What a week it has been in Düsseldorf. From the opening to the final networking handshakes, MEDICA 2025 felt like a living showcase of what the Netherlands brings to global healthcare: practical innovation, open collaboration, and a clear ambition to scale impact internationally.
At the center of it all stood the NL Health~Holland Pavilion, our Dutch home base on the MEDICA show floor. For four days, the Pavilion was a stage, a meeting point, and a magnet for international partners looking for solutions that work in the real world.
A Powerful Dutch Presence
This year’s MEDICA brought together 78.000 professionals in healthcare. With a dutch presence of over 90 exhibitors. On the Tuesday 200+ Dutch entrepreneurs and regional development partners, visited the pavilion and the medica. The Pavilion buzzed with energy as delegations and innovators arrived via ROM Utrecht Region, BOM / Provincie Noord-Brabant, Health Valley Netherlands, Amsterdam Trade & Invest, GO4EXPORT, MedTech Twente and others.
The result wasn’t just a bigger orange footprint it was a more connected ecosystem. Public and private partners moved together, helping Dutch companies reach new markets, meet decision-makers, and position their innovations in the right international conversations.
A warm thank-you goes to everyone who made this possible: Health~Holland, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and NBSO Stuttgart. Their joint effort shaped the Pavilion into a shared platform where Dutch ambition could be seen, heard, and acted on.
The Week In Motion
Day 1–2: Momentum From The Very Start
The MEDICA action started on the first day with meetings, interactions and exploring all that the trade fair has to offer. At the pavilion Dutch stroopwafels were served to offer a warm welcome to our visitors.
The second day started early. Before the trade show started, TFHC opened a networking event by BW_I together with other international partners. At the same time several busses departed to Düsseldorf, with company introductions during the sometimes three-hour drive. By the time the delegation arrived, ideas were already flowing.
On the show floor, the Pavilion quickly became the meeting point and stage for Dutch Life Sciences & Health organisations with international ambitions. After a day packed with presentations by our NBSOs, GTAI and ACCIÓ, meetings, and conversations, the Pavilion hosted the “Meet the Dutch” networking reception, drawing strong attendance and launching a week of match-making and deal-making.
The Pavilion was also honoured by a visit from Aukje de Vries, State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development. Her conversations with Dutch entrepreneurs centered on a crucial question: How can we strengthen trade and cooperation between the Netherlands and Germany (and beyond) in Life Sciences & Health?
Her reflections echoed what many innovators shared:
- There are major opportunities for Dutch companies in MedTech, biotech, e-health, digitalisation, and remote health monitoring.
- But hurdles remain, especially regulatory pressure and administrative load.
- Support structures matter, including the role of NBSO Stuttgart and long-term investment in German-Dutch ties.
Her visit wasn’t ceremonial, it was a reminder that internationalisation works best when innovators and policy move together.
Day 3-4: Building Bridges with Minnesota MedTech
By Day 3, the Pavilion had shifted into full international connection mode. Dutch participants joined the Minnesota MedTech session, hosted by Governor Walz and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The session highlighted Minnesota’s vibrant MedTech ecosystem and opened doors for concrete collaboration.
After the session, the Minnesota MedTech delegation visited the NL Health~Holland Pavilion, where they were welcomed by Brigit van Dijk-van de Reijt (CEO BOM) and Peder Hatling (Medical Alley). Laura Duran (Health~Holland) then offered an overview of the Dutch MedTech ecosystem, setting the stage for direct company visits to three Dutch innovators: Holoconnects, D’Andrea & Evers Design, and Global Factories | Pharmacy Automation.
It was a perfect example of what MEDICA can do when you combine a shared Pavilion presence with targeted ecosystem storytelling: new connections formed fast, and the right people met the right solutions.
The Innovators Who Carried the Pavilion
If the Pavilion was the stage, the Dutch organisations were the show. From first meetings to the final networking moments, they demonstrated what “Dutch innovation for better healthcare worldwide” looks like in practice. With special thanks to our showcasing partners:
- City AED Nederland,
- D’Andrea & Evers Design,
- Estone Technology,
- HealthTalk.ai,
- Holoconnects,
- Essange Reagents,
- Exact Medical,
- Global Factories | Pharmacy Automation,
- Less2Care,
- MedEnvoy Global,
- Mediate Medical,
- Oxmed,
- NightWatch Epilepsy Detection,
- Plasmacure,
- Sencilia, and Sterisets International.
Together, these organisations didn’t just present products, they presented solutions with a global purpose, whether improving emergency response capacity, enabling smarter clinical workflows, advancing diagnostics, or scaling digital care.
Key Takeaways
1. Dutch healthcare innovation has international pull.
The Pavilion saw steady traffic and deep conversations. Visitors weren’t window-shopping; they were looking for partners and proof-ready solutions they could bring home.
2. Collaboration is the multiplier.
The strongest moments were collective ones: shared receptions, joint ecosystem sessions, delegation visits, and matchmaking. The Pavilion worked because it was bigger than any one company.
3. Germany remains a strategic market and a shared opportunity.
The conversations around trade, regulation, and support confirmed that the German market is both highly promising and highly navigable when approached together.
4.The Pavilion model delivers real value.
A shared Dutch platform lowers thresholds, accelerates introductions, and makes it easier for international visitors to grasp the breadth and strength of the Dutch LSH ecosystem.
Stay connected
If this week proved anything, it’s that Dutch healthcare innovation thrives when it travels together. Thanks again to all innovators, partners, and visitors who made MEDICA 2025 a success.
See you next year, with new solutions, new collaborations, and the same bright orange ambition.
Contact name: Pieter Van Beers, Project Manager
Phone: +31 6 12 76 09 68
E-mail: pieter.vanbeers@tfhc.nl
