DATE & TIME
30 September 2026, 15:45 – 17:00
TRACKS
TRACK 1: Living Labs for Grand Societal Challenges
TRACK 2: Living Labs for Policies, Governance, Collaboration and Innovation Ecosystems
TRACK 4: Living Labs for Business and Emerging Technology
ROOM
Darwin
TYPE OF SESSION
Topic Debate
Description
This interactive panel, led by the EU-funded DiCE project, explores how circularity for digital health devices can be accelerated through circular design, motivational strategies and Living Lab pilots, smart collection solutions, and viable circular business models under healthcare constraints.
Agenda
| Timeslot | Item | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 15:45 – 15:50 | Welcome, interactive opener | Magdalena Charytanowicz (WEEE Forum) |
| 15:50 – 15:55 | Context framing – circularity challenges in healthcare | Magdalena Charytanowicz (WEEE Forum) |
| 15:55 – 16:00 | Panelists’ introduction | Magdalena Charytanowicz (WEEE Forum) |
| 16:00 – 16:25 |
5 short presentations/pitches: (Re)Design for circularity Motivational strategies and nudges User behaviour in Living Lab pilots Circular business models and reprocessing Policy guidelines in practice |
Cecile Cuijpers (TU Delft) René Luigies (Games for Health) Sascha Vermeylen (LiCalab) Elisa Sáez Muñoz (INTRAS) Amna Potočnik (RDAPM) Jason LaRoche (JNJ) Nick Davids (OVAM) |
| 16:25 – 16:35 | Reflection with the audience | Magdalena Charytanowicz (WEEE Forum) |
| 16:35 – 16:55 | Moderated cross-panel discussion | Magdalena Charytanowicz (WEEE Forum) |
| 16:55 – 17:15 | Q&A with audience + takeaways | Magdalena Charytanowicz (WEEE Forum) |
Speakers
Magdalena Charytanowicz
Communications Manager, WEEE Forum
Magdalena Charytanowicz
Communications Manager, WEEE Forum
Magdalena Charytanowicz is the WEEE Forum’s Communications Manager. She coordinates its internal and external communications and the WEEE Forum’s Working Group Communications, as well as awareness-raising activities organised in collaboration with its Members. This includes International E-Waste Day, held across the world each October.
She also works on all of the WEEE Forum’s EU-funded projects, leading on communication and providing support to project management related work packages. Magdalena joined the WEEE Forum in 2011. Previously she worked for Hill and Knowlton and APCO Worldwide, two of the world’s largest public relations and public affairs consultancies.
She holds a Master’s degree in French and Roman languages and literature from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve and is fluent in Polish, French, English and Italian.
Cecile F. Cuijpers
Postdoctoral Researcher, Design for Sustainable Healthcare, Delft University of Technology
Cecile F. Cuijpers
Postdoctoral Researcher, Design for Sustainable Healthcare, Delft University of Technology
Cecile Cuijpers is an experienced human factors research engineer focused on creating circular healthcare products.
She holds a PhD in Medical Design Engineering and worked as a human factors specialist in the innovation department of Philips Healthcare for almost four years before moving to Africa for six and a half years, where she devoted her time to a range of environmental sustainability projects.
Since September 2025 she has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at TU Delft, combining her expertise in human factors, healthcare design and the circular economy to design more circular healthcare products.
René Luigies
Liaison Officer, Games for Health
René Luigies
Liaison Officer, Games for HealthRené Luigies studied medicine at Utrecht University and holds an MBA from Bradford University. He has a long career in the global medical industry, and through his own company acted as a consultant on healthcare innovation projects for Dutch healthcare insurers, universities and hospitals. He has an extensive national and international network across government bodies, universities and research institutions. In 2011 he joined the Games for Health Europe Foundation as programme director, and in 2016 Games for Health b.v. as business development manager. In his current position he is responsible for several European funded projects, including Horizon Europe, Eurostars and Interreg. Games for Health is internationally recognised for its expertise in the design of behavioural change strategies through playful interaction applied in healthcare, wellbeing and society.
Sascha Vermeylen
Panel manager & Researcher, LiCalab
Sascha Vermeylen
Panel manager & Researcher, LiCalabSascha holds a Master’s degree in social economic sciences from University of Antwerp. Since 2018, she’s a panel manager and researcher at LiCalab (living and care lab) at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in Belgium. LiCalab focuses on health technology and new collaborative models in health by applying user-centric research. Sascha manages the LiCalab panel and maintains the panel database, following GDPR. This panel consists of ca 1.500 elderly and over 600 caregivers and care organizations. In addition, she is responsible for the operational side of the living lab activities, such as setting up co-creation sessions, real life testing, human factor studies and surveys.
Elisa Sáez Muñoz
Project Manager, Fundación INTRAS
Elisa Sáez Muñoz
Project Manager, Fundación INTRAS
Elisa Sáez Muñoz is a trained social worker with a Master’s degree in Social Intervention in Knowledge Societies. Since 2022 she has been part of Fundación INTRAS, where she works as a project manager in the R&D&I Department.
Through MINDLab, its Living Lab, she has developed expertise in community participation, co-creation, and the application of participatory methodologies in social research and innovation processes.
Fundación INTRAS is a non-profit organisation with more than 30 years of experience, recognised for its expertise in mental health, social innovation, active ageing, and the development of person-centred solutions through national and European research and innovation projects.
Amna Potočnik
Head of Regional Development Research Group, RDA Podravje, Maribor
Amna Potočnik
Head of Regional Development Research Group, RDA Podravje, Maribor
Amna Potočnik holds a PhD in Economics and Business Sciences, with a focus on International Management, from the University of Maribor.
She is a senior expert in regional development, international cooperation, territorial innovation and applied research, with more than 25 years of experience in European programmes, cross-border cooperation, strategic planning and regional development policy. She currently works at the Regional Development Agency for Podravje in Maribor as Head of the Regional Development Research Group.
Her work focuses on project development, stakeholder engagement, participatory processes, policy support and the preparation of strategic documents and recommendations for regional and local development. She also initiated the Open Innovation Lab ORbITaLA, creating a transdisciplinary platform for open innovation.
Jason LaRoche
Director, Innovative Health, Environmental Sustainability in Clinical Research, Johnson & Johnson
Jason LaRoche
Director, Innovative Health, Environmental Sustainability in Clinical Research, Johnson & Johnson
Jason LaRoche has over 20 years of experience working in pharmaceuticals, 18 of which have been with Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine.
For the last 10 years he has been a member of their Innovative Health team, where he applies strong technical and collaboration skills and global project leadership to deliver transformational innovation projects that aim to shape the future of clinical trial operations at Johnson & Johnson.
He is Director of Environmental Sustainability in Clinical Research, where he is leading the transformation of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine’s global clinical operations towards sustainability.
Nick Davids
Circular economy facilitator, OVAM
Nick Davids
Circular economy facilitator, OVAMNick Davids is a circular economy facilitator at Vlaanderen Circulair, specialising in effective communication. With a strong background in eco-design, he focuses on behavioural change and wider acceptance of circular practices through communication and behavioural psychology. As an advocate for the circular economy, he shares knowledge and inspiration with businesses as part of his mission to make Flanders more resilient.