What is the approximate stakeholder breakdown of your ecosystem?
Health Valley is a Dutch innovation ecosystem focused on healthcare. Our stakeholder network consists of:
- Healthcare Providers, including hospitals such as Radboud University Medical Center (Nijmegen), rehabilitation centers, mental health institutions, and long-term care organizations. These partners co-develop and test innovations and provide crucial medical expertise.
- Life Sciences & MedTech Companies. This category includes startups and scale-ups in eHealth, diagnostics, AI in healthcare, and medical devices, as well as established companies in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. They are key to translating research into real-world solutions.
- Knowledge Institutions. Our academic partners include Radboud University, Radboudumc, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Saxion, and other national and regional research institutes. They provide scientific knowledge, lead research projects, and involve students in innovation processes.
- Government & Public Sector. We work closely with municipalities and provinces (particularly Gelderland and Overijssel), ministries such as the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), and EU/regional funding bodies like Interreg and EFRO. They help fund and shape innovation strategies.
- Patients & Citizen Networks. Patient organizations and citizen engagement platforms play an essential role by bringing in actual experiences, testing usability, and supporting co-creation.
- Support Organizations. These include innovation hubs, investors, business development agencies (e.g., Oost NL), and clusters like Health-Holland and MedTech NL. They help accelerate, fund, and scale health innovations.
Together we make the difference
We proudly work intensively with 190 partners, including healthcare organisations, companies, governments and knowledge institutions. Their knowledge, experience and network enable us to make an impact on a large scale.
Who are the top 3 champions from your Ecosystem?
With such a high concentration of innovative companies and institutions, it’s hard to choose just three. However, standout champions include:
- Radboud University Medical Center – a top-tier research hospital known for translating science into care. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctStOFDLSqk&t=1s
- HAN University of Applied Sciences – a driving force in applied health innovation and education.
- mProve – innovative cluster of non-academic hospitals in the Netherlands, leading in patient-centered innovation and clinical excellence.
- Hulan – small company specialized in innovative digital products; won in 2025 the health innovation price for their Freequency App, an augmented reality game helping people with tinnitus.
- SARA Robotics – advancing socially assistive robotics to enhance independence and well-being.
What EU funding/collaboration are you involved with, or would like to be part of?
Health Valley has been actively involved in several EU projects:
- dRural (Horizon 2020): Resulted in Samen Kwiek, an interactive platform connecting welfare and formal care services.
- Scale-Up4Rehab (Interreg): A current project focused on scaling up rehabilitation innovations.
- Future aspirations: We are eager to join initiatives like I3 HealthChain and help connect national and international partners through EU collaboration and funding.
What are the key priorities and themes for your ecosystem?
Health Valley focuses on two major themes:
- Good Health
- Appropriate Care
To reach breakthroughs in these areas, we work demand-driven and practice-oriented, strengthening our ecosystem through:
- Partner Services: Matchmaking, promotion, events (e.g., Health Valley Event) and sustainability check.
- Implementation Services: Wings masterclasses, innovation scans, best practices and community building.
- Scaling Services: Growth programs (Wings) and tailored support for entrepreneurs.
We work together with the economic department of the Province of Gelderland to support innovative companies with their health care ideas. By connecting these companies with real care organizations, we help match health care needs with smart solutions.
What is your primary strength as an ecosystem?
Our greatest strength lies in our integrated, cross-sectoral approach. Health Valley connects science, care, business and policy in one ecosystem. We foster collaboration and accelerate health innovation, regionally rooted and internationally active.
Could you highlight some services, solutions or champions from your ecosystem that target the following areas either: women’s health, healthy ageing, mental health, or cancer?
- Women’s Health: Early diagnostics and preventive care initiatives.
- Healthy Ageing: Samen Kwiek promotes Positive Health and active aging as well as reablement.
- Mental Health: Contributions from Leo van Woerden, Sabender, and other ecosystem innovators.
- Cancer: Projects like Samen Siz and pharma companies within Pharma Delta focus on personalized oncology solutions.
