4th congress · 2025
A global, multidisciplinary community
Innovate.Collaborate.Propagate.
Connecting people across medicine, engineering, design and policy to advance safe, affordable and accessible surgery through innovation.
CLINICAL CAREENGINEERINGDESIGNRESEARCHPOLICYEDUCATION
Innovate. Collaborate. Propagate.
A community, brought together.
People, ideas and shared experiences across the IGS community.
The IGS identity
Innovation connects us.
One precise movement. A growing network. A shared identity.
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Innovate. Collaborate. Propagate.5th international congress
Kampala, Uganda · 23–25 March 2027
ICIGS 2027Advancing Surgical Equity and Innovations in Africa
Held alongside the 21st ASOU Annual Scientific Conference and Surgical Landscape Exhibition. A meeting point for surgical teams, researchers, engineers, innovators and policymakers.
Discover the congressOur approach
Start with the need. Bring the right people together.
Surgical innovation begins with the realities of patients, teams and health systems. IGS creates space for ideas, evidence and collaboration across disciplines and countries.
01Innovate
Explore solutions shaped by local surgical needs, the people who use them and the resources available.
Explore the evidence02Collaborate
Connect clinicians, engineers, designers, researchers and others around shared challenges in surgical care.
Join the community03Propagate
Share learning through congresses, published abstracts and multidisciplinary exchange.
Discover the congressesAbout Us
IGS is a global platform which aims to bring together all those who are passionate about working to make surgery safe, affordable and available to all through innovations
How it began
Innovation for Global Surgery (IGS) is dedicated to fostering collaboration to address the world’s most pressing health challenges. In today’s complex healthcare environment, meaningful partnerships between stakeholders from both developed and developing countries are essential to ensure patients worldwide receive safe, affordable, and accessible surgical care.
In November 2021, experts and collaborators from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) and High-Income Countries (HICs) came together to establish a shared vision: to transform global surgery through innovation. This vision gave rise to the International Congresses of Innovation for Global Surgery (ICIGS), an annual event designed to inspire, connect, and drive progress.
The ICIGS conferences bring together a diverse and multidisciplinary audience, including engineers, designers, surgeons, investors, and researchers. Together, we work to improve lives by advancing innovation in surgical care and making it accessible to all.
Innovate. Collaborate. Propagate.
Published work · The Surgeon
The IGS consensus statement
A multidisciplinary roadmap addressing locally relevant innovation, skills, communication, funding, credibility and regulation. Published in The Surgeon, 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.surge.2025.10.010.
Read on PubMedThe congress series
A conversation that keeps growing.
Discover the people, ideas and meetings that have shaped the IGS congress series.
