How 4Dcell's beating heart cells caught attention at EIC Corporate Day

4Dcell joined 26 European startups to pitch its SmartHeart cardiac testing platform at the EIC’s exclusive corporate partnership event in Brussels.

4Dcell joined 26 European startups at the EIC Multi-Corporate Day in Brussels on 8 to 9 October 2025, presenting to representatives from Procter & Gamble, Air Liquide, Chiesi Group, Merck Group and Nestlé. The event brought together pharmaceutical and consumer goods corporations with EIC-backed innovators working on biotechnology, artificial intelligence and industrial solutions.

The EIC Corporate Partnership Programme provides startups access to over 6,000 pre-selected and EIC-backed scaleups across Europe, covering all verticals including health, energy, quantum and sustainability. The structured event format includes expert coaching, targeted pitches and one-on-one meetings with corporate stakeholders to explore pilots and co-development projects.

The business acceleration activity provided curated access to high-level corporate stakeholders, structured preparation ahead of pitches and post-activity follow-up to convert discussions into trials and collaborations.

SmartHeart technology

The SmartHeart design enables an easy-to-use in vitro heart model, requiring only a low number of cells, with each well containing 9 rings to ensure precise data points while enabling high-resolution imaging.

The SmartHeart is described as an easy-to-use 3D in vitro heart model that requires minimal cells, faithfully reproduces in vivo physiology and enables precise efficacy and cardiotoxicity measurements.

The hydrogel shape provides a microenvironment which enables the cells to sediment and aggregate into a beating ring within hours, and can be used to test new compounds or assess toxicity of drugs targeting other types of pathologies, as it can be simply scaled to fit high-throughput screening requirements.

Corporate partnerships

The Multi-Corporate Day format provided startups with opportunities for one-on-one meetings with corporate experts to explore potential pilots, co-development projects and strategic partnerships. After targeted coaching and proposal reviews by experts brought in by the EIC, the selected innovators pitched their technologies.

Participating corporations gain access to a pipeline of over 6,000 pre-selected and EIC-backed scaleups in Europe, covering all verticals including health, energy, quantum and sustainability.

What's next

The event focused on fast-moving consumer goods, healthcare and industrial challenges, with participating startups ranging from biodiversity monitoring to micro-physiological models for drug development.

From biotechnology and human-relevant models to AI-enabled industrial optimisation and circular packaging, the 26 selected innovators solutions to current industry challenges.

About the EIC Corporate Day

The EIC Corporate Partnership Programme connects innovative companies like ours with global leaders across healthcare and life sciences. At the Innovation Roundtable in Brussels this October 8-9, we'll be presenting directly to decision-makers from companies like Procter & Gamble, Air Liquide, Chiesi Group, and Nestlé: companies that are actively seeking exactly the kind of innovations we're developing.