- Europe
Boosting the development and uptake of new and better wound care solutions
EWMA Innovation Forum & Innovation Competition
Strategic Partnerships
Innovation Mangement
24
Submissions
4
Years running
Challenge
Innovation plays a critical role in addressing the growing clinical, economic and societal challenges associated with wound management.
Despite the need for new technologies and treatment approaches, many wound care start-ups and academic spinouts struggle to navigate the journey from innovation to market adoption.
At the same time, established wound care companies face increasing pressure to strengthen their innovation pipelines through partnerships, licensing opportunities, acquisitions and external innovation scouting.
The challenge was therefore to create a European platform capable of bringing together innovators, clinicians, investors and established industry players in a highly specialized wound care environment. The objective was to facilitate the identification, evaluation and acceleration of promising wound care technologies while supporting collaboration across the innovation ecosystem.
Solution
CAP Partner, through the EWMA Innovation Alliance (EIA), developed and manages the EWMA Innovation Forum and EWMA Innovation Competition.
The annual EWMA Innovation Competition identifies and evaluates innovative wound care solutions from:
- European start-ups and spinouts
- Companies approaching their first market entry
- Previous contestants demonstrating significant technological or commercial progress
- Non-European companies seeking entry into the European market
Selected participants are invited to pitch their solutions at the EWMA Innovation Forum, an exclusive gathering that brings together:
- Start-ups and established wound care companies
- University and clinical spinouts
- Investors and strategic partners
- Service providers supporting innovation
- Leading wound care Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs)
Beyond the annual event itself, the process includes screening, evaluation, mentoring, stakeholder matchmaking and exposure to potential commercial and investment partners.
The initiative focuses on facilitating:
- Strategic investment
- Partnership development
- Licensing opportunities
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Clinical validation and market access support.
This approach helps bridge the gap between promising innovations and successful commercialization.
Outcomes
The EWMA Innovation Forum and Innovation Competition have developed into a recognized European platform.
Several winning companies have subsequently continued their commercial and technological development. Recent winners include FeelTect (2023), Ship of Theseus (2024), AGA Nanotech (2025) and SoreAlert (2026).
Today, the EWMA Innovation Forum and Innovation Competition form an integral part of the EWMA Innovation Alliance, helping strengthen Europe’s position as a leading ecosystem for wound care innovation and supporting the development of next-generation solutions that improve patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency.
The initiatives have:
Established a structured pathway for identifying innovative wound care solutions.
Connected start-ups, spinouts, investors and established industry partners.
Enabled strategic partnerships and commercial collaborations between innovators and industry stakeholders.
Increased visibility for emerging wound care technologies through the EWMA network.
Supported the acceleration of clinical validation, regulatory activities and market access efforts.
