The Health Hub in Roden ceases to exist. The initiative was set up as a creative breeding ground in the field of medical technology and had to provide more employment. The hub was founded about 10 years ago.
The departure of Katheter producer Cordis from Roden was the Wake Up call. Due to the loss of jobs and knowledge in the medical field, the need for a Health Hub arose, according to various parties. From 2015, education, business and government worked together on innovative plans within health care at the location in Roden.
There was a laboratory and high-quality equipment in the building, such as 3D printers and scanners. And a joint space for the exchange of ideas.
The province, lender of the Health Hub, states that the concept ‘on this location and in this form has been worked out’. Together with the province, the municipality of Noordenveld and educational institutions Hanze, Alfa-College and Noorderpoort contribute to the project.
For a further adventure, it had to be clear, among other things, whether the Health Hub has enough added value and can survive financially healthily. According to Jannes Janssens, chairman of the Supervisory Board, there is ‘insufficient substantive and financial perspective’ with the parties involved. A survey showed that the business community and educational institutions no longer saw an absolute necessity in a continuation of the Health Hub.
The Health Hub in current form will stop after this year. The approximately twelve companies that are located in the hub receive help in the search for another place. The province hopes to keep them in the municipality of Noordenveld. A candidate is also being sought to draw in the building of the Health Hub. The province owns the building.
Five years ago, RTV Drenthe took a look at the Health Hub: