FreshBlood

From aerospace to healthcare. From the scale of cities and aircraft to the scale of sensors, cells and organs-on-chips.

We joined UBB Tech Transfer's ZENITH 2026 Aerospace Summer School as innovation does not belong to a single industry.

Aerospace and healthcare face remarkably similar challenges: monitoring people remotely, transporting critical resources, operating in constrained environments, processing complex data and designing systems where failure can have serious consequences.

That is why aerospace capabilities can become healthcare solutions:
✈️ Drone logistics can support medical transport.
🛰️ Satellite connectivity can enable remote care.
🤖 Autonomous navigation can power hospital robots.
📡 Astronaut monitoring can inspire wearables and remote patient monitoring.
🔬 Miniaturization can transform large engineering systems into portable diagnostics and organ-on-chip research platforms.

ZENITH 2026 brought students, mentors and industry experts together to explore drone technology, aerial mobility, logistics and medical transport challenges. FreshBlood was there tbecause the next health innovation may not start in a hospital. It may start in aerospace and find its way back to the patient.

Last week, FreshBlood joined the Cluj launch of the 1Health Innovation Bootcamp 2026, organized by Biomentorhub.
Under this year’s theme, “The Future of Foods & Crops,” the program supports researchers, startups, and innovators who want to transform research in agricultural biotechnology and food science into market-ready solutions.
📅 Applications are open until July 28:
https://1health.ro/innovation-bootcamp-2026/

🌿 Ce faci weekendul acesta?
Dacă ești în Cluj, hai în Parcul Central, la Healthfest — între 25 și 28 iunie, parcul se transformă într-un loc plin de energie, sănătate, mișcare și idei bune.
Ai motive destule să treci pe acolo:
🏃 activități sportive și cros
🗺️ treasure hunt
🩺 consultații și screening-uri gratuite
🎤 discuții, prezentări și conferințe cu specialiști
🤝 networking cu oameni din zona de sănătate, wellbeing și inovație
🧘 spații de relaxare
👨‍👩‍👧 activități și workshopuri pentru copii și adulți
Noi ne bucurăm să fim acolo alături de partenerii noștri de la INNO - Rethinking Business Networks.
Și pentru că ne place să aducem mai aproape de comunitate soluțiile care pot schimba lucrurile în sănătate, vă invităm să descoperiți și 2 startupuri din acceleratorul Level UP de anul acesta:
✨ Symptive – o platformă dedicată femeilor aflate la perimenopauză și menopauză
✨ MedRadar – aplicația care ajută pacienții să găsească medicamente disponibile în farmaciile din apropiere
Treceți pe la standurile lor, testați soluțiile, puneți întrebări și dați feedback. Pentru startupuri, conversațiile reale cu oamenii pentru care construiesc contează enorm.
📅 25–28 iunie
📍 Parcul Central, Cluj-Napoca
Ne vedem acolo. 💚

Last night, together with Ascom Sweden , we hosted the #2 Healthtech Community Meet-Up, a Techsylvania Satellite event, and we loved seeing so many people from the local healthtech ecosystem in one place.
From digital healthcare infrastructure and hospital communication systems to startup journeys and honest founder stories, the evening was full of inspiring discussions, valuable insights, and great energy.
Huge thanks to Ascom for hosting us and supporting the community.
Special thanks to: Ariana Cordoș for the presentation about Ascom UMS’s footprint and healthcare solutions in Romania, Dragos Paun EduSon Medical and Vadim Fîntînari WakeZ - hack your sleep
for the super open discussion on the road to success for a Cluj-based startup.
And of course, thank you to everyone who joined us for the talks, networking, and conversations that continued long after the official agenda ended.
Last but not least, thank you Andreea Pîrvu for capturing little still moments from such a dynamic event. 📸
We’re already looking forward to the next one.

If you're a woman founder leading a deep-tech scale-up in Europe, the SCALE'HER Accelerator was built for you — co-designed with founders, investors, and ecosystem experts who know exactly what it takes to move from validation to growth 🚀

What is SCALE'HER?
👉 A free, EU-funded programme supporting 60 female-led ventures at the critical stage between validation and growth (TRL 5/6–9), specifically built for founders ready to raise capital, scale operations, and expand cross-border⚡
Still wondering whether to apply? This is your chance to scale your company surrounded by the best experts to guide you every step of the way. Through
🔹 Cluster-based interactive workshops
🔹 Expert webinars
🔹 Full-cohort insight panels
🔹 Peer learning & informal founder exchange
🔹 Dedicated 1:1 mentoring
🔹 Blind pitch competition
🔹 Curated investor exposure

The SCALE'HER Accelerator gives you every key you need to scale with confidence. And all of this, 100% free, online, and designed to fit your schedule.

