ZAGREB, April 1, 2025 – The AI4Health.Cro Consortium is excited to announce its annual conference, set to take place on April 8th at the Hotel Zonar in Zagreb. This key event showcases the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in revolutionizing healthcare, with a special focus this year on enhancing breast cancer diagnostics.
A Gathering of Healthcare Innovators
The AI4Health.Cro conference is a vital meeting point for industry experts, tech pioneers, and innovators in the healthcare sector. This year’s program is geared towards demonstrating cutting-edge AI solutions that promise to significantly improve the accuracy and efficiency of breast cancer diagnostics. It’s an essential engagement for those committed to the forefront of medical technological advancements.
Top Experts to Headline the Conference
We are thrilled to announce an inspiring lineup of keynote speakers:
Dr. Hemmel Amrania, CEO of Digistain, will deliver a keynote on “The Journey of Digistain from Academia to Global Markets.” Dr. Hemmel is a clinical scientist and innovator dedicated to advancing cancer diagnostics. He earned his PhD from Imperial College London, where he developed a patented method for grading tumor biopsies, eliminating subjective bias. His groundbreaking research earned him the President’s Award for Outstanding Research and recognition through the Royal Society Innovation Prize and the Cancer Research Pioneer Award.
With expertise in clinical trials and medical statistics from his work at Charing Cross Hospital, he identified a critical gap in breast cancer diagnostics—long wait times and high costs for risk assessment. This led him to develop Digistain, a revolutionary, cost-effective technology that helps oncologists determine which patients can safely forgo chemotherapy.
As the founder of Digistain, Hemmel secured funding from Y Combinator, standing out among 17,000 applicants, with additional backing from Harvard Capital. His mission is to transform cancer care by making precision diagnostics faster, more accessible, and more affordable.
Kaloyan holds a master’s degree in Sociology and Economics from the University of Economics in Vienna and has been working in the field of ecosystem development, innovation and entrepreneurship for the last 20 years. His current fields of interest are AI & deep tech, health & life sciences, technology transfer and science based innovation. In the field of oncology and cancer care, Kaloyan is the founder of the onco-innovate initiative, which is a multidisciplinary conference and health innovation initiative at the crossroads of traditional oncological symposiums and modern startup & innovation events.
From Competition to Innovation
The AI4Health.Cro annual conference is not only a venue for these influential talks but also a competitive stage where top teams will present their AI-driven solutions and win a prize pool of €9,000, showcasing their innovations to tackle specific challenges in medical imaging and diagnostic processes.
In December 2024, the AI4Health.Cro innovation competition kicked off, drawing an enthusiastic response with 34 teams and 106 competitors, including IT experts, innovators, and healthcare professionals from across Croatia, all eager to tackle the challenges of breast cancer diagnostics. After a rigorous selection process, 14 of the top teams were chosen to advance. These teams presented their prototypes at a vibrant kick-off event hosted by the Zagreb Innovation Center (ZICER) and are now set to compete for a total prize pool of €9,000.
Competing teams come from diverse Croatian cities including Čakovec, Karlovac, Osijek, Split, and Zagreb. Notable teams include Breast Friends, BreastQuestAI, Code to Heal, and others, all unified by a common goal: to revolutionize breast cancer diagnostics.
Networking and Collaborative Opportunities
In addition to the keynote speeches, the conference will provide ample opportunities for attendees to network with peers, industry leaders, and innovators in the field. The event is designed to foster collaborations that can lead to breakthroughs in healthcare technologies, with a special focus on artificial intelligence applications.
Conference Program
Location: Hotel Zonar, Trg Krešimira Ćosića 9, 10000, Zagreb
Date: April 8, 2025 
Time: 09:30 AM – 5:00 PM
09:30 – 10:00 | Registration and Morning Coffee
10:00 – 10:35 | Grand Opening
Dr. David M. Smith, Director of the Ruđer Bošković Institute Representative from the Ministry of Health Representative from the Ministry of Economy Andrea Čović Vidović, Media Head, Deputy Head of the European Commission Representation in Croatia
Dr. Anja Barešić, Project Coordinator ”AI4Health.Cro: Achievements and Future Plans”
10:35 – 11:15 | Keynote Speeches
Kaloyan Ratchev, Founder of Vangavis: “Challenges and growth opportunities for AI & health startups in Europe”
Dr. Hemmel Amrania, CEO of Digistain: “The journey of Digistain from academia to global markets”
11:15 – 12:00 | Innovation Competition Winner Announcement
Presentation of challenges and selection process Winner announcement and award ceremony Group photo
12:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch and Networking
1:00 – 3:30 PM | Working Session
*(closed session for project consortium)
3:30 – 5:00 PM | Cocktail and Networking