QA&TEST Embedded will celebrate its 25th edition on 14, 15 and 16 October 2026, consolidating its position as one of the leading international meeting points for professionals working in software quality, testing and the verification of critical systems. For more than two decades, experts from around the world have gathered in Bilbao to share knowledge, explore new technologies and discuss the challenges shaping the future of software engineering and embedded systems.
This future is particularly relevant to the healthcare sector, where medical devices increasingly incorporate software, connectivity and Artificial Intelligence. The growing complexity of these systems calls for new QA and Verification & Validation (V&V) strategies to ensure safety, effectiveness and regulatory compliance. In this context, QA&TEST provides a unique opportunity to discover real-world experiences, use cases and innovative approaches that can help healthcare companies address these challenges with confidence.
ACHIEVING MORE IN LESS TIME
The increasing complexity of medical devices requires organisations to rethink how Verification & Validation activities are designed and performed. In the healthcare sector, where patient safety and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable, the challenge is to increase efficiency without compromising rigour.
At QA&TEST, this challenge will be addressed through sessions within the Testing Techniques, Test Automation and Test/QA Management tracks, where experts from different industries will share strategies to optimise testing processes, improve early defect detection and achieve greater test coverage with the same level of effort. This knowledge is particularly valuable for healthcare companies seeking to accelerate their development cycles while maintaining the highest quality standards.
FROM AUTOMATION TO TRUST: Artificial Intelligence in medical devices and their development
In the healthcare industry, it is not enough for automation simply to work. Organisations need to understand what it does, why it does it, when it may fail and under what conditions it can be trusted. AI offers significant opportunities to streamline development, automation and testing activities, but it also introduces new validation and control requirements.
For this reason, QA&TEST will devote a significant part of its programme to Artificial Intelligence through the AI as a Tool to Test and How to Test AI-based Systems tracks. In addition, sessions such as Evaluating AI Agents: How to Test Something That Never Acts the Same Way Twice? and Agentic Quality Engineering for Embedded Systems: Quality Intelligence Across the Entire Delivery Lifecycle will provide practical approaches to evaluating AI agents and integrating these technologies safely into critical systems, including medical devices.
FLEXIBILITY AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
The adoption of new technologies, including AI, is transforming the way healthcare software is developed and validated. However, efficient V&V depends not only on tools, but also on teams’ ability to adapt to new regulatory requirements, emerging technologies and increasingly complex environments.
Paul Derckx’s conference session, Test Smart: Practical Strategies to Boost Effectiveness and Efficiency of Your Integration and Verification Cycles, together with sessions from the aforementioned Test Automation and AI as a Tool to Test tracks, will explore how to build more flexible and scalable organisations through automation, process standardisation and knowledge sharing. This approach is particularly relevant to healthcare companies that need to grow and evolve without proportionally increasing their verification costs.
WITHOUT A SOLID, CLEARLY DEFINED STRATEGY, TRANSFORMATION IS NOT POSSIBLE
Transforming V&V cycles requires much more than adopting new tools. Organisations need a clear strategy to determine what to test, when to test it, how thoroughly it should be tested, and how to balance innovation, compliance and efficiency.
For healthcare companies, this strategic vision is closely linked to regulatory requirements. The Compliance, Standards and Regulations track therefore plays a particularly important role at QA&TEST, providing a forum to explore approaches, experiences and best practices related to regulatory compliance in critical systems. Combined with the conference’s other tracks, it will help organisations understand how to transform their V&V processes without compromising quality, safety or the trust of patients and healthcare professionals.
QA&TEST: MUCH MORE THAN TESTING
Ultimately, QA&TEST is much more than three days of software testing presentations. It is an opportunity to learn from leading professionals, discover new trends, share experiences and become part of an international community that has been driving the evolution of the industry for 25 editions.
And all of this takes place in Bilbao, a city that is an integral part of the experience: a combination of tradition and innovation, with the Guggenheim Museum, the river, the Old Town and a culinary scene that invites conversations to continue long after the day’s sessions have ended. At QA&TEST, learning does not stop when a presentation ends: it continues over a pintxo, in conversations with fellow professionals and while discovering a city well worth experiencing.
QA&TEST Embedded 2026 awaits you from 14 to 16 October at the Euskalduna Conference Centre in Bilbao. It’s just around the corner. Will you join us?
Visit the event website for more information: QA&TEST.
