The VU Hackathon Battle bought together five startups that offer innovative technologies to help people with mental health disorders and neurodegenerative diseases to manage anxiety. During the event they finetuned their pitches and embraced a world of partnerships.

The new COVID algorithm can predict which people are at the greatest risk of developing complications after contracting coronavirus. By vaccinating these people first, a study has shown that the risk of hospital intakes could be cut in half after administering just one million vaccinations – potentially saving lives. So, what’s required to scale this data system across the Netherlands? And how can these efforts work to inspire the Amsterdam Economic Board’s goal of creating a unified healthcare data infrastructure?

Service technicians drive back and forth in major cities on their way to repairs, installation and maintenance. Their vans are often not very energy efficient. Nevertheless, electric transport is already possible within service companies, but it is not yet used on a large scale.

The Amsterdam region has become a global leader in applying artificial intelligence to improving health and healthcare. This has not come about by accident. Instead, it is a result of a concerted effort in community building. Through Smart Health Amsterdam, the Amsterdam Economic Board has overseen the development of a network for collaboration and cross-fertilisation, spanning academic, private and governmental organisations.