Health Campus, a collaboration between POM Limburg and UHasselt, has all the ingredients to become a leading hub for healthcare innovation: academic excellence, strong partners and a strategic location.
But one crucial element was missing. The campus lacked a clear identity and academic stakeholders each held a different interpretation of its vision.
This led to two pivotal questions:
How can we shape a strong, shared strategic identity that sets us apart in a highly competitive healthcare landscape? And what is the strategic value of Health Campus for UHasselt and vice versa?
At AE, we believe strategy begins with people, not paperwork.
We started by bringing together a small group of core stakeholders to create alignment and clarity. Building on this foundation, we expanded the conversation through interviews and a targeted survey. Step by step, this process revealed a rich picture of opportunities, strengths and unique assets — while also fostering genuine buy-in.
The strategy day marked the true turning point. In interactive sessions, stakeholders didn’t just discuss strategy, they made shared decisions on priorities, focus areas and positioning. These choices were immediately translated into a concrete action plan, giving everyone clarity and confidence: this is what we can start doing tomorrow.
Our approach was characterised by full alignment of stakeholders around a single, shared ambition. While ownership was anchored with the Health Campus director, support extended across the entire network. To safeguard continuity and clarity, we put structured governance and follow-up mechanisms in place.
What could have been resistance turned into active involvement through co-creation, boosting both engagement and results. At the same time, there was room for flexibility, allowing the campus to adapt in a rapidly changing world.
Today, the Health Campus has:
A powerful and consistent narrative for its diverse target groups, enabling more meaningful conversations and accelerating opportunities.
Clear strategic choices: a focus on integrated care, interdisciplinarity and technology platforms, with Flanders as the first spearhead region.
Quick first steps: an interdisciplinarity theme day, a pilot for a technology platform (biobank/data infrastructure) and a funding plan combining public and private resources.
The difference for UHasselt?
A campus with not just a sharp vision, but also a clear path to achieve it.
A network of partners united behind the same ambition.
And a powerful story that inspires, convinces and mobilises.