TOPFIT – One step ahead of disease

East Netherlands is internationally reputed for its high level of R&D, international hubs and social innovations. TOPFIT Open Innovation Health Alliance aims to exploit the many opportunities in East Netherlands to secure two extra active life years for its citizens and to accelerate health innovations, by 2030. To that end, TOPFIT is organized in four mission-driven R&D programmes that aim to be one step ahead of diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases, renal diseases and movement disorders. R&D on key enabling technologies is the common driver, interlinked with an encompassing innovation programme focusing on socio-technological innovations for a resilient and healthy society, that builds on citizen science and socio-technical adoption initiatives in all six subregional innovation clusters of the East Netherlands region. 

Concepts for a Healthy Life materialized in an open innovation alliance

The TOPFIT Alliance, founded in 2018 by the University of Twente, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Center, has quickly developed as an open innovation alliance. As an acknowledged ‘icon project’ of the ThinkEast flagship, it  is a knowledge and innovation coalition that in its projects includes all universities (of applied sciences, Saxion, HAN and Windesheim), five other hospitals (Rijnstate, Isala, MST, St. Maartenskliniek, ZGT), vocational education (ROC Twente a.o.). and the employers’ associations (WZW and WGV Oost), 60+ companies as well as a growing number of citizen initiatives.

MedTech – FoodTech crossovers

The R&D and social innovation motor that make TOPFIT tick is the unique alliance of knowledge & innovation clusters in Tech, Med and Food. This unique and dynamic alliance enables TOPFIT to cater for its ambitious vision and mission to deliver personalized and technologically enabled care and cure approaches that stimulate a health systems’ change and an international thriving business environment for companies and investors who aim to belong to the leading edge of health and social innovation.

A resilient and innovative European region

In a quickly changing world and instable international playing field, the East-Netherlands are in an excellent position to be one of the European hubs that secure a resilient and innovative society. The TOPFIT Alliance, deeply embedded in this particular European region, is a flagship in this European endeavor. While partnering with “Th!nk East Netherlands”, two interconnected spearheads comprise personalized and technologically enabled diabetes treatment approaches and a learning programme on socio-technological innovations for a resilient and healthy society.