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Can this young company also make a difference in the healthcare field? As inventors and manufacturers of the world’s first sleep robot, Dutch startup Somnox is riding the wave of sleep tech that’s helping everyone from Silicon Valley CEOs to your elderly aunt get better rest.

A robot to help you sleep better

What’s cuddly, shaped like a kidney bean and never snores? A sleep robot, of course. Invented by four young students at the robotics institute of the Delft University of Technology, the robot soothes people to sleep through a variety of methods, including synchronising breathing patterns and playing calming sounds. Buoyed by a successful crowdfunding campaign that concluded in November 2017, the Somnox robot hit the market in early 2019.

What happens after your product goes to market?

Jagtenberg says the team at Somnox are quickly adjusting to the change in business status: “As a startup, you always develop, you pitch, you do some initial marketing, but when you make it to launch, it’s another dynamic. The product is now there – it’s not just a story, it’s real. It’s very interesting to experience this from the first sketches on the back of a napkin to the point that we’re at now. It’s a valuable school, I’d say!”

But this new phase hasn’t overawed them. Now the sleep robot is on the market, Somnox is already looking into expanding its distribution “quite aggressively,” says Jagtenberg. “After all, our mission is to help as many people as possible to sleep better, so we should also be everywhere.”

How Somnox developed a natural way to improve sleep

While Somnox doesn’t claim to provide a medical device or a cure to insomnia, neither does the firm really target the lifestyle ‘sleep hackers’ who want to optimise every aspect of their lives. Instead, they want to help “people who feel the effects of a lack of sleep during the day and who want to improve their sleep naturally,” explains Jagtenberg.

“These are not necessarily people that already sleep well and want to ‘upgrade’ their sleep. We are especially effective for people that have stress- and anxiety-related sleep deprivation. And these people tend to take sleeping pills, so our ultimate goal is to get rid of those addictive chemicals and bring natural or technological solutions to the table.”

Why data can increase stress levels

Sleep tech is becoming more and more popular, with products and apps regularly entering the market. But while Somnox’s team plan a number of additional features for their robot, which works in conjunction with an app and which can be upgraded at any point, they are careful not to make the wrong choices. “I think the whole industry is getting rather obsessed with data and tracking the quantified self. But the thing that happens is that if you get all this data about your sleep, you actually start to become anxious and stressed because the data shows that you might not be sleeping well – whereas your sleep is actually fine.”

He adds that “everyone is tracking sleep, but no one is actually doing anything with the data. There needs to be a transition from not only showing data but actually using it.”

That is exactly what Somnox is trying to do with its adaptive breathing functionality. It is a feature where “the robot senses the breathing of the user and automatically synchronises to it,” explains Jagtenberg, “guiding them subconsciously to lower and deeper breathing rhythms.” But sleep support is not limited to the night-time. “The goal is to offer a solution that works not only during the night but also during the day because your lifestyle habits greatly influence the way that you sleep.”

Further features are also being developed. “We have so many ideas. Over the course of this year, we will be launching a smart alarm and integration with the smart home, meaning that for example Google Home or Alexa can set the lights, the temperature and all other parameters that influence your deep sleep.”

Somnox’s ambitious plans for its future

But the most important plan involves a bigger shift. “We really want to create new product lines that are targeted towards children, for example, but also to set up a new business unit, Somnox Healthcare, that focuses on care institutions that care for elderly people with dementia, and for people with post-traumatic stress disorder in hospitals. We want to explore what we can do and if we can actually help elderly people sleep more and better. That has huge potential because it would mean you could reduce the intake of medication, for example.”

Similar products already exist, but, according to Jagtenberg, there is room for improvement.

“There is already a very interesting development that has been out there for a couple of years: the PARO seal, which is a therapeutic robot for people with dementia and other cognitive disorders. The seal is being used very actively. There have been a lot of studies about its positive effects in soothing people with dementia because they felt like they can take care of something again. There are so many interesting things about it. But it’s really expensive. And you need to send it to the company for cleaning every two months, which is also very expensive.”

Somnox is already running trials to explore the field further. “About 35 care institutions are currently conducting trials with our current product to see what the effects are,” he says.

“And some really touching stories have started coming out of that. We had an elderly lady whose partner passed away a few years ago. She was still stressed out every night, wondering where he was, and she would wander about, looking for him. Providing her with the robot, which was breathing and could also play sound, such as someone telling a bedtime story, really helped to soothe her and make her feel less lonely.”

How the Netherlands helps tech firms to thrive

Jagtenberg says that the Netherlands is the ideal base for developing new ideas and exploring new fields. “We are all graduates from the University of Technology in Delft, and that is a great location to be in, especially for robotics. The University of Technology is known for a lot of inventions and high-quality engineers. It’s home to RoboValley (a research centre for robotics), so from a technology-driven perspective, it’s a really great spot to be in. But in addition, Delft is located right between Rotterdam, Leiden and The Hague.”

