Edition 01
Building Bridges in Biomedicine
Diplomacy, done the biomedical way.
A traveling, embassy-level forum that connects Croatian and international medicine and science, so that talent, research, and care flow in both directions, for mutual benefit.
London
New York
Washington
Zürich
Boston
Zagreb · December 2026
Next edition, registration open
Building Bridges comes home to Zagreb.
5 Dec2026 Sheraton Zagreb Hotel10:00 to 14:00, during Plexus WeekDetails for Zagreb
After five editions abroad, most recently Boston on 21 September 2026, Building Bridges comes home. During Plexus Week, Croatian physicians, scientists and other biomedical professionals working abroad meet colleagues from Croatia’s hospitals, medical schools and research institutions: to get to know one another, build new connections, exchange ideas and explore collaboration in research, clinical work, education and beyond.
Attendance is free. Register through the Plexus registration form and tick Building Bridges. The program will be announced here.
- When5 December 2026, 10:00 to 14:00, during Plexus Week
- WhereSheraton Zagreb Hotel, Kneza Borne 2, Zagreb
- Entryfree
- RegisterPlexus form, tick Building Bridges
Part of Plexus Week, alongside the Plexus Conference (4–5 December) and the Plexus Gala (5 December).
Science, medicine and biomedicine as diplomacy.
Building Bridges is a series of collaboration and networking events that connect Croatian and international medicine.
- Research projects
- Clinical trials
- Staff exchanges
- PhD programs, or anything else
More about the idea
Each one treats science, medicine and biomedicine the way diplomats treat relations between nations: as something to be cultivated, deliberately and over time. We bring Croatians from home and abroad into the same room as their international peers, so that a first conversation has every chance to become a lasting one.
It connects Croatians living abroad in two directions at once: back home with Croatia, and outward with the local community where they live. In Zürich that means Swiss physicians, scientists and healthcare leaders, and in London their UK counterparts. The result is bilateral by design, where both sides gain rather than one side asking for help.
We do not chase paperwork. The point is simply to connect the right people, and to keep the conversation going long after the room empties.
From a first conversation to shared work.
Research projects Joint studies between Croatian institutions and collaborators abroad, from first idea to co‑authored publication.
Clinical trials Bringing Croatian sites into international trial networks, widening access to new treatments at home.
Staff exchanges Clinicians and researchers spending time in each other's institutions, carrying skills and ties back and forth.
PhD programs, or anything else Shared and dual doctoral tracks, or any other joint project two teams want to take on. There is no limitation.
From a first handshake to a lasting collaboration.
Each edition follows the same arc: convene the right people, give them reasons to talk, and stay with the relationships long after the room empties.
Convene
Connect
Commit
Continue
How each step works
Convene We gather Croatian leaders from home and abroad alongside senior international colleagues in one host city, at embassy and institutional level.
Connect Roundtables, talks, and warm introductions turn a guest list into working pairs, matched by field, ambition, and what each side can offer.
Commit Conversations become concrete: a trial site, an exchange, a co‑supervised PhD, a shared project two teams decide to take on together.
Continue Med&X keeps the thread alive between editions, so each city builds on the last instead of starting over.
Our Building Bridges guests are invited to continue the conversation at the annual Plexus Gala.
5
Dec2026
ZagrebPlexus Gala
About the evening
Everyone we meet across these cities, at home and abroad, is personally invited to the Plexus Gala in Zagreb on 5 December, where the whole network gathers for one evening alongside keynote speakers who are leaders in biomedicine.
Five cities so far, and Zagreb next.
Building Bridges is deliberately nomadic.
Edition 02
New York
Clinical and academic powerhouses
Edition 03
Washington
The diplomatic anchor
Edition 04
Zürich
A hub for precision medicine and biotech
Edition 05
Boston
21 September 2026
Next edition
Zagreb
5 December 2026 · 10:00 to 14:00 Register for Zagreb, freeAbout each city
So far we have gathered in five cities where Croatian science already has friends, most recently Boston in September 2026. This December it comes home to Zagreb, during Plexus Week. Each one goes to where the people are.
London A European research capital and a natural gateway between Croatian and UK academic medicine.
New York Clinical and academic powerhouses, and a large, engaged Croatian community ready to connect.
Washington The diplomatic anchor, where biomedical collaboration meets policy and the institutions that shape it.
Zürich A hub for precision medicine and biotech, and the Swiss physicians, scientists and healthcare leaders Croatian labs want at the table.
Boston 21 September 2026, in the Waterhouse Room of Gordon Hall at Harvard Medical School, held with the Harvard Medical Postdoc Association.
Zagreb, this December. The sixth edition brings Building Bridges home. During Plexus Week, the Croatian biomedical community from abroad meets colleagues from Croatia’s own hospitals, universities and research institutes, in the week the Plexus Conference and Gala bring the wider network to Zagreb.
5 December 2026 · 10:00 to 14:00 · during Plexus Week · Sheraton Zagreb Hotel · free to attend
A network, measured.
150+Participants across five cities
40–50People per city edition
5Host cities to date
2Continents bridged
About these figures
Around 40 to 50 people join each city, which adds up to more than 150 participants across the five editions so far: Croatians from home and abroad, alongside international partners, all there to build collaborations that work both ways. Figures reflect participation to date, with Boston in September 2026 as the fifth city. Zagreb follows in December.
Help fund the next bridge.
We are not looking for hosts. We fund the projects: the research collaborations, exchanges and doctoral tracks that each edition sets in motion. Backing Building Bridges puts your organization behind that work, and in the room where Croatian and international biomedical leaders meet.
150+Senior leaders reached so far
6World cities by the end of 2026
2Continents, one network
Step 2 of 3 · Choose a level
What would you like to enable?
Step 3 of 3 · Talk to our team
Here is what you chose
Path—
Level—
Want something even more custom? Reach out and we will build it with you.
Whether you are a Croatian researcher at home, part of the community abroad, or an international colleague curious about Croatia, there is a place for you. Tell us what you want to build, and we will find the people to build it with.
