New Instruments for Health Care

The NWO theme New Instruments for Health Care focuses on research and development for new devices to promote health, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, as well as the care for the elderly, the handicapped and people with chronic diseases.

The main purpose of the theme is to stimulate R&D for new instruments for health care which, at the same time generates the development of new companies, employment and prosperity and to ensure a humane well staffed health care. The starting point for this theme are five innovation clusters, in fields where the Netherlands are leading:
1. Minimally invasive techniques
2. Medical optics and acoustics
3. Medical image processing
4. High precision instrumentation
5. Safe extramural care

The theme is set to boost the ‘knowledge infrastructure’ with a substantial financial impulse (phase 2). With this impulse, consortia will be formed in which science, companies and health care make up triads and co-operate.

The first phase is a programme, financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), the Netherlands organisation for health research and development (ZonMw), Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), Technology Foundation STW (STW) and the Netherlands ICT Research and Innovation Authority (ICTRegie). The budget for this initial programme is M€ 9. It is the intention to set a call for research proposals before Christmas 2008.

For more information about the NWO-theme New Instruments for Health Care, please contact Gerrit van Ark (070-3495109; ark@zonmw.nl).