You have budget for one conference next year, maybe two. Pick the wrong room and you spend three days pitching to people who will never buy, or listening to research you can't use. The mental health events calendar is crowded, and most of it is about the same things: AI, precision care and digital delivery. The useful question is which room you want to be in. Some events are built for researchers and clinicians, some for founders and buyers, and one is built for both at once. Here are 18 events worth knowing, grouped by what you'll get out of them.

Deadlines coming up

30 October 2026: in-person applications for the ECNP Roadmap Meeting in Amsterdam.

8 January 2027: abstracts for the Digital Psychology and Education Conference in Shenzhen.

Happening this month

ESRII Conference, Porto (9 to 11 October 2026). The European Society for Research on Internet Interventions meets at Universidade Lusófona Porto. Researchers share how internet-based psychological treatments are built and put into practice. ESRII usually runs every two years, so if you miss this one, the next chance is likely 2028.

ECNP Congress, Munich (10 to 13 October 2026). Europe's largest meeting in applied and translational neuroscience, psychiatry and mental health research, with more than 7,600 psychiatrists, neuroscientists, neurologists and psychologists from around the world. It runs in a hybrid format, and its themes include treatment research, industry innovation, public policy and patient issues. Go if you want the research landscape in one place.

Inside the Lab, Austin (14 to 15 October 2026). Hosted by APA Labs at Brazos Hall, this is a ticketed working event, not a conference of speeches. Founders, psychologists, clinicians, investors, health system leaders, payers and policymakers work through the trade-offs that stall digital mental health: evidence versus speed, scale versus personalisation, innovation versus trust, and access versus quality. It is the only event on this list built around those tensions, which makes it the one to watch for what the field concludes.

Frontiers Health, Berlin (20 to 21 October 2026). At the bcc Berlin Congress Center, bringing together life science companies, startup founders, investors, insurers, consultants and academics. It covers digital health broadly, so mental health is one thread among many, but the mix of people makes it a strong place to meet European partners and funders.

Research and precision psychiatry

ECNP Workshop on Clinical Research Methods, Barcelona (18 to 20 November 2026). A hands-on workshop at the Hospital Clinic of the University of Barcelona for 50 early-career clinicians and psychologists, covering research design and how to read and write scientific papers. Applications for this edition have closed, but it is worth following for future editions.

ECNP Roadmap Meeting on Precision Psychiatry, Amsterdam (25 to 26 January 2027). A selected group of international opinion leaders from research, clinical practice, pharma, regulation and patient communities, under the theme "From signals to stratification." It runs hybrid. Applications for in-person participation close on 30 October 2026, and the virtual deadline is 26 January 2027. It's on our doorstep in Amsterdam, so if you're nearby, apply this month.

ECNP New Frontiers Meeting: AI in Mental Health, Nice (21 to 22 March 2027). In person and virtual, covering AI in diagnostics, therapeutics and care. The opening keynote from Thomas Insel asks whether AI will do for psychiatry what DNA did for oncology. In-person attendance requires a selected application, and virtual registration is open now.

6th Annual Conference on Precision Psychiatry: Innovation to Implementation, Boston (2 to 3 April 2027). Hosted by the MGH Center for Precision Psychiatry, with a virtual livestream. Themes include psychiatric AI and predictive modelling, neuroimaging, genetics and precision mental health. The title is the point: this is about moving research into real practice.

35th European Congress of Psychiatry, Florence (3 to 6 April 2027). Held under the theme "Innovating Mental Health: Towards Personalised and Integrated Care," with symposia, workshops and courses for clinicians, researchers and early career professionals. It overlaps with Boston by a day, so you will need to choose.

Digital interventions and AI

AI in de GGz Symposium, Netherlands (20 November 2026). The fifth annual symposium of the Dutch Kennisplatform AI in de GGz, with a full day on AI in mental health care, from chatbots to prediction tools. It's in Dutch and aimed at clinicians and care organisations, which makes it a rare look at how AI is landing inside a real care system.

Design in Mental Health, Coventry (8 to 9 June 2027). A UK event on mental health care innovation, service design and the built environment, run with the Design in Mental Health Network at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Expect NHS commissioners, architects, clinicians and service designers, plus a free exhibition of specialist suppliers.

Digital Psychology and Education Conference (DPEC), Shenzhen (17 to 20 June 2027). A first edition, jointly sponsored by the Elsevier journals Computers in Human Behavior and Computers & Education, themed "Advancing Human Society in an AI-Powered World." Topics include human-AI collaboration, AI-supported psychological care, social robots and digital wellbeing. The abstract deadline is 8 January 2027.

ISRII Scientific Meeting, Aarhus (20 to 23 September 2027). The 15th meeting of the International Society for Research on Internet Interventions, at Aarhus University, with pre-conference workshops on 20 September. It covers web-based programmes, apps, gaming, virtual reality and robotics for mental and behavioural health. This is the place for the science behind digital interventions.

Where products meet buyers

DMEA, Munich (13 to 15 April 2027). Europe's big digital health trade fair, with around 900 exhibitors and 22,000 attendees in 2025. Hospital IT leaders, insurers, government officials and digital health consultants come here to buy. It's broad, so go with a clear list of who you want to meet.

HLTH Europe, Amsterdam (21 to 24 June 2027). At the RAI, with more than 400 speakers and 350 sponsors from over 65 countries. Payers, providers, startups, investors and governments share one floor, and there is a startup pitch programme. For anyone building in Europe, this is the biggest room of the year, and it's in our home city.

OPEN MINDS Digital Therapeutics Expo, San Francisco (18 August 2027). Aimed at healthcare executives and clinical leaders evaluating tech-enabled treatment. It runs as part of the OPEN MINDS Service Excellence Institute, 17 to 19 August.

HealthX Intelligence, London (8 to 9 September 2027). Healthcare AI, digital transformation and digital therapeutics, for chief digital officers, hospital leaders, pharma and MedTech executives. It covers healthcare broadly, not only mental health.

Behavioral Health Tech Conference, San Diego (1 to 3 December 2027). At the Gaylord Pacific Resort, with health plans, employers, providers, digital health companies and investors. Its event app uses AI-powered matchmaking to set up partnership conversations, and a hosted buyer programme brings in senior decision-makers.

How to choose

If you want evidence, start with Porto, Munich, Amsterdam's Roadmap Meeting, Nice or Boston. If you want customers and partners in Europe, look at Berlin, DMEA in Munich or HLTH Europe in Amsterdam. For the US market, look at San Francisco or San Diego. If you want both sides working on the same problems, watch what comes out of Austin. That's the one we'll be following most closely at nest. Whichever you pick, check who actually attends, not just the topic list, because two events can share a keyword and almost no audience.

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