Especially the proximity to university city Leiden is helpful, he says. “You have the medical studies and science departments, and we can get there in just 20 minutes by train and have studies set up.”

Working together is key. “There is a lot of collaboration between academia and industry, and even hospitals, which are very open to innovation. For us, the fact that everything is so close by is very valuable. I don’t have a car, I just go by public transport or by bike to the engineering facilities, to the clinical study facilities and so on.”

These advantages have become even clearer recently. “Now that I have been travelling around the world a lot, I’ve realised that I haven’t seen this density of so many stakeholders within one area anywhere else. And there are also so many programmes and meet-ups, which you can just participate in for free. I think it’s a really good place to be.”

This combination of world-renowned universities, a supportive tech community and a collaborative spirit is also the basis of the Netherlands’ life sciences and health ecosystem as a whole. Public and private organisations across the country (such as the Amsterdam-based Netherlands Cancer Institute [NKI] and tech company Stryker) regularly work together on ground-breaking developments to improve medicine and healthcare. Thanks to the modest size of the country, you’re never far from other Life Sciences and Health hubs such as Leiden (40 minutes from Amsterdam) and Delft (1 hour from Amsterdam).

What’s in store for the future of sleep

Back to sleep – where does he think the sleep tech craze is going? “From a society perspective, sleep is becoming more and more important. You can see that the media is absolutely obsessed with it. And this is a great trend. It used to be cool to only sleep two hours a night, and now you see Silicon Valley CEOs ‘hacking their sleep’ to be the best version of themselves. We had nutrition before, right? Avoid McDonald’s, eat healthily. Then we had exercise – sitting is the new smoking. And now sleep is the new health hype. And that’s amazing, and I think it’s also necessary.”

If Somnox gets its way, it will play a big part in the new sleep revolution. “We will create a whole portfolio of products for the day and night to help people sleep in a natural way. We really want to become the leading sleep company that changes the way you live by changing the way you sleep.”

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During an official economic mission from the Netherlands to Boston led by Prime Minister Rutte, representatives from public investment agencies, the biotech industry and other organizations convened to discuss a broad-based partnership to advance ongoing collaboration in life sciences between the Netherlands and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy signed a Memorandum of Understanding laying the basis for a Massachusetts – the Netherlands Transatlantic Life Sciences Partnership.

Massachusetts and the Netherlands kickoff international partnership in life sciences

The signature of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a testimony to the strategic importance of life sciences as well as a mutual recognition of Massachusetts and the Netherlands as two international biotech hubs. Indeed, Massachusetts counts nearly 70,000 people working in life sciences, with Boston-Cambridge alone boasting more than 500 biotech companies, 5 of the top 6 hospitals in the U.S., and 48 colleges. The Netherlands is a younger yet rapidly growing biotechnology hub at the heart of the EU, with more than 420 biopharmaceutical companies, 12 research universities, 85 hospitals, around 200 publicprivate partnerships and is the home to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The Netherlands is also one of the most concentrated life sciences and health clusters worldwide, featuring 2,900 companies within a 200km radius. In addition to the signatories, Health-Holland, MassBio, HollandBIO and the Henri A. Termeer Tribute Committee will provide support for accelerating the growth of their life sciences hubs and the global opportunities for their respective domestic research organizations and companies. The partnership entails regular dialogues to promote a mutual understanding of the environment for life sciences in Europe, in the U.S. and worldwide, and facilitate global expansion. Collectively, these organizations will set-up various activities to foster collaboration and partnership across the Atlantic such as exchange of scientific results, pitches of research projects and generally fostering the flow of talent, ideas and people between the two ecosystems.

Focco Vijselaar, Director-General Enterprise and Innovation at Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy: “The Netherlands and Massachusetts have successful life sciences communities. By joining forces in this partnership they can both be strengthened.” Mark Sullivan, Executive Director of Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment: “By signing this MoU we underline the great opportunities that lie ahead of two formidable life sciences ecosystems, here in Massachusetts as well as in the Netherlands. This international partnership will help create economic development and investment in the sector.”

John Maraganore, co-chair of The Henri A. Termeer Tribute Committee, Board Member of BIO and CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: “This MOU is a great demonstration of the international leadership of Massachusetts in life sciences, as well as the fast-growing development of the Netherlands as an environment that champions a vibrant ecosystem for life sciences and healthcare innovation. As a company headquartered in Cambridge, MA and with strategic and growing European operations in the Netherlands, we are strongly convinced that the collaboration potential between innovators in these two leading life sciences hubs is immense, and patients are waiting for the fruits of our work.”

