The Region 1 Health Research and Development Consortium (R1HRDC) shares this announcement with interested institutions about the i-to-i Innovation Hub 2026, an international initiative led by the International Hospital Federation (IHF) in partnership with Stanford Healthcare.
The i-to-i Innovation Hub—from innovation to implementation—recognizes and showcases ground-breaking innovations that are transforming how hospital leaders deliver patient care worldwide. For 2026, the Hub carries the theme “Smarter pathways: How AI is changing patient care.” Under this theme, hospitals within the IHF membership are invited to submit innovations that have directly reshaped traditional models of hospital care.
Selected innovations will be featured as part of the programme of the 49th IHF World Hospital Congress, to be held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in October 2026.
About the i-to-i Innovation Hub 2026
Now in its fourth edition, the i-to-i Innovation Hub annually highlights projects that are transforming patient care delivery across hospitals in the IHF network. The 2026 edition focuses on innovations that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies to enhance clinical pathways and improvepatient outcomes.
The selected line-up will showcase solutions that address clearly defined challenges in care delivery and demonstrate measurable improvements in clinical outcomes, patient safety, operational efficiency, or patient experience. Examples include innovations that enable earlier interventions, predictive or continuous monitoring, AI-supported clinical decision-making, precision medicine, and virtual or hybrid models of care.
An expert review committee will shortlist submissions that demonstrate how high-impact AI platforms or related technologies are optimizing existing workflows and fundamentally reshaping how hospitals deliver care.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible innovations must meet the following requirements:
- The innovation must be currently in use in at least one hospital or healthcare setting and have progressed beyond the pilot phase.
- The innovation may operate outside the hospital (e.g., virtual care or telemedicine) but must be linked to an IHF member hospital.
- The solution must focus on AI algorithms or technologies applied at the point of care or along the clinical pathway, rather than administrative or back-office functions.
- The innovation must address a clearly defined care delivery challenge and demonstrate measurable impact.
- Partnerships with companies or academic institutions are allowed; however, the IHF member hospital must serve as the lead submitter.
- Innovations should offer novel insights or approaches that are new to the IHF membership, and submitters should be willing to share their implementation experiences and challenges.
The review committee will also consider the specific context in which care is delivered and aims to ensure a geographically diverse shortlist representing various resource settings.
Application and Selection Process
Applications must be submitted through the IHF online submission platform by 24 April 2026.
Selected finalists will be invited to showcase their innovations at the World Hospital Congress in Seoul, with a maximum of two innovations per country or territory permitted at the showcase. Additional shortlisted innovations will be recognized through a special digital publication by the IHF.
Eligible IHF member hospitals and healthcare institutions are encouraged to submit applications for the i-to-i Innovation Hub 2026.
Source: International Hospital Federation: https://ihf-fih.org/
