Case Study: A Man-Made Blue Zone in the Netherlands

This case analysis shows how inter-organizational collaborations can lead to improvements in policymaking and real-world outcomes. It looks at how the Healthy Ageing Network Northern Netherlands (HANNN) was created as a 'triple-helix' network organization with partners in research institutes, government bodies, and businesses. 

How can more collaborations like this lead to sustainable innovation for societies?

The Vision Of The UMGC: Healthy Aging

The University Medical Center Groningen has adopted a single focus for its activities in care, education, and research: Healthy aging, the only one among the eight university medical centers in the Netherlands to do so. This was the focus from the very beginning in 2005 when the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Groningen and the Academic Hospital Groningen merged to found the UMCG.

The strategic decision by UMCG leadership at the time also aimed to unify the corporate identity of our newly-founded organization around a single overarching theme. It was based on a number of considerations that were discussed by groups of selected professionals:

  1. The desire to build on existing expertise, excellence, and renown in fundamental, epidemiological, and clinical research into chronic age-related diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and dementia.
  2. The specific demographics of the Northern Netherlands, i.e. the main catchment area of the UMCG, with specific areas characterized by low socio-economic status, high incidence of chronic disorders, and reduced life expectancy.
  3. The long-term view on global Grand Societal Challenges that are associated with aging populations, with respect to excessively rising healthcare costs, but also to social structures, the economy, and the built environment. Being a frontrunner would allow UMCG/Northern Netherlands to become a leader of innovative solutions with wider societal impact in the Netherlands and abroad.