SCUBY · Project

Proven Roadmaps to Scale Diabetes and Hypertension Care Across National Health Systems

healthPilotedTRL 7Thin data (2/5)

We know how to treat diabetes and high blood pressure, but getting those treatments to everyone who needs them is a massive headache — especially when every country runs its healthcare differently. SCUBY took a proven care package with 5 components (finding patients, treating them, educating them, supporting self-management, and coordinating caregivers) and figured out how to roll it out nationally in 3 very different countries: Cambodia, Slovenia, and Belgium. Think of it as writing the instruction manual for going from a pilot clinic to a whole country. They tested these scale-up roadmaps in real health systems and measured what actually worked.

By the numbers

National scale-up roadmaps developed and tested

Components in the integrated care package

Countries with different health system types tested

Consortium partners across 4 countries

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Diabetes and hypertension are two of the biggest cost drivers in healthcare worldwide. Effective treatments exist, but health systems everywhere struggle to move beyond small pilot programs to nationwide implementation. The result: millions of patients go undiagnosed or poorly managed, and healthcare costs keep climbing because prevention never reaches scale.

The solution

What was built

SCUBY produced 3 national scale-up roadmaps (one each for Cambodia, Slovenia, and Belgium), a 5-component integrated care package covering patient identification through caregiver coordination, a data protection impact assessment, a minimum dataset for monitoring, and a study protocol — 11 deliverables total.

Audience

Who needs this

Digital health companies building chronic disease management platforms seeking national-level adoptionHealth insurers and managed care organizations looking to reduce costs from uncontrolled diabetes and hypertensionHealthcare consulting firms advising governments on scaling chronic disease programsMinistries of health in countries planning national diabetes or hypertension strategiesNGOs and development organizations implementing chronic care in low-middle income countries

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Health IT and Digital Health Platforms

SME

Target: Companies building chronic disease management software or patient monitoring platforms

If you are a digital health company struggling to get your diabetes or hypertension management platform adopted beyond pilot sites — this project developed 3 tested national scale-up roadmaps across 3 different health system types. Their 5-component care package structure and barrier analysis can inform how you design your product for system-wide deployment rather than just individual clinics.

Health Insurance and Managed Care

enterprise

Target: Insurance companies or managed care organizations managing chronic disease populations

If you are an insurer dealing with rising costs from uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension — this project evaluated the impact of scaled-up integrated care on health outcomes and costs across 3 countries. Their roadmaps identify what organizational capacity you need and what barriers to expect when rolling out population-level chronic disease programs.

Healthcare Consulting and Implementation

mid-size

Target: Consulting firms advising ministries of health or hospital networks on care delivery transformation

If you are a healthcare consultancy advising governments or health networks on scaling chronic disease programs — this project produced 3 country-specific scale-up roadmaps with documented barriers, facilitators, and implementation lessons from Cambodia, Slovenia, and Belgium. These are ready-made blueprints adaptable to countries with similar health system structures.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement these scale-up roadmaps in our health system?

The project's EU contribution amount is not available in the dataset, so direct cost benchmarks cannot be provided. However, the roadmaps were designed for national-level implementation across 3 countries with very different resource levels (including low-middle income Cambodia), suggesting the approach is adaptable to various budget constraints.

Can this scale beyond pilot sites to a national level?

That is precisely what SCUBY was designed to do. The project developed, implemented, and evaluated roadmaps for national scale-up in 3 countries with fundamentally different health systems. The deliverable 'Three scale-up roadmaps' confirms country-specific strategies were produced and tested.

Is the care package or methodology available for licensing?

SCUBY was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under Horizon 2020, meaning results are typically openly accessible. The integrated care package uses 5 existing evidence-based components, so there are no proprietary technology barriers. Contact the coordinator for specific reuse terms.

Which types of health systems has this been tested in?

The project deliberately tested across 3 different system types: a low-middle income developing system (Cambodia), a former socialist centralized system (Slovenia), and a Western European decentralized system (Belgium). This 3-country design means lessons are transferable to most health system configurations globally.

What health conditions does this cover?

The care package targets diabetes (Type 2) and hypertension specifically. These are the two most common chronic conditions worldwide and frequently co-occur. The 5-component package covers identification, primary care treatment, health education, self-management support, and caregiver collaboration.

How long did implementation take?

The project ran from January 2019 to June 2023 — approximately 4.5 years. This included analysis of organizational capacity, roadmap development, implementation, and evaluation of impact on health outcomes and costs across all 3 countries.

Does this comply with data protection requirements?

Yes. The project produced a dedicated 'Data protection impact assessment' as one of its 11 deliverables, along with a 'Data management plan.' This suggests GDPR-compliant processes were built into the methodology from the start.

Consortium

Who built it

The SCUBY consortium is a compact team of 5 partners across 4 countries (Belgium, Cambodia, Netherlands, Slovenia), led by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium. The consortium is entirely academic and institutional — 3 universities and 2 other organizations, with zero industry partners and zero SMEs. This pure-research composition means strong scientific rigor and policy credibility, but no built-in commercial pathway. For a business looking to adopt these results, there is no industry partner already translating the roadmaps into products or services — that gap represents both a barrier (no turnkey solution) and an opportunity (first-mover advantage for whoever commercializes the methodology).

INSTITUUT VOOR TROPISCHE GENEESKUNDECoordinator · BE
UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPENparticipant · BE
UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM UTRECHTparticipant · NL
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC HEALTHparticipant · KH

How to reach the team

The coordinator is the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde) in Belgium. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the project team.

Order a report on this consortium See INSTITUUT VOOR TROPISCHE GENEESKUNDE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how SCUBY's scale-up roadmaps could work for your health system or product? Contact SciTransfer for a tailored briefing and introduction to the research team.

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