Our strategy: Connecting Worlds

With our Connecting Worlds strategy we give meaning to our mission and outlook. What we stand for: We improve human health and create the health care of tomorrow together. What we aim for: We connect worlds and together, we add value to people’s lives, because every person counts.

Connecting Worlds

We believe in connecting worlds that until recently were still apart. This is where unexpected insights and breakthrough innovations arise. Within UMC Utrecht, we bring the worlds of research, care and education - our core tasks - together with multidisciplinary teaching and cross-sector training. We connect the worlds of hospitals, general practitioners and other care providers. Of research institutions, laboratories, commercial businesses, and the public and social domain. Regional, national and international. Of patients, employees, students, and citizens. We connect worlds to create an environment where patients, colleagues and students can be seen and heard. Because every person counts.

In our strategy, we have defined what our profile is in care, research and eduction , with our six focal points as basis:

We bring our mission and vision to life with the unique Utrecht Approach , where we work on multidisciplinarity as basis for innovation, building strong networks, and giving focus by making clear choices to accelerate and reinforce. In the first half of 2021, we translated this strategy into the five-pronged goals for seven accelerators and seven reinforcers.

Accelerate on content

We are accelerating on our focal points by focusing on content. In the coming years, we shall accelerate in the following areas, to the benefit of our core tasks and focal points:

Biofabrication & disease modeling

Through a combination of technology and biology, we design (regenerative) treatment strategies that boost the body’s ability to heal itself. We base this on insights in underlying mechanisms of diseases on which we concentrate.

Image-guided Interventions

Optical, X-ray, and particularly MRI-guided interventions (operating without cutting) are playing an increasingly prominent part in our focal points.

Integral complex care for children

Together with the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital and in cooperation with the Princess Máxima Center, we focus on integral complex care for children to understand and treat complex diseases and improve prevention.

Acute complex care

UMC Utrecht is a trauma center with the Major Incidents Hospital that we manage together with the Central Military Hospital and in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, and therefore has a unique position in the large-scale treatment of the sick and wounded. To be able to accelerate, we are striving towards state-of-the-art emergency care, operating facilities, and intensive care. 

The New Utrecht School

In recent years we have invested considerably in educational innovation and the overhaul of programs to prepare our students effectively for the health care of the future. We are continuing this strategy (‘Fit for the future’) and are going to focus even more in our undergraduate and graduate programs on interprofessional learning, and multidisciplinary education with an inclusive and diverse learning environment. We call this the New Utrecht School. To this end, we are working closely with Utrecht University and our other partners in the Knowledge Alliance of TU/s, WUR, UU and UMC Utrecht.

Reinforcing the organization

To achieve our goals, we are reinforcing our organization in the following areas:

Dialog with patients

Continue learning from the patient to advise optimally on personal treatment strategy and address patients’ needs and questions.

A good place to work

An organization where everyone is heard and appreciated. Because everyone has their talents, we stimulate personal development through training opportunities. We focus on talent management and career paths.

Solid networks

Be a stimulating partner that brings different worlds together and creates solid regional, national and international cooperation.

Data science and e-health

Use data, artificial intelligence, and digital technology for optimal prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and for the right care in the right place. Our digital care offer is becoming more innovative so that any care that can be provided at home, is done at home.

Affordable and sustainable care

Aim for socially acceptable costs for services to be delivered in care, education, research and support. And reduce the negative impact on climate and the environment.

Agile organization

Encourage an open culture of appreciation, work on the further development of leadership, and work in multidisciplinary teams with joint responsibility, where everyone’s voice counts. We are increasing our result-oriented approach be adapting our strategy to all teams and employees.

Decent accommodation

In cooperation with partners at Utrecht Science Park, the province and the city, we are building a UMC Utrecht that keeps pace with our ambitions and the health care of the future. The new Health Campus that we are going to set up will focus on a healthy lifestyle.