Hans Schikan, Top Team member of Health-Holland: “Working together is part of the Dutch DNA. By collaborating with the best we can identify innovative solutions that matter.” Robert K. Coughlin, President and CEO, MassBio: “Disease has no borders, and neither should the research and development necessary to create new therapies and cures. We’re looking forward to embarking on this international partnership with the Netherlands and sharing the talent, resources, and capabilities of Massachusetts’ innovation ecosystem so we can all more efficiently bring new tomorrows to patients around the globe.”

Annemiek Verkamman, Managing Director at HollandBIO, the Dutch biotech industry association: “This transatlantic partnership provides a solid basis for increased collaboration between both our vibrant life sciences communities. We are looking forward to helping create opportunities for innovation and investments and fostering mutual understanding of our life sciences ecosystems.”

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From Shanghai to Rotterdam and back again to deliver the best healthcare to patients! Last week a large delegation led by Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, visited Harbour Biomed at Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai. Harbour Biomed is a global biotech company developing innovative therapies for cancer and immune-driven diseases. During the visit Harbour BioMed and Erasmus MC signed an MoU to advance next-gen immuno-oncology and immunology drug discovery, and clinical development.

The delegation included representatives from the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Shanghai, Erasmus University Medical Center, the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, Rotterdam Partners, InnovationQuarter and several Rotterdam based companies and educational institutions.

Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam:

“During our week in Shanghai I have witnessed great collaborations between scientists from Rotterdam working together with scientists in Shanghai to develop new methods of testing in the development of cancer treatments. Scientific cooperation goes beyond borders and as the city of Rotterdam we are happy that our Life Sciences & Health ecosystem contributes in this joint mission to provide better healthcare for people around the globe.”

Harbour BioMed and Erasmus MC sign MoU

During the celebration of the 40 years sister city relationship, Harbour BioMed and Erasmus MC signed an MoU to advance next-gen immuno-oncology and immunology drug discovery, and clinical development. Harbour Biomed expects to establish laboratory space in Rotterdam to facilitate scientific collaboration with Erasmus MC investigators across multiple departments.

Harbour BioMed has operations and R&D site in Shanghai and Suzhou, China, business operations and an innovation center including research laboratory in Boston, USA, and an antibody platform innovation center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Apart from their location in Cambridge Innovation Center in Boston, Harbour Antibodies recently opened their office in Cambridge Innovation Center in Rotterdam.

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By specializing in mathematical optimization solutions and advanced data analytics, ORTEC aims to make the world a better place. The company leverages mathematics and econometrics to improve efficiency and productivity in healthcare. InnovationQuarter is investing €5 million in ORTEC to enable the firm to accelerate its existing healthcare activities. Jeannette Baljeu, member of the Executive Council of the Province of Zuid-Holland, and Charlie Aptroot, mayor of Zoetermeer, announced the investment at the InnovationQuarter Annual Event in the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam.

How mathematics can contribute to solutions in healthcare

Healthcare in the Netherlands is facing major challenges. Costs are rising every year due to increasing demand, many healthcare providers face staff shortages and patients expect quicker treatment. Data-driven healthcare solutions are required to tackle these issues in an integrated manner. Such solutions can improve performance by ensuring a more even patient flow through healthcare institutions and a better workload distribution among health professionals.

ORTEC has developed innovative mathematical optimization and data analytics solutions that go far beyond simple statistical analysis. Menno Brandjes, director of ORTEC Healthcare, says,

“We have been able to make hospitals 15% more productive in the areas where our solutions are applied. This means that 15% more patients are being treated using the same amount of resources. At the same time, employee satisfaction has also increased.”

Intelligent healthcare support using artificial intelligence

Value-based care, personalized care, digitization and prevention through healthy lifestyles have emerged in response to the need to reduce costs and improve quality of care. These trends within healthcare are underpinned by simplifying administrative processes, improving patient interaction with e health (blended care) and determining diagnostics based on access to an ever-growing amount of data. Artificial intelligence (AI) is vital to all of this and is playing an increasingly important role in the healthcare sector.

AI provides valuable support to healthcare professionals in their decision making by allowing them to make more insightful predictions and recommendations. ORTEC’s new healthcare initiatives are fully equipped for this and, for instance, make it possible for organizations to better focus on individual patients and subsequently analyze all relevant data. As a result, patients, healthcare practitioners and everyone involved across the entire healthcare chain receive the best possible advice and treatment.

Accelerated growth of healthcare initiatives

InnovationQuarter’s investment will help accelerate the growth of ORTEC’s new initiatives in the healthcare sector. Brandjes says ORTEC is very happy with the extra capital: “InnovationQuarter’s contribution to ORTEC’s healthcare initiatives is helping us scale up our activities more quickly. We are starting in the Netherlands and will eventually expand worldwide. ORTEC has been the market leader in the field of advanced planning software in the Dutch healthcare sector for many years. This investment will allow us to expand our offering in several areas, including integrated capacity management, support in clinical decision making, advanced data solutions for research and the integration of our communications platform for patients and staff”.

