Top Sector Life Sciences & Health
Other News from the Topsector Life Sciences & Health
Read on more activities and news from the Top Sector LSH in 2017. Be inspired by stories from large collaborations with health foundations up to developments of a start-up.
A unique and sustainable collaboration between health foundations and Top Sector LSH ›
Looking back at the year 2017 with board member of the Dutch Cooperation of Health Foundations Hanneke Dessing
A unique and sustainable collaboration between health foundations and Top Sector LSH
Looking back at the year 2017 with board member of the Dutch Association of Health Foundations Hanneke Dessing
Both the Dutch Association of Health Foundations (SGF) and the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH) are working on an improved and economic sustainable healthcare. They aim to improve people’s lives with innovative treatments and therapies. And this common goal makes them associated partners in the field of innovative R&D. In 2017, the SGF and Top Sector LSH maintained and further developed their collaboration with some disease-transcendent calls. With board member of the SGF and director of the Dutch Diabetes Foundation, Hanneke Dessing, we look back at the activities in the year 2017. the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH) are working on an improved and economic sustainable healthcare. They aim to improve people’s lives with innovative treatments and therapies. And this common goal makes them associated partners in the field of innovative R&D. In 2017, the SGF and Top Sector LSH maintained and further developed their collaboration with some disease-transcendent calls. With board member of the SGF and director of the Dutch Diabetes Foundation, Hanneke Dessing, we look back at the activities in the year 2017.
Building a collaboration that last
Hanneke Dessing has been involved in the collaboration of the SGF and the Top Sector from the beginning of 2016 With this experience, Hanneke emphasises the first phases of the collaboration that were close and intimate, and necessary to bridge the gap between the two parties. The permanent alignment and perseverance resulted in a structural and fruitful soil for R&D projects to grow and for the exchange of experiences. In 2017, further 15 projects started working on solutions for various diseases. Examples are projects such as ‘Monitoring and predicting fatigue and relapses in day-to-day settings’ in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and ‘Food for thought and active lifestyle in COPD’.
“By inspiring each other and collaborating we can take huge steps in making people healthier and reducing the impact of diseases.”
Making a difference
The collaboration of the SGF and the Top Sector also resulted in two unique and new types of disease-transcendent calls in 2017. With the underlying thought of consolidating strengths and financial resources to create more impact, more than 20 health foundations and the Top Sector selected overarching health issues to be solved. First, they started with the ‘Beter Gezond’ call for research that leads to innovative solutions that enable people with a chronic illness to live lives that are as fit and fulfilled as possible. Secondly, in December the immunology call opened for project proposals that aim to bring the deregulated immune system back into balance. Through all these projects, the main requirement of the Top Sector policy is that the health foundations work together with industry.
According to Hanneke this can be noted as a major benefit for the foundations: “Some health foundations were not familiar with working together with companies and are now in contact with companies on regular basis.”
“This is the first time that health foundations are combining a part of their financial resources to address disease-transcendent solutions.”
Looking ahead
Hanneke points to the sustainability of the collaboration between the SGF and the Top Sector and foresees a continuation in 2018. This might be on a large scale on (new) disease-transcendent projects or on exciting national consortia like Oncode Institute and RegMed XB. Currently the Dutch Diabetes Foundation, Kidney Foundation, Arthritis Association and DON Foundation are already committed to finding solutions with regenerative medicine. “These large types of national consortia are extremely valuable since knowledge-sharing has always been viewed as a pillar for the health foundations. It provides the ability to scale up and accelerates access and affordability.” Hanneke also emphasises that the health foundations seek to have their financial input doubled by attracting partners in such consortia.
Overall, 2017 was the year of providing sustainability in the SGF and Top Sector collaboration. But for Hanneke healthy sustainability means even more: “We are committed to work on a sustainable society and on projects that bring sustainable solutions for many people in society.”
