This first residential meeting for Sciana Cohort 8 will bring together a new group of senior-level health and wellbeing leaders from the UK, Switzerland, and Germany to begin their fellowship journey under the theme Systems Leadership for Ageing in Good Health. Taking place in May 2026, the meeting will focus on how leaders can work across boundaries to support healthy, meaningful, and equitable lives across the lifespan.

Cohort 8 will enter the Sciana programme at a critical moment for health and care systems across Europe. As populations age, leaders are increasingly called upon to respond to complex, interconnected challenges, ranging from the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases and mental health conditions to environmental pressures, workforce constraints, social exclusion, and widening inequities. This first residential meeting at Salzburg Global will create space for Fellows to step back from immediate operational demands and explore what systems leadership means in the context of ageing in good health.

Over three days, Fellows will be introduced to the Sciana Challenge—the programme’s two-year, collaborative, applied leadership project. They will begin identifying shared questions and areas of inquiry related to ageing in good health, informed by their professional experience and by cross-cutting programme themes such as equity, community engagement, integrated models of care, digital transformation, and the role of innovation in supporting healthy ageing.

The program will begin with a strategic overlap with Cohort 7, fostering a unique environment for cross-cohort learning. During these shared sessions:

• Fellows will engage in "The Exchange," where Cohort 7 working groups will share their progress and ambitions, seeding inspiration for the new cohort’s journey ahead.
• Pedro Delgado, Vice-President of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), will lead a session on “Age-Friendly Health Systems.”
• Andreas Welker, a Cohort 7 Fellow, and Markus Ries, a Cohort 8 Fellow, will provide insights on cross-boundary leadership in times of crisis, using a scenario-based discussion on leadership in contexts of war and uncertainty. 

Following this collaboration, Cohort 8 will transition into a dedicated track to focus on their unique community and leadership identity. Fellows will participate in sessions on:

• The Personal & Relational: Fellows will reflect on their personal purpose and leadership styles while navigating "teaming" processes to build a foundation of trust and shared values.
• The Future Forum: Fellows will map megatrends and reimagine healthy ageing, identifying "quantum leaps" needed to overcome resource limitations. Through a systems lens, participants will examine how demographic change, economic pressures, climate impacts, technological developments, and political and social dynamics intersect to shape opportunities and risks for ageing populations.
• The Structural: Through Masterclasses on the German, Swiss, and UK systems, Fellows will exchange deep insights into the local contexts and values that shape their respective health landscapes. 

By the end of the meeting, Fellows will have:

• A clear understanding of the Sciana programme and the two-year Sciana Challenge journey
• A shared values framework to support collaboration, trust, and collective leadership
• An initial systems-level understanding of the megatrends shaping the three country contexts
• Strong foundations for a learning community grounded in reflection, openness, and shared purpose

Evenings will reflect the signature Sciana mix of connection and candour, including a fireside chat with two Sciana Advisors, who will share their wisdom and candid reflections with the Fellows.