What Het Citrienfonds does

Het Citrienfonds is a Dutch healthcare innovation fund established in 2014 by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) at the initiative of the seven Dutch university medical centers (umc's). The fund is administered by ZonMw in cooperation with the NFU and operates in multi-year phases — Citrienfonds 1 (2014–2018), Citrienfonds 2 (2019–2022), and currently Citrienfonds 3 (from 2024). The organization collects improvement ideas from healthcare professionals and develops, evaluates, and implements practical innovations across Dutch healthcare institutions, with no commercial revenue model.

In its current phase (Citrienfonds 3), the fund runs three active programs: Digitaal mee in de zorg (inclusive digital healthcare co-designed with patients), Anders werkt beter (smarter work organization, leveraging innovations including AI for scheduling and workflow), and Samen de zorg vergroenen (reducing healthcare's environmental footprint via waste and medication reductions). Previously completed programs include Doen of laten (appropriate care), e-Health, Regionale Oncologienetwerken, and Registratie aan de bron; the OncoNext initiative continues the oncology data work as a separately funded successor.

The fund does not charge healthcare institutions for participation and instead subsidizes project costs through government appropriations. Its core distribution channel is direct institutional collaboration with the umc's, hospitals, VVT organizations (care institutions), home care providers, and regional healthcare networks. Communication is delivered through the central website (citrienfonds.nl), program-specific microsites, a newsletter, LinkedIn, and recurring knowledge festivals and inspiration congresses. The fund is governed by a Regiegroep (Steering Group) chaired by Helen Mertens, who also chairs the boards of Maastricht UMC+ and UMCNL.

Name

Het Citrienfonds

Legal name

Het Citrienfonds

Website

https://citrienfonds.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Het Citrienfonds is a Dutch government-backed healthcare innovation fund, established in 2014 by the Ministry of VWS and operated with all seven Dutch university medical centers, funding and implementing programs on inclusive digital care, workforce optimization, and sustainable healthcare.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Innovation Programs

akta.pro primary industry

Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Global Health (HLAJAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Institutes & Programs (EDAHAGAM), Health, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAJ)

Keywords

• Healthcare innovation programs
• Digital healthcare transformation
• Sustainable healthcare initiatives
• Healthcare workforce optimization
• Inclusive care solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-backed healthcare funding: Het Citrienfonds is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and administered through ZonMw and the NFU (Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centers). The fund supports healthcare innovation projects without generating commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Het Citrienfonds is a Dutch healthcare innovation fund that develops, evaluates, and implements practical solutions to future-proof Dutch healthcare. Through three active programs—Digitaal mee in de zorg (inclusive digital healthcare), Anders werkt beter (smarter work organization), and Samen de zorg vergroenen (greening healthcare)—the fund supports healthcare professionals across university medical centers, hospitals, and care institutions in translating ideas into scalable improvements.

Product overview

Het Citrienfonds is a healthcare innovation fund established by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) in 2014, operated by the seven university medical centers (umc's) of the Netherlands. The organization operates through programs that develop, evaluate, and bring healthcare innovations to practice. Currently in its third phase (Citrienfonds 3, starting 2024), it runs three active programs: Digitaal mee in de zorg (inclusive digital healthcare), Anders werkt beter (smarter work organization), and Samen de zorg vergroenen (greening healthcare). Previously completed programs include Doen of laten (appropriate care), e-Health (digital health applications), Regionale Oncologienetwerken (regional oncology networks), and Registratie aan de bron (registration at source). The successor initiative OncoNext continues work on oncological data availability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digitaal mee in de zorg: Program focused on inclusive digital healthcare, redesigning digital care so that everyone can participate.
• Anders werkt beter
• Samen de zorg vergroenen

