Call for participation in a round table Life Sciences & Health X Planetary Health: SMEs as agents of change
The Planetary Health Annual Meeting – PHAM 2025 (Rotterdam, The Netherlands, October 7-11) invites small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for a round table about the role of SMEs in addressing planetary health challenges in Life Sciences & Health. The round table will be held online on September 24, from 12 to 1.30pm (CET). The outcomes will be presented at PHAM 2025 in the parallel session ‘SMEs for Planetary Health’.
Life Sciences & Health x Planetary Health
The health of humans and the planet are inextricably linked. Climate change, loss of biodiversity and environmental pollution are causing new health challenges, such as new emerging diseases, heat stress, solar radiation, and an increase of allergies and rare diseases. At the same time, the healthcare sector itself is among the most polluting in the world. The Life Sciences & Health ecosystem – from research, prevention, diagnosis and treatment to development of products and services – faces a two-fold challenge of anticipating to new health challenges and reducing its own ecological footprint.
Let your voice be heard!
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups and scale-ups can be agents of change and innovation in LSH. Research and innovation driven SMEs in Europe are taking on both sides of the planetary health challenge.
This round table aims to identify drivers and barriers for SMEs that have implemented, or are considering to implement aspects of planetary health in the innovation chain in Life Sciences & Health. Which lessons can be learned from SMEs that have succeeded and how should policy and financial frameworks facilitate addressing unmet needs of SMEs, derisking innovation and connecting stakeholders?
Are you leading or working in an SME that is addressing a planetary health challenge or is considering to do so, either to face future health challenges, reducing the ecological footprint of healthcare, or both. And would you like to participate in the round table? Send an email with a short introduction (1/2 page) to Fred Balvert (f.balvert@erasmusmc.nl), member of the PHAM 2025 Local Organizing Committee before July 30, 2025. Then the organizing committee will contact you about further details.
Round table LSH x Planetary Health: SMEs as agents of change
Moderator: Anke van Hal, Sustainability Professor and senior staff member of the Research Center for Entrepreneurship, Governance & Stewardship at Nyenrode Business University, The Netherlands.
When: Wednesday, September 24, 12:00-13:30 pm (CET) online.
Participation & registration: Fred Balvert, science communicator at Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and member of PHAM 2025 Local Organizing Committee: f.balvert@erasmusmc.nl
Date: July 1, 2025
Source: Plenatery Health Alliance