A strong innovation climate for the (bio)pharmaceutical industry
A new national public-private initiative called PharmInvestHolland
In 2017, PharmInvestHolland started as a public-private initiative with the mission to strengthen and position the Netherlands as Europe’s most attractive and innovative (bio)pharmaceutical industry environment. PharmInvestHolland is a very unique initiative in the Netherlands endorsed by both public and private stakeholders: AmCham, the Association Innovative Medicines, HollandBIO, Lygature, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, VNO-NCW and the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH).
Strengthening the R&D climate
The Netherlands is an attractive country for (bio)pharmaceutical innovation. With 12 research universities, 8 academic medical centres and more than 2500 life sciences companies (among which 420 (bio)pharmaceutical companies) the Netherlands is one of the most concentrated life sciences hubs in the world. Collaboration in public-private partnerships is very common in the Netherlands.
‘The relocation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to Amsterdam will give an unprecedented boost to the sector. Therefore, it is time to collectively work on the improvement of the R&D climate of the sector, so that the Netherlands can fully exploit its potential’, according to Gerard Schouw, managing director of the Association Innovative Medicines and one of the co-founder of PharmInvestHolland.
Joint effort
PharmInvestHolland will not only be beneficiary for innovative research and the Dutch economy but also for patients. Schouw sees medicines development in the Netherlands as a hidden pearl. ‘We have so many successful and exciting (bio)pharmaceutical companies and such world class research at public institutions. Despite these great opportunities for doing business, we do not yet fully use our possibilities. Together with our partners we want to work on the setup and execution of an action plan that should bring us more investments and more jobs. In this way that the contribution of the sector to our economy grows and patients will get easier access to innovative medicines.”
See www.pharminvestholland.nl (in preparation).
A strong innovation climate for the (bio)pharmaceutical industry ›
A new national public-private initiative called PharmInvestHolland
Learning communities to boost Top Sector innovation ›
Learning Communities 2018 - 2021: an investment agenda by all Top Sectors
Learning communities to boost Top Sector innovation
Learning Communities 2018 - 2021: an investment agenda by all Top Sectors
Technological progress and disruption radically change the labour market. People – who cannot quickly adapt to the speed and possess the necessary skills – are at risk of dropping out, which will have a negative impact on our knowledge economy. Learning communities could turn the tide, state the Top Sectors in the investment agenda ‘Learning Communities 2018 - 2021’ that Anka Mulder (Executive Board, Delft University of Technology) presented on 26 June 2017 on behalf of all Top Sectors to Maarten Camps, Secretary General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
In the investment agenda, presented during the national Techniekpactconferentie #voorbij 2020 the Top Sectors state that public-private partnerships must continue and speed up to develop into learning communities in which learning, working and innovating go hand in hand. This is necessary to be able to address the societal challenges and capitalise on economic opportunities.
Aad Veenman, Top Sector Logistics, states: “Learning communities are a particularly useful instrument in which learning, working and innovating are connected and in which people are challenged to further develop their knowledge, skills and talent.”
Pilots
Twenty pilots, in particular, were examined by an advisory and investigatory committee from the Top Sectors along with 100 other stakeholders involved (including entrepreneurs, government bodies and educational establishments). These pilots concern various topics in life-long learning.
Furthermore, all tertiary education levels, various sectors and multiple disciplines were considered. A panel of scientists from different disciplines drew up a research agenda with urgent questions and topics.
A paradigm shift
Current and future challenges, such as the energy transition, the ageing society and digitalisation, force us to cooperate and act. A paradigm shift in how we develop, innovate and learn is necessary. ‘Ultimately, this agenda is far broader than just the joint Top Sectors. Both national and regional partners – research, education, governments and industry – have a role to play in order to achieve a breakthrough,’ according to Veenman.
Call to action
The Top Sectors urge all stakeholders involved, both national and regional, to take the next steps by effectively developing existing partnerships further, sharing knowledge and organising the required research. Finally, existing financing arrangements need to be made suitable for a life-long learning that will benefit all of us.
