European Culture and Health Hub kick-off | Arts in Health

Arts in Health Groningen will host the European Culture and Health Hub kick-off in Groningen on September 2–3 the University of Groningen.

Arts in Health Groningen will represent the Netherlands in a new Horizon Europe project to build practical collaborations between the culture, healthcare, and social domain sectors.

The Netherlands and Europe are facing growing pressures on mental health and wellbeing, alongside rising levels of loneliness, social isolation, and the challenges of an ageing population. The arts and culture can play a role in addressing those issues, though that is still overlooked in mainstream health policy. The Horizon Europe initiative European Culture and Health Hub (ECHH 2026-2029) aims to bring these ideas more directly into policy and practice.

The European Culture and Health Hub brings together twenty organisations from thirteen European countries and builds on the recommendations of the European Commission's report Culture and Health: Time to Act, which calls for stronger collaboration between the health, culture and social sectors to support health and wellbeing across Europe.