INNOVA 2026: Innovative Approaches to Ageing and Well-being Conference
About the conference
INNOVA — Innovative Approaches to Ageing and Well-being — is an international conference held on the French Riviera, dedicated to promoting academic research and innovation in the fields of ageing and healthy living. The event is organized under the auspices of the Innovation Hub “Ageing & Well-being”, recently granted the status of 2IP (Institute for Partnership and Innovation) in the same thematic area.
In its second edition, INNOVA 2026 aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue by exploring ageing and well-being from multiple perspectives — including social, economic, biomedical, psychological, and public health dimensions. Bringing together researchers, PhD candidates, and startups from the 2IP ALIVE programme, the conference creates a dynamic platform to share knowledge, highlight emerging talent, and build collaborative opportunities within the Ulysseus ecosystem. Startups affiliated with the 2IP ALIVE programme will actively participate through pitches and networking sessions, showcasing innovation in ageing and well-being.
Themes
1- Public Health: Taking Complexity into the Equation
Chairs: Anne Vuillemin (Université Côte d’Azur) & Emilio Di Maria (University of Genoa)
Scope: This session will address aging from a public health perspective, emphasizing complexity, systems thinking, and multi-level determinants of health.
2- Ageing Brain in the Neuroscience 3.0 Era
Chairs: Paula Pousinha (Université Côte d’Azur) & Rafael Chacon (University of Seville)
Scope: This symposium will explore how emerging paradigms in neuroscience (“Neuroscience 3.0”) are reshaping our understanding of brain aging. It will integrate multi-scale approaches—from molecular mechanisms to cognitive systems—and highlight technological advances (AI, neuroimaging, data integration).
3- Digital Interfaces: Solution or Risk?
Chairs: Lili Aunimo (Haaga Helia University of Applied Sciences) & Stevo POPOVIC (University of Montenegro)
Scope: This session will critically examine the role of digital technologies and interfaces in societies, balancing opportunities for inclusion and risks related to trustworthiness.
4- Economic, Social Transformation, and the Demographic Transition
Chairs: Samira Karrach (Université Côte d’Azur) & Ayman Fouda (MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®)
Scope: This symposium will focus on the economic implications of demographic aging and the transformations required in labor markets, innovation ecosystems, and policy frameworks.
Keynote Speakers
Almar Kok (VU University Amsterdam)
Almar Kok has a background in social sciences and currently works as associate professor in the department of sociology at the VU University Amsterdam. With his research he aims to capture the heterogeneity of the ageing process as it unfolds across domains in daily life, and to identify potential leverage points to extend the years lived without functional disabilities. To this end he develops holistic conceptual perspectives on ageing, and leads empirical research using data from longitudinal cohort studies and qualitative interview studies. His interdisciplinary experience and professional network spans sociology, epidemiology, health sciences, psychiatry and psychological sciences. He is head of Social Functioning of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) and former co-PI of the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons, programme leader of the Social Context of Aging research group, and founded the Complexity Research on Ageing Interest Group, which connects researchers with various backgrounds to exchange knowledge and collaborate on joint applying complex systems science to ageing.
Eugenio Fornasiero (University Medicine Göttingen)
Eugenio F. Fornasiero, PhD is a neuroscientist whose research focuses on the molecular principles of protein turnover, synaptic homeostasis, and their changes during brain ageing. He leads laboratories at the University Medical Center Göttingen (Germany) and the University of Trieste (Italy). Trained in medical biotechnology and molecular biology, Fornasiero has developed an interdisciplinary research program combining high-resolution fluorescence microscopy, quantitative proteomics, and multi-omic bioinformatics to measure protein lifetimes and macromolecular turnover in brain tissue and synapses. His work has helped establish that age-dependent alterations in protein lifetimes and proteostatic mechanisms link physiological brain ageing to neurodegenerative pathways. His current research aims to develop brain-wide and single-synapse approaches to map protein turnover, applying them across species to uncover the molecular drivers of cognitive decline with age.
Key Objectives
- Promoting academic research and cutting-edge innovation from Ulysseus
- Crossing the approach of ageing and well-being in all its dimensions (social, economical, biomedical, psychological, public health…)
- Enlightening our PhDs, youngs researchers (pair of researchers and PhDs)
- Creating bridges between academic and socio-economic world
- Developing attractive opportunities of collaboration for our Ulysseus ecosystem
Who can apply
- PHD student, post-docs, startups, academic researchers, professors.
Some applications may have funding available. To maximize the chances of receiving funding, it is recommended to apply as soon as possible.
Agenda
Day 1 - Wednesday, November 25th
Symposium 1 | Public Health: Taking Complexity into the Equation
Chairs: Anne Vuillemin (Université Côte d’Azur) & Emilio Di Maria (University of Genoa)
09:00-09:30 Registration & Welcome coffee
09:30-09:40 Welcome words
09:40-10:00 Scaling health innovation for healthy ageing (Dr Moredreck Chibi, WHO Europe)
10:00-10:30 Keynote Address |Adopting a complex systems approach to functional ageing: Bridging the gap between gerontological theory and empirical research (Almar Kok, VU University Amsterdam)
10:30-11:00 Oral presentations
11:00-11:30 Coffee break & Poster session
11:30-12:00 Startup pitches
12:00-12:30 Panel discussion
12:30-12:40 Official group picture (all participants)
12:40-14:00 Lunch & Networking
Symposium 2 | Ageing Brain in the Neuroscience 3.0 Era
Chairs: Paula Pousinha (Université Côte d’Azur) & Rafael Chacon (University of Seville)
14:00 – 14:30 Keynote Address | Molecular renewal in brain ageing: from mechanisms to biomarkers (Eugenio Fornasiero, University Medicine Göttingen)
14:30 – 15:30 Oral presentations
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break & Poster session
16:00 – 16:30 Startup pitches
16:30 – 17:00 Panel discussion
Day 2 - Thursday, November 26th
Symposium 3 | Digital Interfaces: Solution or Risk?
Chairs: Lili Aunimo (Haaga Helia University of Applied Sciences) & Stevo Popovic (University of Montenegro)
09:00-09:15 Welcome coffee
09:15-09:45 Keynote Address | Gauden Galea (Former Strategic Adviser – WHO Regional Office for Europe) (TBC)
09:45-10:45 Oral presentations
10:45-11:15 Coffee break & Poster session
11:15-11:45 Startup pitches
11:45-12:15 Panel discussion
12:15-13:45 Lunch & Networking
Symposium 4 | Economic, Social Transformation, and the Demographic Transition
Chairs: Samira Karrach (Université Côte d’Azur) & Ayman Fouda (MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®)
13:45-14:15 Ulysseus IPO Session
14:15-14:45 Keynote Address | Adel Benyoussef (Université Côte d’Azur)
14:45-15:15 Oral presentations
15:15-15:45 Startup pitches
15:45-16:15 Panel discussion
16:15 Goodbye coffee & Final networking
Event Venue
The INNOVA Conference will take place at Saint Paul Hotel, located in Nice, France.
Address:
Saint Paul Hotel – Nice
29 Bd Franck Pilatte
06300 Nice
The hotel is easily accessible by public transport and is ideally located near the city centre and the coastline, facing the sea. It offers a pleasant and convenient setting for all participants.
Registration
Registrations are open for participants, oral presentations, and poster presentations.
Deadline for oral and poster submissions:
15 October 2026 (or until all available slots are filled)
General registration deadline:
15 November 2026
Registrations are open for participants, oral presentations, and poster presentations.