Stimulating innovation in healthcare

“Founded in West Holland and now operating across the globe, ORTEC is an outstanding, innovative company that has successfully grown to over 1,000 employees,” says Francis Quint, head of Capital at InnovationQuarter.

“With this investment, we can contribute to ORTEC’s growth ambitions in healthcare, which is an important theme in society. InnovationQuarter will utilize its network and organization to accelerate ORTEC’s expansion in this area, not only by linking with our shareholders, such as regional academic hospitals, but also by drawing on the commitment of the healthcare experts in our business development team. The investment also allows us to expand our SME portfolio and our role as a lifecycle investor in the region.”

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Investering voor LeQuest

Supplier of medical technology education LeQuest has received a € 7 mln. injection from new investors MedFinance and InnovationQuarter and the company’s existing financiers NextGen Ventures, Noaber Ventures and Philips Health Technology Ventures. Hermineke van Bockxmeer, director of Urban Development of Rotterdam congratulates CEO Hicham Shatou with the investment in LeQuest.

Reinventing medical personnel training

LeQuest was founded in 2011 with the mission to reinvent how medical personnel is trained on medical technology. Goal of LeQuest is to improve the quality in healthcare, increase medical technology efficiency and reduce adverse events. LeQuest focuses its simulation-based educational solutions on high risk medical technology in hospitals and more specifically in OR’s, ICU’s and Radiology departments.

Over the last few years LeQuest experienced a strong demand for its services from hospitals as well as manufacturers in order to effectively train and certify healthcare professionals in the use of medical technology. LeQuest is working with Philips, Siemens, Medtronic, GE, and other large medical device manufacturers, and has active users in more than 15 countries in Europe, North- and South-America.

Increasing the quality of care

With this investment round LeQuest will accelerate its growth by intensifying its collaboration with the device manufacturers and expanding its services to hospitals geographically.

“We are proud of the strong network of partners and customers we have attracted and together we look forward to increase our impact globally and serve our customers even better in the coming years. This could not have been possible without the strong will of our dedicated and talented team that want to improve the use of medical technology and increase the quality of care.” says Hicham Shatou, founder and CEO of LeQuest.

Francis Quint, head of InnovationQuarter Capital, is pleased with the opportunity to invest in LeQuest alongside strong consortium partners Noaber/NextGen, Philips Health Technology Ventures and MedFinance: “LeQuest is a good example of how a young, dynamic company can grow from startup to scale-up. The ability to constantly adapt its business model to developments in the market while remaining flexible has brought LeQuest to where it is today. This investment round will enable LeQuest to accelerate its growth together with its strategic partners.”

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Idris Oncology one of first companies to receive free human tissue through Codex4SME’s

The Leiden based biotechnology firm Idris Oncology is one of the three SME’s in Europe to receive human tissue through the Codex4SME’s consortium, in order to help them progress their diagnostic product towards clinical application.

Read our story on the transition to personalized medicine here! (in Dutch)

“It is always hard for SME’s to obtain human samples of any kind,” says Idris CEO and founder Hans Peter Mulder. “That’s why we are so happy with the support from Codex4SME’s and its regional partner InnovationQuarter. What has really speeded Idris’ product development is the fact that Codex4SME’s also covers the costs and assists with the supply form BioBank Graz. This way we can treat cancer better.”

“I’m very happy that Idris was one of the first to obtain these free samples* as it will help making cancer treatment to become more personalized,” says Stéfan Ellenbroek, senior business developer Life Sciences and Health at InnovationQuarter. “There are currently a couple of other Zuid-Holland companies in discussion with the BioBank Graz for prospective tissue collection, but I also urge the rest of the ecosystem to check out this nice chance as the vouchers for free samples are limited in amount. Any companies with questions can contact me!”

Idris Oncology one of first companies to receive free human tissue through Codex4SME’s

*Costs covered through the Codex4SME’s Inttereg NWE grant. All tissues are obtained with informed consent.

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Australian product innovation agency IDE Group recently opened its new European headquarters in CIC Rotterdam, from where it will serve its European partners. IDE Group has a solid track record in developing MedTech innovations in partnership with various associates such as Bayer and ResMed. Rotterdam’s central location in Europe and its access to top talent made it a logical, strategic choice for IDE. During the LSH010 breakfast in the Rotterdam Science Tower, IDE Group received a cornerstone to commemorate the opening of its office. The stone was presented on behalf of Alderman of Economic development, Barbara Kathmann as well as collaborating partners InnovationQuarter, Rotterdam Partners, NFIA and Life Sciences & Health 010, all of which supported IDE Group in setting up the new headquarters.

Nederland, Rotterdam, 28/03/2019
LSH010 Ontbijt in de Science Tower.
foto Jan de Groen

Enabler and accelerator of MedTech innovations

IDE Group was founded in Sydney (Australia) in 2003 by Richard Sokolov and George Sidis. The agency partners with larger MedTech companies to accelerate product innovation and currently has 50 employees.

