe, the tide is beginning to turn. In 2026 alone, Spain announced it would triple its annual R&D investment in women’s health research to €18 million a year, the United Kingdom created a £1.5 million challenge fund to accelerate women’s health innovation within the NHS, and the Paris Region launched a €50 million investment fund dedicated to women’s health innovation, the first of its kind in the EU. The European Commission’s new 

Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030 also introduces reinforced access to sexual and reproductive healthcare and systematic gender integration in medical research funding.

 

The Women’s Health Europe Forum is designed to bring these efforts together, giving fragmented national initiatives a shared European stage.

 

200 participants, one shared ambition

 

For its first edition, the Forum will welcome 200 participants in Paris and more than 200 online, representing countries from across Europe. The programme will include expert-led conferences addressing key challenges in women’s health innovation, one-to-one meetings between startups, industry leaders, investors and institutions, and two innovation Challenges designed to generate new solutions to real-world issues.

 

Two Challenges to drive innovation

The first edition will give startups the opportunity to take part in two innovation Challenges launched by PiLeJe and Garmin Health:

 

PiLeJe is inviting entrepreneurs to answer a question affecting millions of women aged 45 to 65: “How to help healthcare professionals better identify, prioritize and monitor the vulnerabilities of perimenopause and menopause?”

 

Garmin Health is inviting startups, researchers and organizations to answer: “How can the Garmin Health Connected Ecosystem support innovative approaches in the women’s health and wellbeing space?”

 

A pan-European platform, built together

 

The Forum is designed as a pan-European platform, co-built with European Femtech collectives across the continent. The goal is to bring together expertise from across Europe and facilitate collaboration between startups, research organisations, industry, investors and institutions, helping innovations grow beyond national borders, so that no single country has to close this gap alone.

 

This first edition is supported by Besins Healthcare, BNP Paribas, Garmin Health, Organon and PiLeJe, all committed to advancing the women’s health innovation ecosystem.

 

Founded in 2022, Femtech France brings together stakeholders across the women’s health innovation ecosystem and currently supports a community of more than 110 startup members. With the Women’s Health Europe Forum, the organisation is taking another step forward, connecting European ecosystems around a shared ambition: making women’s health a driver of equality, not an afterthought.

 

Join us in Paris on November 27 2026 to meet the people advancing women’s health across Europe, build new connections, and help shape the collaborations of tomorrow.