Innovators from 14 global teams showcased breakthrough technologies and competed to be crowned winners of the Isle of Man Innovation Challenge 2026 at the Comis Hotel on Thursday.
The finale of this year’s competition, which was organised by government agency Digital Isle of Man, brought together healthcare professionals, policymakers, business leaders, community organisations from across the island for a day of live pitches, expert insight and collaboration, culminating in the announcement of four winners across the Wellness, Working Smarter, Home First and the Biosphere Award categories.
Selected from a record 125 applications from 25 countries, the winning companies impressed judges with their innovation, scalability and potential to deliver meaningful impact to the island’s health and social care sector.
Winners were selected through a combination of application assessment, expert judging and audience voting, ensuring solutions were evaluated not only on innovation, but also on their ability to address real-world challenges, scale effectively and deliver meaningful value to the island.
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The 2026 winners were:
Working Smarter Winner
Concentric Health – An AI-powered digital consent and shared decision-making platform that helps clinicians and patients make informed healthcare decisions through personalised, evidence-based information, replacing traditional paper-based processes.
Wellness Winner
BeatModules – A digital wellbeing and education platform that uses interactive learning, AI-supported behavioural simulations and peer-led content to help young people build healthier habits and make informed health decisions.
Home First Winner
Plainstep Ltd – A digital platform that helps healthcare providers recover unused outpatient appointments by automating waitlist management, reducing missed appointments and improving access to care without requiring new apps or systems.
Biosphere Award Winner
The Wellbeing Doctors / helfy® – A doctor-led digital health platform using clinical diagnostics, personalised lifestyle medicine and AI to help prevent chronic disease, improve long-term health outcomes and empower people to take control of their wellbeing.
Minister for Health and Social Care Claire Christian said: ‘Health and social care systems across the world are facing significant challenges, but they are also facing unprecedented opportunities for innovation and we want to harness this in the island.
‘Throughout this challenge we have seen inspiring ideas, talented founders and practical solutions that have the potential to improve outcomes for patients, support healthcare professionals and strengthen services.
‘The Innovation Challenge has demonstrated the value of bringing global ideas and expertise together with local challenges and priorities, and we look forward to continuing conversations with the winners as we explore how innovation can help shape the future of health and social care in the island.’
Chief executive of Digital Isle of Man Lyle Wraxall added: ‘The calibre of companies attracted to this year's programme reflects the growing international reputation of the Isle of Man as a place where innovators can engage directly with decision-makers, access expertise and move from concept to practical application.
‘What makes the island unique is our ability to bring together innovators, clinicians, policymakers, regulators and businesses in a way that allows ideas to be explored, challenged and progressed quickly.
‘For many finalists, the greatest value of the challenge extends beyond the awards themselves. It lies in the relationships built throughout the programme and the opportunities those relationships create.’