Based on the eight strategic ambitions from ‘A Healthy Future for All’, we have set out joint focal points for 2026: specific steps that will help us implement our strategy.

Our core tasks

We will focus on shortening waiting lists and helping as many patients as possible in 2026. Making the best use of available capacity will be crucial if we are to achieve this. We will also increase capacity where possible by attracting and retaining colleagues and putting them to the best possible use. At the same time, we will focus on patient satisfaction and our healthcare portfolio.

We will continue to build a solid basis for high-quality and relevant research.

Increasing pressures on academic freedom, restrictions on international collaboration and uncertainty over financing mean extra attention will have to be paid to resilience and agility. Added to this are the opportunities and challenges presented by the emergence of generative AI. This is why we are working with the Data-Driven Working steering group on the development of policy frameworks for the responsible and effective use of this technology, while safeguarding scientific standards, ownership, privacy and integrity.

The focus in 2026 will be on strengthening further the core task of education and training. The senior management structure of the education and training domain is being reorganised along the lines of a divisional management model in order to ensure collaboration between the various education divisions. The Faculties of Medicine, the Amstel Academy, the Amsterdam UMC Academy, the MVO Leerhuis and the Doctoral School will pool their expertise, facilities and strong points.

We will continue to develop the core task of valorisation, adopting a balanced approach where both the commercial and societal aspects of valorisation are safeguarded and therefore ensuring that we contribute to healthcare innovations that are achievable and affordable. This approach is based on the focal points set out below. We will also improve our social visibility and engagement, for example through the ‘Taking the lead on the healthcare of tomorrow’ initiative.

Our colleagues

The balance between healthcare demand and healthcare supply will not be restored in the next few years. Pressure of work is resulting in mental and physical strain, requiring us to focus on ensuring job satisfaction and lasting employability and preventing work incapacity.

Flexibility and customisation are crucial if we are to retain staff and attract new colleagues. We are working to strengthen further a safe, inclusive and appreciative working environment. That is why, in 2026, we will continue to work on creating a working environment where flexibility and customisation are a given. We will continue to focus on ownership in 2026, with managers and other staff in managerial or supervisory positions setting an example.

Advancing healthily and sustainably

Health and sustainability are inextricably linked. For this reason, we are working on solutions to this dual challenge by embedding both themes comprehensively in healthcare, research, education and training, valorisation and our own business operations. We have laid a solid foundation in recent years: there are lifestyle help desks at Amsterdam UMC for targeted referrals, and many colleagues and green teams are actively involved in measures aimed at improving sustainability. We are making sustainability part of our new normal, with health as our guiding principle.

Saving for the future

A sound financial position will be essential if we are to achieve the strategic ambitions laid down in the multi-year strategy. This will require substantial investment in the years ahead. We are also working on a strategic accommodation route for the next 15 years, focusing on sustainable and future-proof accommodation. We need to start saving in order to achieve these ambitions in the future and to be able to handle setbacks in an uncertain landscape. Our financial margins are too low for this at present. We have therefore set out financial frameworks for the coming years with the aim of increasing EBITDA permanently and substantially. This will be a multi-year, joint effort. The first major step in this direction will be taken in 2026.