Breakthrough funds: what Dutch care providers need to know now

The Dutch government is making €800 million available for 2027 to 2029 to scale proven care innovations nationwide: the doorbraakmiddelen, or breakthrough funds. Below you’ll find how the money is split, how applying works, which dates matter and what you can prepare now.

This overview is based on the parliamentary letter of 28 May 2026 and the rules on zorgakkoorden.nl (as of 21 October 2026). Always check the latest information at the source before you apply.

Two routes: health insurers and municipalities

Of the €800 million, €600 million runs through health insurers and is meant for care and products covered by the Zorgverzekeringswet. The remaining €200 million goes through municipalities to the social domain: €100 million in 2027 and €100 million in 2028.

Key dates

What can you get funding for?

You don’t write your own plan. Every application follows a national model plan per application area. The parliamentary letter lists areas including:

• AI: voice-driven clinical reporting, for hospital care, elderly care (vvt), mental health (ggz) and GP care

• AI: capacity planning, for hospital care and vvt

• AI: mental health hub (mentaal schakelpunt), for ggz and GP care

• Digital and hybrid care, such as digital care pathways in hospital care, digital triage in GP care and digital EMDR in ggz

• Medical technology, such as smart incontinence products and vacuum therapy in wound care

Not every model plan was final in August. Check zorgakkoorden.nl to see which model plans are open for your sector.

How the health insurer route works

One submission window

All applications come in during the same period, so it isn’t first come, first served. If total applications exceed the budget, a generic discount of up to 10% can be applied.

Together with your health insurer

You submit the application together with your health insurer. The market-leading insurers assess applications and the NZa sets a ceiling per project.

Payment on results

You’re paid per milestone reached, measured with a fixed set of KPIs from the model plan. Only activities in the model plan qualify, and work already done is not funded retroactively.

Lasting adoption

You show a positive business case and how you’ll embed the change structurally in your organisation.

The municipal route

This part doesn’t go through the ZN portal but through municipalities, with a regional work agenda signed by every municipality in the region. It covers shared functions such as:

• low-threshold support points for people with a severe mental illness (EPA)

• social prescribing

• fall prevention

• integrated care for overweight and obesity, for adults and for children

• kansrijke start: preconception care

Working in ggz or elderly care, and does your plan touch the social domain? Then also follow what your municipality or region is doing.

What you can do now

• Read the model plan for your application area on zorgakkoorden.nl. You don’t need to fill it in yet: the plans are meant for preparation.

• Decide which solution you want to scale and check that it fits the model plan.

• Talk to your health insurer and your sector association. Your sector association is the first point of contact for questions.

• Make sure you can back up the business case and how it fits into your workflows.

Voice-driven reporting and Pamela

Voice-driven clinical reporting is one of the AI application areas. It’s what Pamela’s AI Notepad was built for: you run the consult, Pamela writes the note. Pamela is ISO 27001 and NEN 7510 certified.

Want to know whether and how Pamela fits your plans? Talk to us.

Sources

• Kamerbrief Voorhang prestatie doorbraakmiddelen, 28 May 2026

• Elf belangrijkste spelregels rondom de doorbraakmiddelen

• Modelplannen doorbraakmiddelen vastgesteld, 4 August 2026