by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interviews: Diego Bravar, Vice President for Confindustria Alto Adriatico, President of BioHighTechNET 4.0, President for Biovalley Investment Partner SpA. Antonio Paoletti, President Chamber of Commerce Venezia Giulia
EuroBioHighTech, Trieste’s annual gathering dedicated to health innovation, marked its tenth edition on Thursday with a full day of discussions at the Urban Center. This year’s focus was the European Union’s new Health Technology Assessment (HTA) regulation, which took effect in January and is expected to reshape how medical technologies are evaluated and approved across the continent.
Representatives from hospitals, universities, research centers, biotech firms, and financial institutions from Italy, Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia examined the regulation’s potential to streamline procedures and reduce bureaucratic overlap. By setting common criteria for assessing new drugs and medical devices, the framework aims to accelerate patient access to innovative treatments while controlling costs.
Panelists explored questions at the heart of the reform: whether the new system will make medicines available more quickly and at fairer prices across Europe, and how it may influence both clinical outcomes and the sustainability of national health services.
The conference underscored Trieste’s growing role as a regional hub for dialogue on the future of healthcare innovation.