While major medical device companies are not lacking in good ideas or funding, they are often incapable of changing gears quickly and unable to develop solutions that fall outside of their current systems and procedures. IDE therefore works with these parties to complete product development successfully and within agreed time frames.

Incubator for new innovations

IDE assists startups and facilitates the transfer of knowledge and technology from universities and hospitals. The agency provides a team of experienced designers and entrepreneurs who help develop products and then build companies around them. This is also how the new business Atomo Diagnostics, founded by John Kelly and IDE, came to be. The medical startup shook up the market for diagnostic testing with a new, user-friendly HIV test that makes accurate diagnostics available at extremely low cost. This attracted the attention of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and an HIV self-test was subsequently developed in collaboration with both these organisations. IDE is a partner throughout the entire development process, which involves building a business and supplying a product.

Alderman of Economic development in Rotterdam, Barbara Kathmann: “Rotterdam is growing economically, and the digital services economy is playing an important role in this. The arrival of IDE in Rotterdam underlines the innovation climate of the city. Newly established, progressive entrepreneurship is good for the economy of the city and given the background of IDE, I assume that they will be a good link between Rotterdam’s talent, innovations and entrepreneurship.”

Close to high-quality talent

IDE works closely with technical universities in the Netherlands and has several Dutch staff on its Australian team. In addition, the company has direct contact with clinical experts and various professionals at Erasmus University Medical Center, which is a source of ideas for new application directions based on clinical practice. These collaborations make Rotterdam a logical destination for IDE’s European headquarters. The city’s central position and the excellent infrastructure, linking Rotterdam with the rest of Europe, also means it’s the ideal location from which to grow the agency’s European business.

Willem Mees van der Bijl, director of IDE Netherlands, says: “As a TU Delft graduate, I know the merit of the university’s technical education programmes as well as how much they are valued by companies around the world. Great new ideas come from Erasmus University Medical Center and YES!Delft is the place to find the right entrepreneurial people. I’m very excited about this collaboration!”

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Picture credits: Prof. Sankai, University of Tsukuba / CYBERDYNE, INC

Improving and potentially recovering patient mobility

The Cyberdyne HAL systems work best when used for the purpose of medical treatment, such as for improving ambulatory function after spinal cord injury or stroke. In many diseases that have caused motor dysfunction, bio-electrical signals can still be detected, enabling the HAL to help the wearer complete the movement they intend to make. In response, the body’s sensory system can send back information about the movement back to the brain. Therapy with HAL has demonstrated to improve the function of impaired limbs even after wearing the device and is starting to be adopted by hospitals around the world, in some instances covered by health insurance.

There are also multiple HAL variants designed for different purposes such as a HAL designed to protect workers from back injuries, or a HAL designed for the elderly to maintain their body functions.

Improved diagnosis through photoacoustic imaging

In addition to its HAL systems, Cyberdyne develops medical diagnostic devices and has recently been focusing on the development and clinical translation of its proprietary LED-based photoacoustic imaging technology. Photoacoustic imaging is a novel medical imaging modality which is heading towards clinical translation. Cyberdyne’s LED-based multispectral photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging system (Acoustic X) offers strong potential in diagnosis and monitoring of e.g. peripheral vascular diseases, skin cancer, rheumatoid arthritis with unprecedented structural, functional and biochemical imaging capability.

The company, which also has subsidiaries in Germany and the United States,  collaborates with renowned research labs around the globe (University of Twente, University College London, Kings College London, Michigan University, Harvard Medical School etc.) to identify and explore clinical and pre-clinical applications of this novel medical imaging modality.

Dr. Mithun Kuniyil Ajith Singh, head of Cyberdyne Rotterdam: “As a company with unique products like HAL and Acoustic X, we look forward to tackling and solve social issues using technological innovations and grow in parallel. Since the Netherlands is a country with an excellent LSH community, we believe that we fit into this cluster perfectly.”

Chris van Voorden, head of Foreign Investments at InnovationQuarter: “We welcome Cyberdyne to Rotterdam. With its unique expertise in the fields of robotic exoskeletons and new imaging technologies, Cyberdyne will both benefit from and strengthen the local MedTech cluster. Rotterdam’s vibrant entrepreneurial community is an ideal place to successfully grow the business and serve the European and US market”

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Minister Wiebes of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy: “These results once again confirm that foreign companies are important to our globally operating country. Around one million people work for foreign companies in the Netherlands and an additional half-million work indirectly for these companies as suppliers, particularly in SMEs. Due to the growing international uncertainty surrounding Brexit and changing global trade policies, the importance of a good Dutch business climate for all of us is continually increasing.”

