[Quantifying the biomedical research agenda of the Netherlands]

In October 2016, the Health Council of the Netherlands has published the 'Research that makes you better' report. This report gives an overview of a future scenario in which UMCs (university medical centres) are investing more in research into quality and efficiency of care and prevention. This scenario is based on interviews and a review of the literature. In this article, we quantify biomedical research in the Netherlands and give a summary of the implications of the Health Council proposals. Our conclusion is that there is only a limited correlation between the Dutch research portfolio versus burden of disease and cost of care. This means there is a challenge for policy makers and researchers to push currently underexposed themes higher up the Dutch research agenda.