MentalAIde

The Dutch mental healthcare system (GGZ) is under growing pressure, with long waiting lists and increasing workload for professionals. To address the systemic challenges, a new programme group formed by TNO, InnovationQuarter and NL ggz, has been established to coordinate national public‑private partnerships between mental healthcare providers, SMEs, researchers, and patient organisations. The programme supports the joint development, validation, and responsible implementation of AI‑driven and digital innovations that strengthen the accessibility, efficiency, and quality of mental healthcare.

Mental health problems have significant societal and economic impact. In 2024, more than 100,000 people were waiting for mental healthcare, with over half exceeding the 14-week- Treeknorm. At the same time, 46% of GGZ professionals reported experiencing high workload. These pressures underline the urgency to improve triage, reduce administrative burden, enhance coordination, and strengthen preventive and self‑management support. Technological advances — such as AI‑based triage tools, early‑warning systems, self‑management apps, decision‑support solutions, and speech‑to‑text technology — provide promising opportunities to address bottlenecks across the mental healthcare pathway.

The programme uses an open calls to select consortia that collaboratively develop and test practical AI solutions in real‑world care settings, providing innovative and impactful solutions. By combining technological expertise from SMEs with domain knowledge from research and healthcare partners, the programme fosters responsible data access, practice‑based validation, and scalable business models. Through this collaborative and applied approach, the programme aims to contribute to a future‑proof GGZ: reducing waiting times, increasing professional capacity, strengthening prevention and self‑management, and ensuring that people receive timely, appropriate care.

The open call procedure includes a pre‑proposal phase in which parties submit a brief description of their project idea. Selected ideas are then invited to submit a full proposal. Dutch research institutes, companies (specific SMEs) and public organizations may participate in a consortium representing the market, healthcare practice and/or patients, and science.

This programme focuses on AI-driven innovations to strengthen the accessibility and quality of mental healthcare

30 sept 2026 | Deadline full project proposals

Dec 2026 | Selection of projects