The governing bodies of Nijmegen City Council, GGD Gelderland-Zuid, Radboudumc, Radboud University, ROC Nijmegen, Yuverta MBO and HAN have jointly declared their commitment to continuing to invest in health, equality of opportunity and a strong social foundation over the next ten years.
In doing so, they are sending a powerful message: reducing health inequalities and strengthening the social fabric in Nijmegen will remain a shared priority in the years to come. This joint commitment is in line with the ambitions set out in the Nijmegen Coalition Agreement 2026–2030, which explicitly highlights the importance of preventive healthcare, a strong social fabric and collaboration.
Collaboration between GGIB, NimmaLeert and MDT
The three existing networks, Wij zijn groen, gezond en in beweging (GGIB), City Deal Kennis Maken (CDKM) and MDT will be working together on this. This will bring students, teachers, researchers, organisations and residents of the city even closer together. The result will be a powerful network capable of tackling social issues relating to health, a healthy living environment and a strong social foundation.
The collaboration will officially begin on 1 January 2027. MDT Nijmegen and GGIB will retain their own names. City Deal Kennis Maken will continue under the name NimmaLeert; the collaboration between vocational, higher professional and university education institutions in Nijmegen.
A powerful network, greater impact
Because we see that collaboration works. In recent years, the ‘We are green, healthy and on the move’ initiative has given rise to a powerful network of more than 130 partners and supporters committed to a healthier Nijmegen. Through City Deal Kennis Maken, more than 2,500 students have worked on social issues in the city. MDT has offered hundreds of young people the chance to develop personally and to help others. By joining forces, the organisations are aiming for greater impact.
Alexandra van Huffelen, president of the board of Radboud University: ‘It is good that our students can be socially engaged whilst studying. By working with students from other degree programmes and educational institutions on social issues in their own university city, they exchange knowledge, skills and perspectives that are worth their weight in gold. We are therefore delighted with this collaboration.’