The work of the NFIA falls partly under the responsibility of the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag: “The impending Brexit and tensions around international trade provide opportunities for Dutch companies. Our companies are innovative, flexible and adapt to this changing market. Furthermore, the Netherlands’ position as a stable economic hub is also attractive to foreign companies. This position will only be further strengthened. It is positive that this is reflected in the approximately 10,000 newly-created jobs in 2018.”

These results once again confirm that foreign companies are important to our globally operating country – Minister Wiebes of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy

From headquarters to R&D

The NFIA is responsible for 8,475 out of the 9,847 jobs created by the Invest in Holland network. In 2018, the NFIA managed to attract 248 foreign investment projects to the Netherlands, which collectively account for 2.76 billion euros in investments. The annual results also show that the majority of new jobs are created within headquarters (2,259), followed by marketing & sales offices (1,834), distribution centers (1,053), service centers (977), production sites (884) and R&D locations (755). As illustration, sports media company DAZN established a development center in Amsterdam, Giant and Timberland expanded their European distribution locations (in Lelystad and Almelo respectively) and Mitsui Chemicals committed to producing plastics at the Chemelot Campus in Limburg.

The majority of ‘foreign jobs’ are, as in 2017, created by US companies. In 2018, this accounted for 3,185 jobs, with a total accompanying investment of 1.19 billion euros. Following the US is the United Kingdom (1,596 jobs), then China (614 jobs), Japan (580 jobs) and Germany (300 jobs).

More Brexit companies

In 2018, the Invest in Holland network brought 42 companies to the Netherlands as a result of Brexit, accounting for 1,923 jobs and some 291 million euros in investments. Companies signaling expansion of their offices in the Netherlands partly due to Brexit , include the Japanese investment bank Norinchukin and media company TVT Media. Financial services providers MarketAxess and Azimo, and maritime insurer UK P&I all announced office openings in our country last year,  due to  Brexit as well. The relocation of the European Medicines Agency(EMA) to Amsterdam, also supported by Invest in Holland, is included herein. In 2019, several companies, including Discovery and Bloomberg, have already announced their intention to invest in the Netherlands because of Brexit.

The number of companies relocating activities to our country due to Brexit has grown compared to 2017, during which 18 companies made a Brexit-related move to the Netherlands. Additionally, the NFIA is talking with more than 250 foreign companies considering setting up operations in the Netherlands following Brexit. These are predominantly British companies, but also American and Asian organizations that are reconsidering their current European structure due to uncertainties caused by Brexit. These include companies in the financial sector, media and advertising, life sciences & health and logistics. In addition to the Netherlands, these companies are also investigating options in other countries, including Germany, France and Ireland.

Since the establishment of the Invest in Holland network in 2015, the NFIA and its regional partners have attracted 1,402 companies to the Netherlands. This has resulted in a total direct inward investment of 8.1 billion euros and the creation of more than 43,000 jobs in the Netherlands. In addition to the NFIA, the Invest in Holland network comprises the regional development agencies: NOM, Oost NL, North-Holland North, amsterdam inbusiness, InnovationQuarter, The Hague Business Agency, Rotterdam Partners, Invest Utrecht, BOM, Invest in Zeeland, LIOF and HIDC.

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The bio-based solutions created in Leiden will have a direct impact on some of the most pressing societal issues of today: reducing food waste; reducing the environmental impacts of livestock farming and improving animal health; producing renewable fuels; and lowering environmental impacts in the textile and laundry industries.
The capacity of the new site in Oegstgeest will double the potential for growth of the current employee base, with the potential of creating an additional 100 jobs at the facility, including research and development, application development, marketing, sales and customer service. The building will serve as the new EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) headquarters for DuPont Industrial Biosciences.

“Our Leiden scientists have been developing innovations that enable our customers to improve the efficiency and sustainability of their processes and products for many years,” said Simon Herriott, Vice President & Global Business Director for Bioactives at DuPont. “This new facility will enable our teams to do even more – to improve the pace of biotechnology and the speed with which we can deliver it to market. The ecosystem of talent, academia and community we find in the Leiden Bio Science Park is ideal for our work and for keeping us globally competitive.”
“Oegstgeest is pleased with DuPont establishing a site in our municipality. With DuPont building this facility in the Oegstgeest part of the Leiden Bio Science Park, organizations such as Corpus, Hilton and Avery Denison will be joined by an esteemed neighbor,” commented Jan Nieuwenhuis, Alderman Economic Development and Bio Science Park of the Executive Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Oegstgeest. “We are pleased to welcome such an internationally oriented, science-driven and socially responsible company as DuPont into the region, which undoubtedly will impact local job development.”

DuPont has partnered with Dutch developer and construction company Dura Vermeer on the building in Oegstgeest, which will cover 7250 square meters, a doubling of the capacity of the current facility for the business. The project will receive a BREEAM “Excellent” rating – an impressive measure of a building’s sustainability and environmental footprint. The construction is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

“The design is in the service of the employees,” said Director Peter Krop of Dura Vermeer. “Ultimately, it is about creating the right inspiring and flexible working environment. We are proud to be able to add DuPont to our customer list.”

