For the University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen and Hanze University Groningen, University of Applied Sciences healthy ageing has been an important area of research and education for many years now. Participating in a number of high profile care innovation projects with various educational institutions and care providers they have come up with many useful new ideas on housing, wellbeing and happiness, healthy food and healthy living.
Internationally the UMCG is acknowledged as one of the leaders in the field of healthy ageing. Patient care, research and education are the core tasks of the UMCG. At Hanze University Groningen several lectors work together in research programmes focusing on developing real life applications. In addition to the UMCG the faculties of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Behavioural and Social Sciences, Arts, Economics and Business, and Spatial Sciences of the University of Groningen have also taken up healthy ageing as a major theme for research and education.
Healthy Ageing Network Northern Netherlands
The Healthy Ageing Network Northern Netherlands (HANNN) has been set up to coordinate all healthy ageing activities in the Northern Netherlands and to encourage cooperation on the major fields which determine illness and health: Life Sciences, Food & Nutrition, Medical Technology, Care & Cure and Healthy Lifestyle. Participants are research- and educational institutes, health insurance companies, care providers, housing associations and many companies in the life science, biotech, pharmacy, ICT, nutrition industry sector. Over hundred SMEs and a number of multinationals are aligned with the Healthy Ageing programme.
HANNN has the objective to achieve innovations and fundamental breakthroughs that will entail structural improvements in the conditions for healthy ageing, and so stimulate economic activities in the region. In 2020 the Northern Netherlands will belong to the top of the European regions regarding the expertise in the field of healthy ageing, and will be the (inter)national testbed for development of research, education and training, and business activities related to healthy ageing.
Healthy ageing is a European challenge. Therefore the network cooperates closely with other European cluster networks.
