BCIwiki (bciwiki.com) — On June 23-24, 2026, the second annual Neurotech Leaders Forum at imec took place on the imec campus in Leuven, Belgium, bringing together executives, investors, researchers, and regulators from across Europe and the U.S. for two days of sessions spanning clinical translation, capital formation, regulatory strategy, and emerging frontiers of neurotechnology. According to Neurotech Reports, imec vice president of health technologies Paru Deshpande welcomed attendees, and Neurotech Reports editor and publisher James Cavuoto followed with an overview of the European neurotechnology industry, citing major commercial anchors such as LivaNova, MED-EL, Biotronik, Nyxoah, and Mainstay Medical.
Professor Thomas Stieglitz of the University of Freiburg delivered the Day 1 keynote, emphasizing perseverance and applying the Bauhaus principle to neuroelectronics, noting that "form follows function" and humorously remarking on the complexity of peripheral nerve engineering. imec's Carolina Mora Lopez and Vojkan Mihajlovic presented advances from Neuropixels to high-density ASICs and bidirectional neural technology with closed-loop stimulation. A session on women's health featured Ida Tin calling for collaboration, with Artemis Medical and Salvia Bioelectronics presenting devices for PCOS and migraine, respectively. Three European BCI companies—CEA Clinatec, Mint Neurotechnologies, and INBRAIN Neuroelectronics—showcased their approaches. Additionally, WISE SpA closed an oversubscribed EUR 30 million Series D round ahead of the conference, and its Heron SCS lead aims to deliver surgical paddle precision via a minimally invasive percutaneous implant. Melora Medical applied transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation to dermatology, and DeepPulseNeuro is pursuing endovascular brain monitoring. Panels on venture capital and regulation addressed capital efficiency and FDA versus CE Mark sequencing.
On Day 2, a session on Neurotech Europe on the World Stage featured Mark Vlek de Coningh of Neurotech EU, François Véron of Newfund, and Stephen Hicks of ARIA, acknowledging Europe's scientific depth but noting the need for deliberate work on capital formation, regulatory alignment, and coordination across a fragmented landscape.