Working methods

Tasked by Ministries, NWO and other organisations, ZonMw seeks solutions to problems and challenges in health care and health research. Based on an analysis of the assignment ZonMw draws up a programme, making use of the knowledge held by all kinds of external parties, for instance by first holding an invitational conference in order to hear expert advice.

For instance, programmes can address:

• the promotion of scientific quality,
• the development of a certain scientific field,
• development and research into innovations in health care,
• development and research on behalf of certain target groups,
• coordinating the large-scale introduction of proven innovations.

From programme to project

Within these programmes, academic institutions and centres of practical expertise can do research or they can develop, test and implement innovations on a project basis. They participate by requesting funding for projects that fit within the programme. For some programmes ongoing project proposals can be submitted; for most programmes, however, this does not apply. For these programmes, ZonMw publishes calls for the submission of project proposals through its funding calendar. If you wish to submit a project proposal, you should use ProjectNet.

How are projects selected?

Each programme has its own goals, its own quality and relevance criteria, and its own calls for funding proposals. On the basis of these the programme committee selects those proposals which show the best prospects of quality and innovation. The committee takes advice from consultants, independent experts who are in no way involved with the project itself. The committee also considers whether

• citizens and patients are adequately involved in the project (patient participation),
• the project proposal takes adequate account of diversity (differences in culture, sex and age),
• adequate attention is given to the real-world implementation of the knowledge gained