The construction marks an important milestone in the growth of the company, with the new site in Oegstgeest being an important hub for business in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Source: DuPont Industrial Biosciences

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Johnson & Johnson Unveils New Vaccines Launch Facility in Holland

Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson officially opened its state-of-the-art vaccines launch facility in Leiden, the Netherlands. The new facility represents a significant investment by the company in novel vaccines development, global health and security, and pandemic preparedness efforts. In addition, the facility features innovative technological and manufacturing platforms to support the large-scale production of vaccines for clinical trials and global launch.

Janssen’s launch facility is the latest example of the company’s leadership in pharmaceutical R&D in the Netherlands. The company will utilize a number of cutting-edge research and development (R&D) platforms at the vaccines launch facility, including Janssen’s proprietary AdVac® viral vector vaccines technology and the company’s PER.C6® manufacturing platform.

“This new center represents a significant commitment by Johnson & Johnson in our mission to change the trajectory of human health,” said Johan Van Hoof, M.D., Global Therapeutic Area Head IDV, Vaccines, Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D and Managing Director, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V.

By investing locally, we hope to protect globally by ensuring that innovative and effective vaccines become available to the people that need them wherever they may live.

Europe’s Leading Hub for R&D Innovation

The Netherlands’ world-class research institutes, supportive R&D tax credits and strategic partnerships between science, industry and government, make it a renowned hub for R&D. Furthermore, Holland is home to R&D operations of major companies like Philips, IBM and MSD. Janssen will utilize Holland’s unmatched technology infrastructure, multilingual workforce and innovative ecosystem to improve global health and create new vaccines.

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Everyone wants to be healthy and it just so happens that Dutch horticulture specialises in healthy products. But it is still rare for a doctor to prescribe a diet consisting for the most part of fresh vegetables instead of pills. One reason for this is that we are insufficiently aware of which nutrients are present in which vegetables and in what quantities. Our health would benefit greatly from more insight into the specific value of fresh vegetables. Enterprises in various sectors, including company catering and professional sports, could certainly use such information to their advantage.

Natasja van der Lely (vers+):

Everything around us becomes more personal, the consumer is almost crying out. And what does food do? One size fits all!

A few years ago, with this in mind, a number of companies in the horticulture sector decided to come together to found vers+. Their goal is to provide reliable data about the precise nutrients found in a range of vegetables and to bring these vegetables to market. vers+ is now developing a database containing this information. The database is to be used by partners to develop healthy, nutritional concepts.

Have look at the vers+ dinner pictures on our Flickr page! 

Nutrients and vegetables

Over the past few years under the vers+ banner, partner companies have rolled out a number of pilot projects and have targeted patients with prostate cancer and children attending day care centres. One aim was to assess how personalised nutrition works in practice. The Dutch Horticulture and Propagation Materials Top Sector recently provided a positive assessment of the ‘Value of Fruit and Vegetables’ project. During this project, various measuring methods will be developed and combined so that phytonutrients and impacts on health can be measured. The project was initiated by vers+ and Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo.

Personalised dinner

To raise awareness of vers+ and inspire potential new partners, vers+ recently decided to organise a customised dinner. All guests received a DNA kit beforehand. Omnigen analysed the profile results to identify each guest’s macronutrient and micronutrient needs.

Based on the DNA profiles, Hutten Catering prepared a personalised dinner for each guest at Koppert Cress. All guests also received their DNA profile tailored to their nutritional requirements. vers+ organised the event to inspire business partners to think about commercial opportunities in the field of personalised food and health. The dinner provided first-hand insight into the many new revenue models that are already within reach.

Succesvol vers+ diner op maat inspireert over gepersonaliseerde voeding en gezondheid

New opportunities for Dutch horticulture

Around 100 invited guests from horticulture, healthcare, retail and catering attended the vers+ dinner. Natasja van der Lely (Koppert Cress/vers+) and Marieke Kodde (InnovationQuarter) offered their views on personalised food and health. In the near future, vers+ will be transformed into an organisation working for both long-term and occasional partners and aims to create new opportunities for Dutch horticulture products based on healthy nutrients.

Marieke Kodde:

With the nutrients that are naturally present in fresh vegetables, we can take a place in the developments in the field of personalized nutrition and health. vers + can contribute to a healthier society and to business opportunities for horticulture.

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10X Genomics Inc. Opens new European Headquarters in Leiden

10x Genomics is the leader in single-cell and other areas of genomic analysis, all of which enable greater resolution and accelerate the understanding of new biology and disease. 10x Genomics builds tools and applications that leverage advances in sequencing along with innovations in hardware, chemistry and software. Its customers have already analyzed over 130 million single cells, broadly equivalent to sequencing 18,000 human genomes.

