Quantifying the biomedical research agenda of the Netherlands

In October 2016, the Health Council of the Netherlands has published the 'Research that makes you better' report. This report gives an overview of a future scenario in which UMCs (university medical centres) are investing more in research into quality and efficiency of care and prevention. This scenario is based on interviews and a review of the literature. In this article, we quantify biomedical research in the Netherlands and give a summary of the implications of the Health Council proposals. Our conclusion is that there is only a limited correlation between the Dutch research portfolio versus burden of disease and cost of care. This means there is a challenge for policy makers and researchers to push currently underexposed themes higher up the Dutch research agenda.