Signal Meets Scale: How Cardiff and ISPOR Europe 2025 Complement Each Other

When the global health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) community gathers at ISPOR Europe 2025 in Glasgow, the spotlight will shine on methods, value assessment, and the patient-centred evidence that underpins healthcare decision-making. ISPOR's role is unique: it sets the tone for methodological rigour and global visibility, attracting thousands of delegates and shaping debates on real-world evidence, HTA, and patient outcomes.

But before Glasgow, another gathering takes place across the border in Cardiff, Wales (24–26 September 2025): the Health Data Forum Global Hybrid Summit, a much smaller, dialogue-driven convening that has been called the "G20 for Health Data."

Rather than scale, Cardiff offers signal.

Wales as a Living Lab

Wales is not just hosting the Summit — it is the Summit's case study. The country has positioned itself as a leader in Trusted Research Environments (TREs), data governance, and genomic innovation. NHS Wales, together with academia and civic actors, has created what can best be described as a living laboratory: a nationwide system where data is securely harnessed for research, innovation, and patient-centred care.

At the Cardiff Summit, participants will experience this model firsthand — through world cafés, fireside chats, and innovation showcases in The Village. Instead of abstract frameworks, Wales offers real-world practice: how to responsibly steward health data, balance public trust, and apply AI in a way that is both ethical and impactful.

This makes Cardiff an ideal complement to ISPOR. Where ISPOR codifies methods, Wales demonstrates implementation in action.

Cardiff vs. Glasgow: Different Lenses, Shared Purpose

Here's how the two events line up:

• Data Governance & Trust

  • Cardiff: TREs, cloud governance, cybersecurity, ethical AI.

  • Glasgow (ISPOR): Real-world data methods, privacy-enhancing technologies.

  • Together: From policy frameworks in Wales → methodological standards in ISPOR.

• Patient Engagement

  • Cardiff: Civic dialogue, transparency, citizen voices at the table.

  • Glasgow: Patient preference evidence, caregiver modelling, alternatives to QALYs.

  • Together: From lived patient trust → quantified patient evidence.

• Innovation & AI

  • Cardiff: Equity, ethics, and public acceptability of generative AI in healthcare.

  • Glasgow: Application of AI and machine learning in HEOR modelling.

  • Together: From responsible foundations → methodological sophistication.

• Format

  • Cardiff: Small (~120 onsite), participatory (World Cafés, Lightning Talks).

  • Glasgow: Large (thousands), structured (plenaries, posters, exhibitions).

  • Together: From curated dialogue → global dissemination.

Why Sponsors and Stakeholders Need Both

For industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers, Cardiff and Glasgow should not be seen as competing events, but as complementary touchpoints:

• Cardiff is where trust is built — with policymakers, NHS leaders, and patient groups in an intimate setting.

• Glasgow is where science is amplified — across thousands of HEOR professionals and global networks.

Supporting both sends a clear message: your organisation values not only scale and visibility (Glasgow) but also depth and dialogue (Cardiff).

A Journey Through Wales Before Glasgow

Think of it this way:

• In Cardiff, you enter the Welsh living lab — a national testbed for trustworthy health data and ethical AI. You walk away with insights grounded in practice, shaped by patients and practitioners alike.

• In Glasgow, you carry those insights into the global HEOR arena, where methods, models, and policy debates define how value is measured and decisions are made.

Together, these events trace a single arc: from trust → to evidence → to impact.

Closing Thought

Big congresses like ISPOR Europe give us scale.
But in Cardiff, the Health Data Forum Global Hybrid Summit offers something different: signal.

And when signal meets scale, health data innovation becomes not only credible but also actionable — grounded in the lived reality of Wales' living lab, and carried onto the global stage for lasting impact.