Startups have until 8 March to apply for the Health Innovation Award. The competition is primarily looking for digital solutions that simplify patient care processes and advance new treatment methods. The final will take place on 26 March at the Digital Hub Logistics & Commerce.
© Mathias Jäger/Hamburg Startups: Thomas Ballast (Deputy Chairman of the Board of Techniker Krankenkasse) and Florian Bontrup (CEO of DOCYET), winner of the Health Innovation Award 2024
News
February 24, 2026
A new start for the Health Innovation Award
© Mathias Jäger/Hamburg Startups: Thomas Ballast (Deputy Chairman of the Board of Techniker Krankenkasse) and Florian Bontrup (CEO of DOCYET), winner of the Health Innovation Award 2024
TK becomes the sole organizer
When the fourth edition of the Health Innovation Award took place in December 2024, the future of the competition was uncertain. The venue at the time was Philips' Health Innovation Port, but the medical technology company subsequently withdrew from the project and closed the coworking space. Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), on the other hand, remained on board as an organiser and continued to run the Health Innovation Port as a network for startups in the medical industry. Now the Health Innovation Award is back on the agenda in 2026.
The conditions for participation are relatively general: Applications should explain how the solution incorporates the principles of outcome-based care or the benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration to provide comprehensive, patient-centred care. Winners are promised visibility and access to the Health Innovation Port ecosystem and thus also to TK’s. Applications can be sent to hip@tk.de until 8 March. A compelling pitch deck and a description of the solution developed by the startup and its advantages are expected.
