Pioneers in Health Care Innovation Vouchers 2016
For the third year, the ‘Pioneers in Health Care’ fund of the University of Twente (UT), Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST), Ziekenhuisgroep Twente (ZGT) and MENZIS will distribute half a million euros to stimulate cooperation initiatives that lead to New technolgies that will improve healthcare for patients. On 29 November 2016, the vouchers were handed out by Albert van der berg, Director of research institute MIRA UT at MST Enschede.
The 23 research proposals submitted were assessed based on the anticipated quality improvement, the technological challenge, the degree of cooperation and the applicability in the clinic. Nine proposals were awarded a ‘Pioneers in Healthcare Innovation Voucher’.
“The Pioneers in Healthcare Innovation Fund fills the gap between healthcare professionals and technical scientists. The vouchers awarded contribute financially to technical-scientific research into issues in healthcare. In order to bring the right people together, the fund focuses actively on matchmaking. In addition to solving obvious problems (‘low-hanging fruit’), the fund also expressly facilitates serendipity, i.e. enabling unexpected opportunities to arise.
One of the projects is financed by Menzis (Menzis Innovation Voucher). "The Innovation Fund makes a significant contribution to the continuous improvement to the healthcare provided in our hospitals. Ultimately the patient benefits from that as well".
“The ‘Pioneers in Healthcare Innovation Voucher’ is a wonderful initiative. Getting the best out of the regional possibilities. By working together in the area of healthcare and technology, the Twente patient can be cared for more effectively and the University, ZGT and MST strengthen one another. This is now the third year of ‘Pioneers in Healthcare’. The quality of the proposals is steadily improving and we are also seeing the results from the first two years. Of course, not everything is successful, but that is innovation: learning from things that are not immediately successful.
For more information on, and initiatives of, Pioneers in Healthcare, see also the digital version of the magazine.