ZonMw is the national health council appointed by the Dutch Ministry of Health (VWS) and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) to promote quality and innovation in the field of health research and care. Its mission is to improve prevention, cure and care in the Netherlands by supporting and financing high quality fundamental and applied research and make sure, where possible, that the outcomes lead to effective practical innovations in health care and prevention.

In 2005, ZonMw was assigned by VWS the development of a new research program on rare diseases and orphan drugs. The Dutch Steering Committee on Orphan Drugs (appointed in 2001 to foster the development of orphan drugs and improve the situation of patients with rare diseases, in particular, by strengthening the information on rare diseases) was entrusted the conception of this program. The budget committed to research on rare diseases for the last seven years has been on average about € 1.4 million per year.