Benefits of the Leiden Bio Science Park

10X Genomics began direct sales to Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in late 2015, and continue to grow their presence in the EMEA genomics market.  10X Genomics has distributed sales and support teams located in the field across the region who will receive further support from the new central office located in Leiden.

“We see Leiden as an attractive option for inward investment by life science companies due to the excellent infrastructure, including LUMC and the Leiden Bio Science Park. As 10X Genomics expands our business in this region, InnovationQuarter, the regional development organization for the region can connect us with universities where there is a talented pool of local university graduates with advanced scientific training for recruitment,” stated Sandy McBean, Vice President of EMEA Sales and Support for 10X Genomics.

Strengthening the Dutch life sciences & health ecosystem

According to analysts, the genomics sector could grow to $24 billion by 2022 when considering the large potential scope of genomic science impacting areas of research like gene editing and precision medicine. The role of genomics in healthcare is becoming increasingly important, and having a leading company in that field located in Leiden further strengthens the Dutch life sciences & health ecosystem and its position in the global life sciences market.

Mayor Lenferink, Mayor of the city of Leiden, stated, “I am pleased to welcome 10X Genomics, a pioneering company in the area of genomics to the Leiden Bio Science cluster.” The Leiden Bio Science Park is the largest and most mature life sciences cluster in the Netherlands with focus on Translational Drug Discovery and Development, Oncology, Vaccines and Regenerative Medicine.

The NFIA and InnovationQuarter assisted 10X Genomics with information on the investment climate in the Netherlands and office locations within the Dutch life sciences hotspots. We are looking forward to connecting the company to the life science community in the Netherlands.

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InnovationQUarter-Access-to-Capital-2018-980x450

Investing in innovation

Having access to capital is one of the conditions for companies to be able to innovate. The Access to Capital event was initiated by a number of parties to support starting and fast-growing entrepreneurs from the Digital Health and Security sectors in their search for funding. The event has proven succesful for pitching companies in previous editions of Access to Capital, which is why the organising parties, The Hague Security Delta, InnovationQuarter, Rabobank Regio Den Haag, Value Creation Capital, KPN Ventures, TIIN Capital, and Health Innovation Fund repeated the formula this year.

Pitching organisations and winners

The 12 innovative entrepreneurs pitching their businessplans within the areas of Digital Health and Cybersecurity were hand-picked out of a large pool of registered companies. The winners were selected by a professional jury.

The winner in the category Cybersecurity was HSD Partner Bitsensor

InnovationQUarter-Access-to-Capital-2018-Bitsensor

Chris van ‘t Hof (chairman), Ruben Vreeland (Bitsensor), Johan Stins (InnovationQuarter)

The winner in the category Digital Health was Happitech

InnovationQUarter-Access-to-Capital-2018-Happitech

Willem van den Berg (Value Creation Capital), Yosef Safi Harb (Happitech)

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World leader in gene synthesis GenScript sets up office in Leiden

From left to right: Mr. Duan Pengfei (Invest Relations Manager GenScript), Ms. Adri Bom-Lemstra (Vice Governor Zuid-Holland), Ms. Jeannette Baljeu (Vice Governor Zuid-Holland), Bas Pulles (Deputy Head of Mission), Steven Shen (NFIA Beijing). Signers: Mr. Robin Meng (VP of Invest Relations), Mr. Chris van Voorden (Director Foreign Investments InnovationQuarter).

Signing of confirmation letter

On Sunday the 13th of May, during the economic mission of the province of Zuid-Holland to China, GenScript signed a confirmation letter confirming their establishment at the Leiden Bio Science Park. This was witnessed by two Vice governors of the province of Zuid-Holland, Ms. Baljeu and Ms. Bom-Lemstra, and Mr. Pulles, Deputy Head of Mission of the Dutch Embassy.

Innovative breakthrough immunotherapy

Since its founding in 2002, GenScript has provided services and products to scientists in more than 100 countries worldwide. The company delivers biological research services encompassing gene synthesis and molecular biology, peptide synthesis, custom antibodies, protein expression, antibody and protein engineering, in vitro and in vivo pharmacology. These areas are each essential to modern molecular biological research. To expand GenScript’s products portfolio, Bestzyme (GenScript’s subsidary) completes and matures enzyme production line to serve the broad industrial market. Additionally, Legend Biotech (GenScript’s subsidary) recently has achieved innovative breakthrough for CAR T-Cell Immunotherapy in clinical trial. For more information, visit https://www.genscript.com/.

Valuable addition to Leiden Bio Science Park

GenScript will be a valuable addition to the Leiden Bio Science Cluster. GenScript offers a one-stop service package as to maximize innovation, eliminate the need to search for multiple vendors, and reduce waste. NFIA and InnovationQuarter have had the pleasure of assisting them with information, introductions to service providers as well as introductions to the life science community in Leiden.