Research consortia taking the lead: new Medical Delta labs and programs in progress

Nineteen consortia were informed last month that they are allowed to develop a program proposal for the new programming of Medical Delta. They are currently working towards May 13, the ultimate deadline to submit the proposals. Earlier, eight potential living labs also received this message, and their proposals will be delivered by the end of this month.

An external review and advisory committee will assess these proposals. Dr. Renée Barge leads this process as chairperson. Barge has extensive experience as a director and supervisor at various healthcare institutions and a patient federation and has a background as a scientific researcher. "Her profile therefore fits well with the transdisciplinary collaborations we want to establish," says Prof. Dr. Frank Willem Jansen, chair of Medical Delta.

After feedback from the review and advisory committee in mid-June, the consortia will have the opportunity to refine their proposals if necessary, after which the board of Medical Delta will decide by July 12 at the latest whether they can implement their plans through obtaining seed funding and/or support from the Medical Delta office.

High level of interest

"The new programs and labs mark the movement that Medical Delta is making," says David de Glint, managing director of Medical Delta. "From a network organization, we have grown into a network organization with scientific programs and living labs. And now, the healthcare practice is even more explicitly included, among other things by making implementation and co-creation more integral to the programming. The collaboration deepens and broadens, which is evident from the high level of interest, as demonstrated by the high turnout at the working sessions we held in March."

The new programming is expected to start in the fall of 2024. The programs focus on so-called 'Societies' and address 'Healthcare', 'Prevention', 'Transformation', and 'Greening'. Scientific research, implementation, and co-creation with end-users are important pillars in these programs.

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