Want to learn more before applying?
🎥 Watch our dedicated webinars: https://www.youtube.com/
🔗 Apply & find all the info: https://scaleher.eu
📩 Ready to go? Apply directly here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmtYmrDCVU2oYF8Xt3nqBE8JVLvAG7O-F697O4MnRq4BZF7A/viewform
⏰ Deadline for the first batch: 31 May 2026 | 17:00 Brussels time
📩 Questions? Reach out to us at: [email protected]

Romanian HealthTech Map 2025 was published in Viața Medicală, featuring 110 startups from Romania & Moldova, all building the future of healthcare.
Mapping the ecosystem shows us where we are, where opportunities exist, and how we fit into the European landscape. It validates that Romania and Moldova are building real, sustainable healthtech solutions, not just hype.

At FreshBlood, during the Hubvantage program 2025, we've walked alongside 17 of these startups through mentorship and guiding: Eldie, NeuroCare, TeleSenior, Medical Pilot, Delphi, Argus AI, NutriFix, Smart Epigenetx, Forkpie Kids, INSESSION, Selftalk, Yellow Canary, ParentEase, Heal in Moldova, MedClub, DrugBin, and Rogenai.

To every startup on this map, especially the 17 we've had the privilege to support: keep building. You're doing something that matters.

Full article in Viața Medicală: https://www.viata-medicala.ro/harta-start-upurilor-din-sanatate-in-2025-45088

SAge-Hub is building Europe's network of Digital Living Labs for smart ageing innovation—and they're onboarding SMEs now.
Europe's ageing population creates massive opportunities for solutions that work. SAge-Hub gives you the infrastructure to prove your solution works and scale it across regions.

The Program:
🌍 6 European regions: Romania, Greece, Portugal, Canary Islands, Finland, Catalonia
🧪 Digital Living Labs: Co-create, test & validate with real users
🤝 Ecosystem integration: Connect with research institutions, public authorities, innovation hubs
💰 Investment pipeline: Link validated solutions with European investors
📈 Capacity building: Develop skills for cross-border business & digital transformation

What You Get:
✅ Real-world testing environments
✅ User-centered validation
✅ European market access
✅ Interregional partnerships
✅ Investor connections
✅ Knowledge exchange through Regional Innovation Ambassadors Network

Who Can Apply:
SMEs developing solutions for active & healthy ageing, senior care technology, digital health for older adults, longevity innovations, and smart ageing platforms
Moldovan SMEs must have operational presence in NE Romania

Want to learn more about onboarding?
👉 https://digital-innovation.zone/programul-sage-hub/

When Builders Gather, Communities Transform
Cluj AI Buildathon is about what happens when developers, designers, and problem-solvers come together with a shared mission: create solutions that matter.
The event, powered by ROTSA - Romanian Tech Startups Association, acts as a major connection between participants and funding, customers, and implementation pathways.

Participants will tackle real-world problems, AI-powered solutions, and they will have 48 hours to turn ideas into working prototypes.
All this, with the support of mentors who've been there and a community that wants you to succeed.

What's in it for you:
→ Selected teams get fast-track access to €30K funding (28Digital + ROTSA)
→ Pitch at Transylvania Demo Day for VC funding
→ Implement locally - build solutions Cluj actually needs

Who This Is For:
→ Developers ready to code with purpose
→ Designers who want their work to matter
→ Builders who believe community problems deserve community solutions
→ Anyone passionate about AI and local impact

📅 May 23-24
📍 ClujHub, Cluj-Napoca
⏰ Applications close May 20

🔗 Apply: https://buildathon.rotsa.ro/

Are you working in or connected to digital health research and innovation? We want to hear from you.
BRITE EU is conducting a survey to understand the challenges, needs, and opportunities facing researchers and R&I managers across Europe, especially around skills gaps, career development, mobility, and talent retention.

Your insights will directly shape policy recommendations and capacity-building actions designed to address skills disparities, mprove cross-sector mobility, tackle gender imbalance, and stop top brain drain from less-performing innovation ecosystems.

BRITE-EU is a 4-year Horizon Europe project (2026-2029) coordinated by Universidade do Porto with 11 partners across 6 countries: Portugal, Czechia, Romania, Serbia, Spain, and Sweden. FreshBlood is happy to be part of this initiative, we look forward to the next years!

⏱️ 10 minutes to complete the survey:
👉 Take the survey: https://inqueritos.up.pt/6/index.php/825463?lang=en

https://brite-project.eu/