5 minute read
How Dutch companies are creating a healthier future
Since the early years of industrialisation, life expectancy has risen dramatically in many parts of the world. But while people are living longer, they are not always living healthier. Health inequalities between the highest and lowest socioeconomic groups persist not only in the Netherlands and Japan but globally.
As we face the added pressures of ageing populations, rising healthcare costs, and staff shortages, Japan and the Netherlands are coming together on common ground, united by the belief that a healthier, more sustainable future is only possible through partnership.
Digitalisation is taking healthcare to the next level
At UMC Utrecht, artificial intelligence is improving everyday care. Their 3AI programme supports doctors with predictive models, automates routine paperwork, and frees up valuable time. This isn’t about replacing people with machines, but about giving professionals the support they need to focus more on their patients.
Dutch non-profit Lifelines is using data to help researchers understand how health develops over a lifetime.. With more than 167,000 participants across three generations, their work enables earlier detection, more effective prevention, and treatments tailored to the individual.
Supporting the uptake of new technologies is Health Innovation Netherlands (HI-NL). Their Round Table service brings together innovators, clinicians, regulators, and funders. This process helps determine if an innovation is fit for purpose, and how it can best be implemented in the real world.
For Japan, the Dutch approach offers valuable insights and opportunities for partnership. By combining Dutch expertise in digital health ecosystems with Japan’s advanced technology and precision engineering, we can co-develop solutions that make personalised, accessible care a reality, not just in our own countries, but globally.
Regenerative medicine: from discovery to delivery
Tech isn’t the only area where Dutch healthcare solutions are gaining traction. Regenerative medicine is also having a moment. This is because Chronic diseases don’t just burden patients. They place enormous pressure on healthcare systems. Regenerative medicine offers hope by repairing or even reversing damage at the cellular level. But scientific breakthroughs alone are not enough.
Based in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands, Starodub is helping bridge the gap between discovery and delivery. Their regulatory expertise helps innovators navigate complex approval processes and bring their treatments to market safely and efficiently. Their support ensures that promising therapies don’t remain trapped in clinical trials, but reach the people who need them.
As we live longer, how can we make sure we’re also healthy?
Ageing well is about more than adding years to life. It is about adding life to those years. Both Japan and the Netherlands are experiencing the pressures of ageing populations, with rising demand for care and a growing need to support older adults in staying healthy, independent, and active for longer. These shared challenges make collaboration not just valuable, but essential.
The Netherlands brings forward practical, human-centred solutions. Rollz designs mobility aids that help older adults stay confident and autonomous. Their rollators are carefully developed to reduce stigma, encourage movement, and make everyday life easier. In both Japanese and Dutch society, this kind of mobility can mean the difference between isolation and participation.
Nutrition is another critical pillar of healthy ageing. Nutri2all offers advanced medical nutrition for people at risk of malnutrition, including older adults and patients recovering from illness. Their science-based formulas support immune health, recovery, and resilience. As Japan continues to prioritise healthy ageing, these types of preventative nutritional solutions offer clear opportunities for knowledge sharing and partnership.
To bring innovations like these into care systems effectively, cross-sector collaboration is key. Health Innovation Netherlands (HI-NL) brings together stakeholders from across healthcare to assess, refine, and accelerate new medtech solutions. With Japan’s strong regulatory frameworks and shared commitment to evidence-based care, there is clear potential to deepen collaboration; accelerating access to innovations that help older adults live longer, healthier lives.
Sports and vitality: driving prevention through innovation
Sport is more than performance. It is prevention, community, and wellbeing. In both the Netherlands and Japan, sport plays a central role in creating healthier, more connected societies.
RM4Health is building on that foundation by developing wearable health technology. These devices monitor vital signs continuously, providing data that supports faster recovery and better performance. In partnership with SportBizz, they are helping to apply lessons from elite athletes to everyday health.
To take these innovations global, the Orange Sports Forum (OSF) connects Dutch sports and health companies with international partners. Their network of more than 300 organisations, supported by Dutch embassies and consulates, helps scale smart solutions that improve vitality and prevent disease.
As Japan looks to promote active ageing, reduce lifestyle-related diseases, and strengthen community health, Dutch expertise in sports innovation offers a valuable complement. Together, our countries can explore new ways to integrate sport, technology, and prevention, contributing to stronger, more vibrant societies.
A shared commitment at Expo 2025
The Dutch presence at Expo Osaka is more than a collection of products and platforms. It is a reflection of a system that brings together science, policy, and care. From AI-driven diagnostics to nutritional interventions, mobility solutions, and sports-tech, each example is part of a wider ecosystem built on trust and collaboration. The Netherlands and Japan share a common challenge. Together, we are building a common ground.
