Transitioning Zorgzaam Leuven from a local integrated care pilot to IFIC Leuven & Beyond

Background: After eight years as a federal pilot project for integrated care, Zorgzaam Leuven has established a strong regional foundation uniting partners from healthcare, welfare, academia, and local policy. During the federal pilot (2016–2024), Zorgzaam Leuven implemented community-based, person-centred care models that improved collaboration across sectors. The end of federal funding in 2024 offered both a challenge and an opportunity: how to sustain and expand the collaboration built over nearly a decade?

 

Approach: To ensure continuity and long-term impact, Zorgzaam Leuven evolved into IFIC Leuven & Beyond, a regional learning and innovation network translating the values and mission of the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) into local practice.

 

Stakeholders co-created a shared governance model through iterative dialogue and joint priority-setting, defining four strategic action lines:

1.Proactive community-based care through multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams (horizontal integration);

2.Population health management and evidence-based interventions;

3.Integrated care programmes bridging sectors and care levels (horizontal and vertical integration);

4.Knowledge and expertise network development to foster regional, national, and international learning for sustainable system transformation.

 

Results: This transition illustrates how a local ecosystem can reposition itself from a time-limited pilot to a self-sustaining innovation platform. The process required balancing strong local ownership with meaningful global collaboration, embedding responsible and sustainable innovation principles throughout governance and decision-making.

Becoming part of the IFIC network provided Zorgzaam Leuven with:

• Sustainability and continuity through anchoring within the university KU Leuven and academic legitimacy;
• International visibility and influence as an IFIC-affiliated hub;
• Strategic independence from shifting political agendas;
• Capacity building via co-developed education and training initiatives;
• Access to global learning networks and opportunities to disseminate Flemish/Belgian experiences internationally.

 

Implications: The transition of Zorgzaam Leuven into IFIC Leuven & Beyond demonstrates how regional ecosystems can evolve from time-limited pilots into sustainable, learning-oriented, and globally connected networks. By integrating IFIC’s framework for person-centered, co-produced, and system-wide care with global principles of responsible innovation, Zorgzaam Leuven positions IFIC Leuven & Beyond as a living lab for equitable, future-oriented, and socially responsible innovation in health.