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Ik Snap Je Zorg: Healthcare Of The Future Starts With Understanding Each Other Better Today

Imagine solving the future of healthcare over a serving of fries. It might sound unconventional, but sitting down together in a local neighbourhood setting is exactly where the solution begins. This grassroots approach cuts straight through the noise of modern healthcare debates by creating a space for genuine connection.

Two Worlds, One Shared Goal

"Ik snap je zorg is a science communication project that aims to bridge the gap between science and society”, says Rowan Smeets who is the project leader of Ik snap je zorg. Healthcare is heavily under pressure which has trigged strong debates in society about ways to ensure healthcare is future-proof. Innovations in healthcare are also widely studied by researchers. 
However, although both ‘worlds’, i.e. society and science, want to maintain high-quality and accessible healthcare and play key roles in creating sustainable healthcare, society, and science are not well connected around this topic.

Rowan Smeets explains: “The overarching aim of ‘Ik snap je zorg’ is therefore to create stronger connections between society and science around healthcare. To reach this aim, the main instrument is to organize Frietpraat (Fries Talk in English) meetings bringing together citizens and scientists in local snack bars in South-Limburg. The team that manages this project also unites society and science: researchers from Maastricht University (Living Lab for Sustainable Care), citizens (from Burgerkracht Limburg) and communication experts (both from Maastricht University and communication agency Zuiderlicht) are part of the multidisciplinary project team.”

Pulling Up a Chair: Fries, Conversation, and Connecting Communities

By organizing Frietpraat in local snack bars in South-Limburg, Ik snap je zorg brings together citizens, scientists and often also care professionals and (local) policymakers, to discuss healthcare topics that matter to them. According to Rowan Smeets, the recruitment strategy is key in this project. “When it comes to citizens, we aim to reach citizens who usually feel quite distanced from science, but are interested in science in a more practical way. ‘In a practical way’ means that citizens are in fact interested in science if a healthcare issue or innovation directly impacts their own life or the life of a loved one. To recruit citizens, the network of Burgerkracht Limburg is used in combination with local recruitment via, amongst others, local newspapers and the snack bar (owner). Furthermore, the wide networks of the Living Lab for Sustainable Care and the closely related Living Lab in Ageing and Long-term Care are used to invite scientists, care professionals and policy makers for Frietpraat.

“The tone and atmosphere at the Frietpraat tables is constructive and respectful: a moderator at the table makes sure everyone is heard and the aim is to ‘look through each other’s eyes’ instead of convincing others”, Rowan Smeets explains. Starting from May 2024, two Frietpraat events took place – in Kerkrade and Maastricht – and a third (in Valkenburg) and fourth (in Sittard-Geleen) will take place in the spring of 2026. Each Frietpraat unites on average 15 citizens and 15 people working in science, healthcare and/or policymaking. A survey that was launched in 2025 as part of this project serves as input for selecting healthcare topics that both citizens and scientists have concerns about.

Frietpraat

Beyond the Snack Bar: Inspiring Society and Science Alike

Each Frietpraat results in different communication products, such as videos or newspaper articles, to inform and inspire other citizens and scientists to join Frietpraat and think about the other’s perspective. These videos and newspaper articles are also published on the project’s website: https://iksnapjezorg.nl/. Besides, Rowan Smeets explains, the project will deliver an inspiration document, outlining the lessons learned, challenges and best practices of science communication.

“This inspiration document will be presented at the closing symposium of this project at the end of 2026. Hence, although this project is in the first place aimed at crossing the bridge between society and science, a second aim is to serve as a source of inspiration and guidance for other researchers, healthcare providers, citizen organizations and policy makers who want to engage in science communication. Besides this societal impact, the impact of Ik snap je zorg is scientifically studied in this project. In an interview study starting in 2026, the impact of Frietpraat and related communication products (e.g. videos) on citizens and scientists will be studied. “For instance, we want to find out if this project has actually changed the attitude of citizens and scientists who participated in Frietpraat to be open and positive towards the perspective of others. The results of this scientific study will be published in scientific papers.”

Bridging Research and Reality

By connecting science directly to society, Ik snap je zorg meets CAPHRI’s essential goals to make research more diverse, inclusive, and driven by the needs of people. Rowan Smeets notes that this project perfectly reflects the institute's strategies to make science societally relevant for the wider public. It directly fulfils the standard set by CAPHRI itself: “Building a bridge between our research and society has our highest priority.”

The Power of Collaboration

Collaborating partners are citizen organization Burgerkracht Limburg and communication agency Zuiderlicht. They reinforce the multidisciplinary project team with both citizen advisors and creative experts.

Zuiderlicht values this collaboration deeply: “These are the programmes we love to contribute to because we value the connection between citizens, researchers and healthcare professionals. In this case, we co-created a concept that both stands out and that also truly helps AWDZ to reach their objectives: the ‘Frietpraat’ concept enabled us to make the participatory sessions accessible for an audience that we could not have attracted otherwise.”

Apart from these formal partners, the Living Lab for Sustainable Care leverages its wide network in science, healthcare, policymaking, and education throughout different stages of the project, from setting up the team to recruiting participants. 

From Snack Bar Conversations to Scientific Evidence

Beyond social connection, the project drives academic research. “As part of this project, a scientific survey study was performed in 2025 in South-Limburg to collect concerns of scientists (in organization of care) and citizens concerning healthcare. This study is used as input for the selection of topics for Frietpraat. In an interview study starting in 2026, the impact of Frietpraat and related communication products (e.g. videos) on citizens and scientists will be studied. We aim to publish both scientific studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals and present the findings at (inter)national conferences around science communication, integrated care and related fields.”

Important Output

In the Media

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