Funding of Health Regions in Lower Saxony (Health Regions Directive)

The program is aimed at districts, independent cities, the Hannover region, the state capital Hannover, as well as the city of Göttingen – individually or in cooperation – and seeks to establish municipal health regions in Lower Saxony and to sustainably strengthen existing structures. Public institutions can receive funding of up to 90 percent of eligible expenses through a grant, with up to €20,000 available for basic measures and up to €80,000 for innovative care or cooperation projects within a maximum project duration of 24 months. Applications must be submitted to the responsible state office by September 15 of the previous year. The program supports thematic areas such as urban development & urban renewal, health, infrastructure, as well as labor & social affairs to ensure needs-based, local, and cross-sectoral health care provision.

Funding is provided for regional health conferences, the establishment and continuation of regionally convened steering groups, as well as working groups for the development of new care and cooperation projects. A prerequisite is a long-term concept for the establishment or expansion of the health region, the presentation of objectives and expected impacts for planned care projects, as well as the approval of the Health Regions steering committee for new initiatives. Eligible expenses include, among others, organizational costs for conferences, time expenditure of steering and working groups, as well as costs for the development and implementation of specific projects. With this funding, the State of Lower Saxony supports innovative approaches to health promotion, prevention, and care, strengthens the collaboration of municipal actors, and contributes to the future-oriented design of regional health networks.