Read the four Learning communities 2018 -2020 publications on the Health~Holland website.
Watch the video on Learning Communities (Dutch)
Health-RI business plan
Laying the foundations for personalised health in the Netherlands
An ambitious yet realistic business plan has been set up by Health-RI to take the concerted action that is needed to bridge the innovation gap towards personalised medicine & health in the Netherlands. Health-RI will create a shared national infrastructure and a shared service centre that unlocks the data and resources needed for world-class, evidence-based health research along the full citizens journey from conception to the end of life. Equipped with the data and tools to develop a better understanding of the transitions between health and disease, algorithms to predict and detect these transitions in individuals, and personalised treatments to reverse them with little or no side effects, the Dutch health research community will be able to realise the personal and societal benefits of P4 Medicine for the good of the nation. The unlocking of data will also create the optimum environment for a learning healthcare system that continuously adapts to people’s needs, while the active participation of individual citizens in both the process and the agenda will ensure those needs are fully understood.
Gerrit Meijer, co-chair of Health-RI's steering committee: “Many findings from biomedical research don’t make it to the clinic, because there is not enough high quality evidence for a clinical application. With Health-RI, we want to bridge this innovation gap in health research by optimally facilitating researchers to build this evidence and by working together with all stakeholders.”
Creating a shared infrastructure fit for developing the predictive, preventive, personalised and participatory medicine of the future will require some creative thinking. Health-RI embraces new approaches that do not rely on centralised data, like ‘Personal Health Train’ initiative, which allows researchers to query distributed databases via a secure, authenticated network, which only requires data owners to make their data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable).
Building on the current strength of public-private partnership research in the Netherlands, Health-RI will bring together the best of the country’s expertise and resources for open-science health research, make them accessible to researchers by means of connecting activities and shared services, and act as a collective voice for the sector both nationally and internationally. In doing so, it will lay a strong foundation for creating a democratised, value-based, learning healthcare system for the Netherlands that will empower its citizens to stay healthy and achieve their true health potential.
Health-RI is the solution to today’s challenges in the health research environment
Watch the video above to learn more about Health-RI or have a look at the Health-RI website
Health-RI business plan ›
Laying the foundations for personalised health in the Netherlands
Start-up Momo Medical: big steps in 2017 ›
LifeSciences@Work alumnus in full development
Start-up Momo Medical: big steps in 2017
LifeSciences@Work alumnus in full development
As a start-up company, one year can change your entire business. Health~Holland visited Momo Medical to speak with its founders, Ide Swager and Menno Gravemaker, about what 2017 has brought their company. In January 2017, they had to make a go/no-go decision as to whether to continue to develop their product: specialised sensors to prevent pressure ulcers. Twelve months later, they have collected almost half a million euros in grants and loans and run a team of more than 20 employees and trainees housed in the YES!Delft incubator. The year 2017 really has been a rollercoaster for Ide and Menno.
The best of both worlds
Pressure ulcers are a major problem in healthcare, causing patient suffering, increased expenditure, a higher workload for healthcare staff, and high healthcare expenses. The best prevention method is regularly changing the posture of the patient, but when is the right time to do this? Momo Medical is developing sensors that provide continuous insight into posture and movement of the patient and can use this information to give smart guidance to nurses.
The moment they decided to proceed with Momo Medical, Ide and Menno signed up for both the YES!Delft incubator programme and the Venture Challenge of LifeSciences@Work. Combined, these accelerator programmes prepared Ide and Menno for building up and running their business. YES!Delft provided accommodation, facilities and free expert meetings, and enabled close collaboration with other medtech entrepreneurs in the incubator. The Venture Challenge coached them about product development and market access, specifically in the medical field. Ide and Menno also participated in other LifeSciences@Work stages, namely the Expert Classes and Value Centre. In November 2017, they pitched their venture on stage to the members of Medtech Partners and two weeks later received a Value Voucher from the Value Centre to hire an experienced company to advise Momo Medical about IP-related issues.
