Trinitas HORIZON is a ten-year national research programme focused on fundamentally transforming diagnostics in primary care. The programme is led by Dr Saskia Haitjema of UMC Utrecht and brings together a broad consortium of academic medical centres, healthcare organisations, research institutions, companies and societal partners.
The programme addresses the growing complexity of diagnostics. Patients are living longer, are more likely to have multiple symptoms and conditions simultaneously, and an increasing number of diagnostic tests and data sources are becoming available. As a result, it is becoming increasingly challenging for general practitioners (GPs) to integrate all available information and determine the most appropriate next diagnostic step.
Trinitas HORIZON is therefore developing an AI-supported diagnostic platform that integrates different types of diagnostic data and assists GPs in establishing a diagnosis and determining the appropriate next steps. The aim is to achieve a “right-first-time” diagnosis: identifying the correct diagnostic pathway sooner, reducing unnecessary investigations and referrals, and providing patients with clarity more quickly.
Diagnostics tailored to primary care
While symptoms are often more clearly defined by the time patients reach a hospital, GPs frequently encounter patients with vague, varied or unexplained symptoms. They need to take a broad perspective, combine information from multiple sources and account for uncertainty. The technology developed within Trinitas HORIZON is therefore specifically designed for the primary care setting.
The focus is not solely on diagnostic outcomes, but also on ensuring that AI is reliable and practical to use in everyday healthcare.
Nationwide collaboration
Trinitas HORIZON is a broad national partnership involving all Dutch university medical centres and their departments of General Practice. The three major national GP organisations—LHV, NHG and InEen—also support the research programme.
GPs, medical specialists, researchers and data experts work alongside universities, technology partners and experts in the social and legal sciences. Hospitals, primary care organisations and patient organisations have also been involved from the outset. This broad collaboration ensures that new solutions are not only developed on a technological and scientific basis, but can also be evaluated against the needs of everyday clinical practice.
Duration and funding
- Programme duration: 10 years
- Start: 2027
- Funding: NWO-KIC Strategy programme
- Programme lead: Dr Saskia Haitjema, UMC Utrecht
Trinitas HORIZON is one of four consortia to have received funding under the NWO-KIC Strategy programme for long-term transdisciplinary research. This funding scheme supports research addressing major societal challenges and brings public and private partners together in long-term collaborations.
Partners
Trinitas HORIZON is supported by a broad consortium of public and private partners. In addition to Dutch university medical centres and universities, participating organisations include CWI, TNO, Philips, Topicus, ZorgDomein, Databricks, ORTEC Logiqcare, Quarijn, the Netherlands Accreditation Council (Raad voor Accreditatie), Software Improvement Group and iDx.
Societal organisations and health foundations, including the Dutch Heart Foundation (Hartstichting) and Duchenne Parent Project, are also part of the consortium.
From research to practice
A key principle of Trinitas HORIZON is that innovations must ultimately find their way into everyday healthcare. By bringing together GPs, patients, researchers, healthcare organisations and technology partners from the outset, the programme aims to develop solutions that meet the needs of clinical practice.
Trinitas HORIZON is working towards a future in which GPs can make better use of complex diagnostic information and patients can follow the right diagnostic pathway sooner. In doing so, the programme aims to contribute to better, more accessible and more efficient healthcare, while helping to future-proof primary care.