Smiles, relief, and — above all — a strong sense of pride filled the Oranjezaal at Radboudumc. The interim evaluation of the sector plan funding has delivered encouraging news: ZonMw has assessed the programme positively and recommends that the Ministry continue its support beyond 2028. This recommendation paves the way for a structural investment in education, research, and healthcare innovation. What does this outcome mean for Radboudumc? Pim Assendelft, Professor of Prevention in Healthcare, reflects on the impact of the Sector Plan and the ambitions for the years ahead.
Pim, could you remind us what the sector plan funding entails?
“Since 2023, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has been investing in the Medicine and Health Sciences sector to strengthen higher education and scientific research. Approximately €40 million per year has been made available collectively to the Dutch university medical centres (UMCs).
The rationale behind this investment is that research and innovation are essential to ensuring that society continues to benefit from high-quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare in the future. To support this ambition, the national programme Accelerating Health was established. Its key themes are prevention, data-driven innovation, and the From Foundation to Application pathway. The latter focuses on translating scientific discoveries into innovative therapies and accelerating their implementation in clinical practice.”
Pim Assendelft speaking during the interim evaluation.
According to the evaluation committee, are we on the right track?
“The interim evaluation is highly positive. The committee characterises the progress made since 2023 as promising across almost all areas and expresses confidence that the investments are contributing meaningfully to the development and implementation of healthcare innovations.
The sector plan funding also creates attractive career opportunities for talented researchers, educators, and support staff. In doing so, it strengthens our ability to attract and retain highly qualified professionals.
Furthermore, substantial progress has been made in fostering collaboration at local, regional, and national levels. Institutions increasingly work together on joint initiatives and share effective practices and expertise. Such collaboration is essential if we are to develop the healthcare systems of the future collectively.
Overall, the evaluation committee recommends that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science continue the sector plan funding. Beyond 2028, this support is expected to become part of a structural annual allocation.”
What kinds of initiatives have been supported at Radboudumc?
“One example is the development of the specialisation Development of Cell, Drug and Gene Therapies within the Master’s programme in Biomedical Sciences. Our objective is to educate a new generation of professionals who can move effectively between academia, the biopharmaceutical industry, and regulatory bodies. This aligns closely with the Therapy Accelerator for Rare Diseases, which was established to bridge the gap between preclinical research and clinical application.
In the area of prevention, we are collaborating with HAN University of Applied Sciences and Radboud University to train students within local communities while simultaneously investigating health and social challenges faced by residents. This work takes place in our field labs, where we collaborate with a wide range of societal and healthcare partners.
Significant advances have also been made in data-driven innovation. Examples include strengthening cohort studies, facilitating the translation of artificial intelligence from research into practice, standardising job profiles for data specialists across UMCs, and aligning educational programmes focused on digital competencies. These developments connect closely to Radboudumc’s strategic focus on multimodal data and AI, the clinical testing environment, and the new Master’s programme in Medical Data Science.
By highlighting only these examples, I inevitably overlook many other valuable initiatives and research projects. Nevertheless, the overall picture is clear: the efforts undertaken through the Sector Plan have been recognised very positively. The evaluation demonstrates that our work is both visible and valued. That is tremendously encouraging and provides strong momentum for the years ahead.”
Read more about the sector plan funding and Radboudumc’s strategic priorities here.
In the photo: top row (left to right): board member Jan Smit, Pim Assendelft (Chair of Tile Prevention), Dorien Hermkens (Community Manager Therapy Development), Eiko de Jong (Community Manager Prevention). Bottom row (left to right): Dirk Lefeber (Chair of Tile Therapy Development), Louise Hoppel (Community Manager Data), Alain van Gool (Chair of Tile Data).