Building sustainable funding and partnerships
The biggest challenge of 2017 was funding their venture. Starting with loans from family members, Ide and Menno acquired investments from many different sources: the municipality of Delft, MIT feasibility grant, TTW Take-Off phase 1, Reinier de Graaf hospital, healthcare insurance company DSW, Rabobank Innovation fund and finally TTW Take-Off phase 2. Altogether, almost half a million euros to develop, test and validate their product.
With the investments and growing number of contacts they are testing the sensors in a real-life setting in the Reinier de Graaf hospital.
Together with a team from the traumatology and geriatric departments, they have placed the sensors under the matrasses of hospital beds to monitor a patient’s mobility. The new feedback from the nurses is quickly processed into new sensors by the technical team. In this way, end users and developers are closely involved in the innovation process.
Heart of the company: team
To enable rapid growth of their company, Momo started to bring in motivated students and graduates of Delft University of Technology from April 2017 onwards. The ones that pass the strict selection interview receive a personal budget to invest in education and self-development. Team activities are regularly held and they also celebrate every success – big or small – together.
2018 preview
Following a very successful, but turbulent year, in 2017, what does 2018 hold in store? Both Ide and Menno aim to realise a good balance in their business and personal lives. Furthermore, they have set three key goals: initial sales, CE certification, and more investments. And in five years' time? They foresee selling more than 10,000 sensors in European countries and, ultimately, starting the development of a second mobility monitoring product to target applications in revalidation, fall prevention, and surgery.
Accelerate the transition from preclinical to clinical research with the Translational Research Programme›
The Translational Research Programme will open a new call Q2 in 2018
Accelerate the transition from preclinical to clinical research with the Translational Research Programme
The goal of the ZonMw Translational Research Programme (PTO programme) is to accelerate the transition from preclinical to clinical research so that knowledge gained through scientific research benefits patients sooner. In terms of topics, the programme covers the entire spectrum of medical, disease prevention and healthcare research. As such, the term ‘clinical’ may be interpreted more broadly here than strictly in terms of inpatient medical treatment. And it may involve all sorts of categories of research into new medicines, treatments, diagnostics, medical devices and body materials that can be used for prevention and treatment. Besides the expected improvement in quality of life and care all of these factors can contribute to affordable care. Projects applying for the PTO programme should at any rate concern the translation of preclinical research results (products, treatments, procedures) into research on human subjects to establish the effectiveness or safety of the innovation. The programme focuses on small-scale translational research efforts for innovations that are not picked up by the market at an early enough stage without investment from the government.
Since 2014, ZonMw has successfully cooperated with the Dutch Association of Health Foundations (SGF) and the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH) in designing, implementing and financing calls for the Translational Research Programme. In 2017, the Translational Research Call granted 24 projects , of which nine involve a collaboration between a research organisation and at least one company. This company participation is seen as an important aspect for the Top Sector LSH. Companies (both large and small) can play a key role in speeding up the process from preclinical to clinical research, and in using the results of clinical research to develop products and services. ZonMw, Top Sector LSH and SGF acknowledge this role and have earmarked funding in the Translational Research Programme for projects involving companies.
Scientific criteria
Only projects whose clinical phase (phase I/II or comparable studies) is due to start within six months will be eligible for funding. The application must have demonstrable added value for society. The results of projects funded exclusively or jointly by ZonMw, Top Sector LSH and SGF must benefit Dutch society. The clinical study must also be performed at one or more Dutch healthcare institutions. The projects must lie in the co-financing funds’ fields of interest.
End user participation
Good projects will, where possible, comply with the wishes of end users. Patients are not only potential test subjects, they can also help focus the research question, reveal societal relevance or translate results into specific actions. Patient participation therefore brings added value to many projects, particularly in translational research. The ‘comply or explain’ principle applies here.
Interest?
The Translational Research Programme will open a new call in the second quarter of 2018. The latest information will be posted on the Health~Holland website.