Data Corner: Dutch medical universities dominate EU health research league

08 Jul 2025 | News

Here’s which organisations do best in Horizon Europe’s collaborative health research funding competitions

University Medical Center Utrecht. Photo credits: UMC Utrecht

Dutch medical universities are leading the way in Horizon Europe-funded health research, with six of them making it to the top 15 grantee list.

Together, the six Dutch universities have participated in projects 250 times and attracted €227 million in funding from Horizon Europe’s Cluster 1, focused on health research and innovation. That’s out of €4.7 billion that the EU has invested in collaborative health research since 2021.

Dutch organisations overall do much better in health research than in other areas of collaborative research. While the country is the second biggest beneficiary in Cluster 1 for health, thus far receiving €522 million, it is only sixth in collaborative Horizon research overall.

Among the six universities, the leaders are the Amsterdam University Medical Center and University Medical Center Utrecht, each securing more than €45 million in funding…