The Netherlands is putting real money behind its ambition to become a medical technology leader. The Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and of Health, Welfare and Sport announced a joint €102.5 million investment in the country’s medtech sector over the next ten years, positioning the field as central to both future-proof healthcare and economic growth.
The announcement came during the MedTech 2035 working conference in The Hague, where Philips also revealed a separate €50 million MedTech investment. Of the three national lines of action outlined in the new MedTech growth plan, the Twente-based Hospitals of the Future initiative was named a key player.
I am very pleased with the government’s decision to invest in the national MedTech ecosystem and in the initiatives focusing on image-guided interventions using AI and robotics, as well as, of course, the Hospital of the Future, to which we are committed together with our partners. For years, we have been calling for a coordinated national approach to achieve genuine breakthroughs that can make a difference to both our healthcare system and our economy. This is a highly valuable step, and I very much look forward to collaborating within the national ecosystem in the years ahead.
Remke Burie, Managing Director, TechMed Centre
The recognition reflects a growing strain on Dutch healthcare: demand for care keeps rising while the pool of available healthcare professionals shrinks. Hospitals of the Future brings together healthcare organisations, knowledge institutions, public authorities and technology companies to develop, implement and scale medical technology faster.
Tenfold increase in healthcare productivity by 2050
The program’s target is ambitious: a tenfold increase in healthcare productivity by 2050 through medical technology. Complex, high-volume and highly specialized care will stay concentrated in hospitals, while other care shifts to homes, digital channels or regional locations, supported by smart technology and data. The goal is to keep healthcare high-quality, accessible and affordable, while giving healthcare professionals room to work more effectively, find greater job satisfaction and maintain compassionate, patient-centered care — all while strengthening the economic potential of medical technology.
The initiative is backed by Twente Board, Medisch Spectrum Twente, the University of Twente’s TechMed Centre, FME and regional partners including Saxion University of Applied Sciences, ROC van Twente, ZGT, DEMCON and Teledyne. Together they’re developing labor-saving medical technologies, smart digital healthcare solutions and redesigned working practices, bringing healthcare, research, education and industry together so innovations can be developed, tested, validated and adopted faster and more widely.
Twente offers a distinctive mix for this work: closely collaborating top clinical hospitals, the University of Twente’s strong technical-medical profile and TechMed Centre, established regional healthcare partners, applied sciences universities and vocational institutions, and a mature manufacturing and MedTech industry. That combination is turning the region into both a testing ground and a driving force for future healthcare.
Building on previously committed public and private seed funding, along with support from the Twente Region Deal and the Agenda for Twente, the foundation is already in place. The national investment will let the Twente model scale across the Netherlands — turning Hospitals of the Future from a regional initiative into a national programme for implementing and adopting medical technology.
SOURCE
TechMed Centre | University of Twente
