Government and businesses invest hundreds of millions in medtech

The Netherlands aims to have the strongest medical technology sector in Europe by 2035. This should lead to better diagnoses and treatments, as well as new economic opportunities. In the MedTech 2035 policy agenda, companies, research institutions, investors, and the healthcare sector express this ambition, together with Ministers Heleen Herbert and Sophie Hermans.

The government is allocating €102.5 million to the sector. Invest-NL is also announcing today €150 million in private financing, in collaboration with institutional investors, including pension funds. Philips had already announced last July that it would invest €50 million.

Part of the funding will go toward two initiatives: a new generation of image-guided therapies using AI and robotics, and technology for the healthcare of tomorrow. Both are intended to advance medical innovations. The policy agenda also focuses on six other areas: improved collaboration between regions, infrastructure for data and AI, the application of new technology in healthcare, market authorization, financing, and talent and entrepreneurship.

Image-guided therapies are therefore among the key priorities. This technology can help doctors diagnose and treat conditions such as cardiovascular disease, strokes, cancer, and trauma. The Netherlands possesses a great deal of expertise in this field, thanks to collaboration between scientists, hospitals, and high-tech companies. At the same time, competition from countries outside the EU is increasing. Investments in areas such as AI and robotics are intended to help strengthen the Netherlands’ position.

The “Hospital of the Future” project in Twente is also receiving attention. There, various parties are working on innovations that can reduce the demand for care, enable remote care, and lower the workload of healthcare workers. The goal is to get successful applications approved more quickly and deploy them on a larger scale. This way, innovations from Twente can ultimately be used in other regions as well.