This September, Romania joins the map of major international gatherings dedicated to the medicine of the future. From September 9 to 12, the Palace of Culture in Iași will host the 52nd Annual Congress of the European Society for Artificial Organs (ESAO), held in Romania for the first time. The Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania is supporting the event as a partner, continuing its commitment to projects that bring cutting-edge international research closer to Romania’s scientific community.
For a few days, Iași will become a meeting point for bioengineers, physicians, surgeons, and researchers from Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States, all united by one of contemporary medicine’s most ambitious questions: how can we support, replace, or even regenerate the functions of a vital organ when it can no longer function on its own?
The answers emerge from a field situated at the intersection of medicine, engineering, and biology – a field that, in recent decades, has transformed solutions once deemed nearly impossible into technologies capable of changing patient prognoses.
The theme of the ESAO 2026 Congress, “From Bench to Bedside and Back Again,” captures the very mechanism of medical progress: discoveries must not remain in the laboratory, but must reach the patient, undergo evaluation in real-world medical practice, and subsequently return to the research stage in the form of new data and observations. The congress’s scientific program features over 100 presentations, plenary sessions, and symposia dedicated to some of the most advanced areas of medical bioengineering. Topics on the agenda include total artificial hearts and ventricular assist devices—technologies used to support patients with severe heart failure—as well as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, where research into biomaterials and biological grafts is opening up new perspectives on how bodily tissues and functions might be repaired or regenerated.
The scientific event will be preceded by the youngESAO Conference, held on September 8–9 at the “Nicolae Leon” building of the “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iași. Dedicated to early-career researchers and PhD students, the event provides a platform for them to present their projects, participate in hands-on workshops, and, above all, connect directly with researchers and academic groups from various countries. The youngESAO component thus adds an essential dimension to the congress: the transfer of know-how to the generation that will develop the next wave of medical technologies.
Hosting an ESAO congress in Romania for the first time brings not only international specialists to Iași but also a dialogue regarding the future direction of medicine. From September 9 to 12, the Palace of Culture becomes a meeting point where medicine, engineering, and fundamental research converge around a highly concrete objective: the development of technologies capable of supporting, replacing, or—in the future—contributing to the regeneration of vital organ functions.
The event is organized by the Creative Life Association, in partnership with the Iași City Hall and the “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iași, with the support of the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania.
By supporting such scientific events, the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania helps bring international research closer to Romania’s medical and scientific communities and fosters a dialogue on medicine that extends beyond mere disease treatment to encompass prevention, regeneration, and healthy longevity.