Products and services

• Digitaal mee in de zorg A program focused on inclusive digital healthcare that redesigns digital care solutions together with patients to ensure everyone can participate in digital healthcare. It targets healthcare professionals and patients who may be excluded by digital transformation.
• Anders werkt beter A program that improves work experience of healthcare professionals by lowering workload, introducing smart working methods, and implementing innovations including AI-powered solutions for scheduling and workflow optimization. It targets healthcare professionals, hospitals, and care institutions.
• Samen de zorg vergroenen A program focused on reducing the environmental impact of healthcare by implementing proven sustainability initiatives in nursing departments and reducing inappropriate medication use in hospitals. It targets hospitals, umc's, and care institutions seeking to reduce environmental footprint.
• Doen of laten A completed national program (2016-2023) that supported healthcare providers and patients in reducing inappropriate care through clinical leaders, learning networks, and intervention toolkits covering unnecessary catheters, lab diagnostics, and medication use.
• e-Health A completed program (2016-2022) that explored new e-health innovations for patients and their care networks to self-manage health and disease, focusing on implementation and scaling of proven e-health applications across university medical centers.
• Regionale Oncologienetwerken A completed program that stimulated the development of regional oncology networks, enabling specialists from multiple hospitals in a region to participate in diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients, bringing care closer to patients while clustering specialized care.
• Registratie aan de bron A completed program focused on efficient healthcare information recording for reuse, demonstrating how care information can be recorded efficiently using standardized datasets (BgZ and zibs) for improved care quality and reduced administrative burden.
• OncoNext A successor initiative continuing work from Registratie aan de bron and Regionale Oncologienetwerken, focused on uniform, structured registration of oncology data and making it available for patients and healthcare providers across the care process.

Quantifiable outcome

• The 'Doen of laten?' program prevented much inappropriate care and initiated a movement where healthcare professionals recognize that sometimes care is not needed and can even harm patients
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NFU (Nederlandse Federatie van Universitair Medische Centra)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NFU represents the eight Dutch university medical centers and is a key partner in establishing and governing Het Citrienfonds. The umc's collaborate through NFU to develop and implement healthcare innovations.
• Dutch University Medical Centers (umc's)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe seven Dutch umc's collaborate within Citrienfonds to develop, evaluate, and implement healthcare innovations. Each umc participates in the programs and contributes expertise.
• OncoNextminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOncoNext is a successor program to Registratie aan de bron and Regionale Oncologienetwerken, focused on uniform, structured registration of oncology data. Led by Eefje van Kessel and Carolien Bouma, with KWF funding.
• NHS ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS Scotland visited the Samen de zorg vergroenen team to learn about healthcare sustainability initiatives, indicating international interest in Dutch healthcare greening approaches.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Health~Holland: Health~Holland is the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health public-private partnership coordinating Dutch healthcare innovation. It shares Citrienfonds' PPS structure, government alignment, and mission of translating innovation into healthcare practice.
• ZonMw: ZonMw is the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development and directly administers the Citrienfonds on behalf of VWS. It runs comparable healthcare research and innovation funding programs, making it the closest operational peer.
• NFU (Nederlandse Federatie van Universitair Medische Centra): NFU is the federation representing all eight Dutch university medical centers and is a core strategic partner of Citrienfonds. Both entities channel Dutch academic healthcare priorities and convene UMC leadership around shared innovation agendas.

Broad incumbents

• EIT Health: EIT Health is a large-scale European public-private partnership co-funded by the EU that accelerates healthcare innovation across member states. It operates at a much broader pan-European scale than Citrienfonds but addresses a similar mandate of connecting research, providers, and innovators.
• CMS Innovation Center (CMMI): CMMI is the US federal innovation center within Medicare/Medicaid that funds pilots to improve care delivery and reduce cost. It is a much larger established analogue of the public-system healthcare innovation funding model that Citrienfonds operates at national scale in the Netherlands.

Others

• Nivel: Nivel is the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, producing applied research used by Dutch healthcare policymakers. It is an adjacent research and evidence provider rather than a direct funding peer, but is comparable in the Dutch health innovation ecosystem.
• RIVM (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu): RIVM is the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, a government knowledge institute providing research and policy advice. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive, but shares the public-sector healthcare evidence-generation mandate.
• The King's Fund: The King's Fund is an independent UK foundation working on healthcare policy, workforce, and innovation. It is thematically related as a think tank influencing national healthcare transformation rather than a direct program-funding peer.

Emerging players

• NHS Innovation Accelerator: The NHS Innovation Accelerator supports adoption of proven innovations across the UK NHS, addressing digital, workforce, and care pathway transformation. It is directly comparable to Citrienfonds' model of scaling healthcare innovations through a national public system.

Regional players

• TopFit: TopFit is a Dutch regional public-private partnership focused on healthcare innovation in the Twente/East Netherlands region. It is comparable as a regional PPS innovation program but operates at sub-national scope versus Citrienfonds' nationwide mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citrienfonds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Het Citrienfonds