International positioning

Specifically:

• We conduct analyses of international technological trends aimed at identifying potential areas for technological development, starting from a diagnosis of distinctive capabilities and competencies.
• We build a network of relationships to support the growth of the national value chain, with the goal of developing joint initiatives on strategic topics of common interest, bringing research results from project partners to market and into healthcare systems, and fostering the development of start-ups and enterprises in strategic sectors.
• We promote the attraction of foreign investment in the Life Sciences sector by providing technical, logistical, and financial support for the establishment and consolidation of operations in Italy. We also ensure integration within HEAL Italia facilities, such as the biobank system.
• We support companies and organizations in their internationalization processes, with a particular focus on research, technology transfer, researcher exchange, and business development.
• We facilitate investment from major corporations and investors interested in technologies developed by start-ups, positioning HEAL Italia as the national reference hub for conducting international Proofs of Concept (PoCs) and as a gateway platform for expansion into the Italian and European Health Biotech markets.

The mapping of facilities and technologies within the HEAL Italia partnership, combined with market analyses conducted in two key regions for precision medicine—namely the United States and Canada—has enabled us to identify the following strategic value chains:

• Genomics and Molecular Biotechnologies
• Digital Health and Medicine
• Diagnostics 4.0 and the application of advanced digital technologies across the entire medical diagnostics value chain
• Pharmaceuticals and Innovative Therapies
• Innovative Devices for Precision Medicine
• Innovative Services for Public and Private Healthcare

Each value chain is linked to one or more target markets. In this context, HEAL Italia is structured to support national institutions and organizations in their internationalization journey, assisting them in accessing opportunities, partnerships, and foreign markets within the identified areas.

The internationalization plan of the HEAL Italia Foundation for 2025–2026 includes targeted actions in the following countries:

The U.S. market for precision medicine is experiencing exponential growth, with a wide range of products and technologies available—particularly in the fields of oncology, genetics, and diagnostics. Below are the key precision medicine products and services in high demand in the U.S. market:

Targeted therapies, Biomarker-based immunotherapies, Gene therapy-based drugs, Genomic and molecular diagnostic tests, CAR-T cell therapies, Non-invasive DNA screening tests (NIPT), Multi-omics panels for the diagnosis of complex diseases, Orphan drugs for rare diseases, Gene editing technologies (CRISPR), Liquid biopsy tests.

La Fondazione Heal Italia ha partecipato a giugno 2025 alla Bio International Convention 2025 di Boston, evento chiave a livello globale nel settore delle bioIn June 2025, the HEAL Italia Foundation participated in the BIO International Convention 2025 in Boston—one of the most important global events in the biotechnology and life sciences sector. HEAL Italia’s presence, as part of the Italian delegation led by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), enabled the team to initiate dialogue with over 30 prominent institutions including universities, hospitals, companies, foundations, and government entities. This participation helped develop the following cooperation channels:

• Development of joint research projects between Italian and U.S. universities and hospitals (e.g., Columbia University, Mayo Clinic, Harvard University);
• Support for foreign investment attraction in technologies developed by start-ups, positioning HEAL Italia as a key Italian hub for developing U.S. and Italian Proofs of Concept (PoCs), and as a landing platform for expansion into the Italian and European markets;
• Engagement with intellectual property-generating institutions (e.g., NIH) to support U.S. programs that lead to product and start-up development in Italy through collaboration with HEAL Italia;
• Special projects and initiatives promoted by researchers aiming to produce and scale their research outputs by establishing Italian companies that leverage national innovation incentives;
• Reverse technology transfer and IP valorization, facilitating the export of Italian patents and research findings to the U.S. market;
• Collaboration with large corporations seeking innovation through the creation of Innovation Hubs coordinated by HEAL Italia, to accelerate the development of healthcare and pharmaceutical technologies, and support companies and start-ups in product certification processes.

Particular interest was shown in the following research areas:

Liquid biopsy, omics sciences, predictive modeling, development of predictive kits in Italy for early detection of head and neck cancers through saliva-based diagnostics, innovative drugs, immunotherapy, organoids, Artificial Intelligence platforms and advanced computing systems for precision medicine, precision medicine programs for advanced healthcare services

Thanks to a recently signed agreement with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada, HEAL Italia will benefit from dedicated support to expand its international activities within the Canadian market. As part of this collaboration, HEAL Italia will participate in the Canada–Italy AI Forum, to be held in Montréal on November 11–12, 2025, which will explore the impact of artificial intelligence technologies and systems on the precision medicine sector.

Additional countries of strategic interest include China, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan, which are particularly relevant due to the presence of significant public and private investments in the precision medicine sector.