The healthcare sector is rapidly digitizing, but many innovations remain confined to their own region. The European UNITE Digital Health program is changing that.
Within UNITE, seven European regions are collaborating and connecting their digital healthcare ecosystems. This enables solutions to be developed, tested, and scaled up more quickly.
Governments, businesses, research institutions, and healthcare organizations are collaborating toward a single goal: developing digital solutions that improve healthcare, make it more accessible, and simultaneously stimulate economic growth. The Northern Netherlands is collaborating on this with regions such as Lombardy, Scotland, and Central Macedonia, as well as with partners from Denmark, Spain, and Romania, among others. The NOM is the lead partner.
Open Call: Opportunities Now Available for Companies in the Northern Netherlands
“We’ve noticed that there’s a great deal of expertise and entrepreneurial spirit in the northern Netherlands at the intersection of healthcare and technology,” says Lyanne Ausema, project manager at NOM. “UNITE gives those companies access to a European network and funding to put their innovations into practice.”
That is why UNITE is organizing open calls for cross-border innovation projects. The second call will open in mid-April 2026 and will focus on two themes:
- Equal access to healthcare for the entire population
- Digital solutions for the healthcare staffing shortage.
Partners in the Northern Netherlands can receive up to 600,000 euros in grants. A prerequisite is collaboration with at least two partners from other UNITE regions.
Testing innovations with European partners
In addition to funding, UNITE offers practical support: living labs and testbeds to try out solutions, matchmaking to find the right partners, and training for all parties involved. According to Ausema, that’s just as valuable as the money. “You may have a good product, but without the right network and the right testing environment, you won’t get very far with it in Europe.”
Agile Piloting: Rapid Testing in Practice
Through the Agile Piloting open call, entrepreneurs in the Northern Netherlands can easily test their digital healthcare innovations in real-world settings. Up to €7,500 is available per pilot to validate a solution in a real-life healthcare environment in collaboration with (European) partners. This is an ideal first step toward international collaboration and faster scaling.
UNITE Digital Health at a Glance
- Grant of up to €600,000 per partner in the Northern Netherlands
- Access to a network of seven European healthcare regions
- Living labs and test beds for trying out innovations
- Matchmaking with international partners
- Training and Knowledge Sharing in Digital Healthcare
- Four agile pilot projects available, with up to €7,500 per pilot
Want to participate or learn more?
Please contact Lyanne Ausema. For more information, visit unitedigihealth.eu.
The program runs through August 2028 and has a total budget of approximately 20 million euros. Funding comes from the European Commission’s Regional Innovation Valleys initiative, part of the New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA).