Call for Applications: Cohort 9

The Network’s next cohort will focus on “Systems Leadership for Health in a Digital Age”  

Details on how to apply for the Sciana Network’s ninth cohort are now available.

The Sciana Network is looking for mid- to senior-level leaders in key positions whose work focuses on at least one of the health systems in the UK, Switzerland and Germany.  

Cohort 9 will explore how leaders, health experts and policy makers can take a whole-systems approach to health, care, and wellbeing in an increasingly digital world. The programme will focus on leadership for digital transformation in health systems, while also examining the broader digital environments that shape people’s behaviours, wellbeing, and health equity across the life course.

A central focus of the programme will be health system readiness and resilience in the digital age, including digital literacy, health literacy, and influence literacy — as well as strategies to address the effects of social media platforms and AI on mental health, trust, and social cohesion.

We are looking for people who:

• Hold a key position in their health system with a track record of cross-sectoral collaboration and have taken on responsibilities beyond their day-to-day role.
• Have experience in influencing policy, strategy or ways of working in health or healthcare at a systems level specific to health in a digital environment.
• Understand the strategic complexity of health and health care systems and are passionate about solving the real-world challenges being faced.
• Have excellent English language skills (knowledge of other languages is an advantage). 

The Network encourages people of all genders, races/ethnicities, and people with disabilities to apply. It values diversity, equity, and inclusion and strives to create an inclusive community of healthcare leaders from different backgrounds and ages who bring unique perspectives.   

During the two-year programme, fellows will attend four residential meetings at the Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria, home of Salzburg Global—the Network’s programme development and management partner, where they will work in groups to incubate and explore new ways of introducing system interventions. They will exchange strategies and innovations, and experiment with new cross-boundary collaborations through an applied leadership project called the “Sciana Challenge”.

The programme is led by Sir David Behan and Mary Helen Pombo, working in close collaboration with the Network’s partner organisations: The Health Foundation, Careum, and the Bosch Health Campus.

The tentative dates* for the residential meetings are:

• Residential Meeting 1: 04-08 May 2027
• Residential Meeting 2: 16-20 Nov 2027
• Residential Meeting 3: 02-06 May 2028
• Residential Meeting 4: 12-16 Nov 2028

Fellows typically remain engaged within the Network and are invited to actively contribute to joint projects in smaller teams beyond their initial two-year fellowship.

The application deadline is 30 June 2026, but applications will be reviewed continuously. Please visit the application page for Cohort 9 for details about the selection process.  

If a high volume of strong applications is received in advance, the call for applications will be closed before the official deadline. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible. All applicants will receive a response by early October 2026, and selected applicants will be invited to an online interview. For more information on how to apply, please visit the FAQs page.  

*These dates include travel time to Salzburg. Participants arrive in the evening on the first day and travel back home in the morning of the last day. Participants are required to attend all four of the three-day meetings in Salzburg.

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