About UMC Utrecht

Sources: About UMC Utrecht - UMC Utrecht, UMC Utrecht annual report
UMC Utrecht is a Dutch university medical centre that combines patient care, research and education, with a strong regional, national and international role. Its strategy emphasises transforming healthcare by linking disciplines, embracing technology and working in strong networks. Scientific research is organised in six multidisciplinary programmes (Circulatory Health, Brain, Infection & Immunity, Cancer, Child Health, Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells), which are closely integrated with care provision.

The Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care is the global-health, public-health and primary-care research institute of UMC Utrecht. It is the unit within UMC Utrecht that carries out most of its global-health research, education and international collaborations.

Mission: Together we improve human health and create the healthcare of tomorrow.

Main focus areas:
Source: UMC Utrecht annual report 

  • Healthy living 
  • Biofabrication & disease modeling 
  • Molecular science & therapy 
  • Image-guided interventions 
  • Integral complex care for children 
  • Acute complex care 
  • Educational strategy ‘The New Utrecht School’

Collaborations with GHH-partners

University medical centres & universities 

  • Amsterdam UMC, Radboudumc and LUMC:  Collaboration in national pandemic-preparedness research. Together, they submitted and won a ZonMw-funded proposal to accelerate development of medicines and vaccines against infectious diseases. 
  • InFECT-NL: Partnership between UMC Utrecht and LUMC, Radboudumc,  Amsterdam UMC, and the Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR): a national early-phase clinical research infrastructure for infectious-disease treatments and vaccines. 
  • Amsterdam UMC: Jointly starting a new follow-up medical specialist training for “Arts Maatschappij en Gezondheid” (Public Health Medicine). 
  • Radboudumc: Joint systemic sclerosis research (COMPASS): UMC Utrecht and Radboudumc combine 3D disease models to better understand and treat systemic sclerosis. 

NGOs & global health organisations

Private sector

  • Philips: Partner in the “Digital Data Exchange Between Ambulance and Hospital Utrecht (DGAZU)” project, together with ambulance service RAVU. This project replaces paper-based ambulance handovers with a fully digital, real-time information transfer system. The initiative was nominated for the Computable Awards.

Overview of characteristics

Active in Countries:

UMC Utrecht works with local partners on global-health themes such as cardiovascular disease, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, cancer, ethics & justice, and planetary health. (UMCU does not specify per country which theme applies.) Source: Global Health - UMC Utrecht 

The research and education of UMC Utrecht Global Health takes place worldwide with projects in: 

  • Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Uganda 
  • South America and the Caribbean, including Suriname, Netherlands Antilles, Argentina 
  • Asia, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia 

CoP (community of practice): 

  • CoP1: Strengthening health Systems (Co-lead) 
  • CoP2: Pandemic Preparedness   
  • CoP3: Climate change & Health (Co-lead) 

Themes and subthemes within CoP  

Source: Global Health - UMC Utrecht

Themes within CoP1:

  • Strengthening primary healthcare and SRHR systems in LMICs 
  • Maternal, obstetric and neonatal health systems 
  • Chronic disease and cardiovascular-care systems 
  • Equitable and sustainable health-system collaboration between HICs and LMICs 

 Subthemes within CoP1:

  • Primary-care strengthening and integrated PHC models  
  • SRHR services and access (including contraception and safe abortion in crises)
  • Data-driven health-system improvement and implementation science  
  • Education and training of global-health professionals  

Themes within CoP2: 

Source: https://research.umcutrecht.nl/research-strategy-infection-immunity

  • Infectious-disease research and immune-system understanding 
  • Antimicrobial resistance and innovative therapies 
  • Disease dynamics, surveillance and outbreak modelling 
  • Clinical research infrastructure for epidemics and emerging infections 
  • Global research capacity strengthening in LMICs for epidemic preparedness 

Subthemes within CoP2:

  • Host–microbe interaction and immune-evasion mechanisms 
  • Surveillance, early detection and predictive outbreak modelling 
  • Early-phase clinical trials and testing of infectious-disease interventions 
  • Strengthening LMIC research networks and skills for epidemic preparedness 
  • Environmental and planetary-health factors influencing emerging infections 

Themes within COP3: 

  • Planetary health and climate justice  
  • Climate-resilient and sustainable health systems (especially in LMICs)  
  • Research and education on environmental determinants of health 

Subthemes within CoP3: 

  • Climate justice in urban transitions 
  • Making healthcare more sustainable (low-carbon and resource-efficient) 
  • International action on climate, water and food 
  • Capacity building and education in planetary health 

Organization type:

Research institute 

Available resources

  • Knowledge & expertise:
  • Networks: 
    • Global LMIC network, active in sub-Saharan Africa, South America & Caribean and Asia. Always in collaboration with local partners and with research-capacity strengthening as a core pillar. 
    • European and international research networks, e.g. participation in multi-UMC consortia like InFECT-NL and pandemic-preparedness networks. 
  • Financing and fundraising ability

Contact information

Website: Home - UMC Utrecht