Management

consequences forthe health care sectorin the Netherlands. Thescientific support iBMG can offeris determined by the nature andcomplexity of the problems.What is essential here is a multidisciplinaryapproach provided by legal experts, businessadministrators, economists, physicians, andothers. Crucially, iBMG’s research must beinnovative and application-oriented, sothat the findings are useful for practicalsolutions, also in situations where solutionsare not readily available.In spite of its broad knowledge basethe health care sector is so comprehensivethat iBMG was faced with making choicesfor research. A procedure including externalreview and intensive joint discussions withthe researchers at iBMG has resulted in 2008in a well-consideredchoice of three themes:u Competition and regulation inhealth careu Quality and efficiency in health careu Management and organisation ofhealth care deliveryDuring the report period researchefforts in these areas were further shaped,and the innovation budget provided anextra incentive for a multidisciplinaryapproach. This innovation budget forresearch was first made available by iBMGin 2007 and complements the existingfinancing scheme on the basis of scientificoutput, such as publications and PhDs.With regard to scientific performance:after a somewhat less satisfactory period,the scientific quality of research by iBMG5