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Slangengif leidt bij toeval tot middel om te dun bloed te laten stollen-980x450

To avoid spontaneous stroke or deep vein thrombosis, currently millions of cardiac patients worldwide daily take synthetic factor Xa anticoagulants, such as apixaban, edoxaban or rivaroxaban.  But there is one major disadvantage. As yet there is no agent to stop the effect of these anticoagulants. This is a significant unmet medical need for the many patients experiencing severe (internal) bleeding or requiring emergency surgery. Today, when a patient requires emergency surgery, doctors have to wait for the medication to clear, because patients may otherwise suffer from severe bleeding. Due to the increasing use of factor Xa inhibitors for anti-coagulation, global demand for a compound such as PseudoXa is growing rapidly.

Snake venom

R&D was performed by one of the world’s leading groups in hemostasis and thrombosis at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), led by professor Pieter Reitsma. For the research group a snake venom protein of the most venomous snake in the world, the Australian brown snake, was their source of inspiration. The responsible protein in the snake venom causes blood to clot, but differs from that of a human being. The researchers subsequently identified the part of the snake’s coagulation protein that was different and applied this to the human version.

Pieter Reitsma, Professor emeritus of Molecular and Experimental Medicine at LUMC and CSO of VarmX explains: “The altered human protein did exactly what it had to do: in the laboratory our researchers observed that the protein did cause the blood to coagulate, but did not react to the blood thinners. In this way the effect of blood thinners is bypassed. This is ideal when a patient who takes blood thinners requires emergency surgery.”
“Innovative research into the properties of this snake’s venom provided the scientific basis for the factor Xa reversal agent. This is exemplary of the translation of basic research into a potential life-saving therapy. ”

VarmX

VarmX has exclusively in-licensed the rights to the compound from the LUMC and will continue to collaborate with the LUMC. In June 2017 VarmX raised capital and initiated the product development of PseudoXa, with the aim to bring this innovative therapy to the market after extensive clinical testing.

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Belgische en Duitse stamcelspecialisten gaan samen-980x450px

Joining forces

Ncardia has secured an additional €4.25M from existing investors, Vesalius Biocapital, SFPI-FPIM and Sambrinvest as a direct result of the merger. Both scientific specialists & business units based in Leiden, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the US are focused on meeting the needs of customers in pharma and biotech sectors and have developed a pipeline of innovative products, services and solutions to position Ncardia as the trusted global leader in hiPSC based cardiac drug discovery & development. Dr. Stefan Braam, Pluriomics co-founder has been appointed CEO while Dr. Heribert Bohlen, Axiogenesis co-founder has been named CSO. Dr. Bernd Fronhoff will become COO.

The combined specialist units will allow our customers to accelerate and improve drug candidate selection, lower costs, and ultimately increase drug development efficiency.

“Establishing Ncardia was a strategic decision” said Stefan Braam CEO. “We are bringing the best of both organisations together – our people, products, services, industry knowledge and expertise to develop and generate more innovative stem cell based products and services to serve our customers at an even higher level than before. Our goal is to be the trusted global leader in the hiPSC drug discovery and development field so that Ncardia is the partner of choice for scientists operating in cardiovascular and neural safety and efficacy projects.”

By joining forces, Ncardia can provide assay solutions in a shorter time-frame which will help to accelerate and improve the discovery & development of efficient and safe drugs. The combined business allows Ncardia to build on over two decades of knowledge, stem cell product R&D and commercialization by Pluriomics and Axiogenesis respectively. It gives Ncardia further opportunities for growth in a rapidly developing marketplace.

Heribert Bohlen CSO added, “Combining the scientific excellence and expertise of Pluriomics and Axiogenesis boosts our R&D capabilities. It allows us to accelerate innovations within the cardiac drug discovery & development areas. He went on to say that “the combined specialist units will allow our customers to accelerate and improve drug candidate selection, lower costs, and ultimately increase drug development efficiency.“

Ncardia has more than 60 employees in Europe and the US. The combined teams will continue to engage with clients to develop and provide customers with a broad portfolio of cardiovascular cell models and services. These services range from disease modelling to cardiovascular drug efficacy screening to cardiac safety assessment and implementing Ncardia’s innovative and proprietary cell types in various screening platforms.

InnovationQuarter invested in Pluriomics, which is a spin-off from Leiden University in 2014

This article appeared first on Business Wire

 

 

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IBM’s Global Location Trends Show Record Year for Inward Investment in the Netherlands

High ranking in IBM Global Location Trends

According to IBM’s annual report Holland’s inward investment increased approximately 10 percent, “Building on the significant momentum and growth seen in the previous three years.” Globally, job creation through foreign direct investments (FDI) also increased 10 percent, reaching its strongest performance in the past decade.

In addition, the Netherlands ranks No. 4 globally by average job value of investment projects. Finally, the Amsterdam-Rotterdam metropolitan area shows consistent growth and is a global top destination for foreign investors. This metropolitan area, the so called ‘Randstad’ includes the cities Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and their surrounding areas. The metro ranks No. 2 by number of projects.

Overall, access to “International markets and leveraging global supply chains are expected to continue to drive foreign investment,” said IBM. Each year the report analyzes the latest trends in corporate location selection, and where companies are locating and expanding their businesses around the world, creating jobs.

Recent investments in Holland

Contributing to growth of investment in the Netherlands are countless multinationals.

Just this summer, data center company Equinix and biofuels producer Renewable Energy Group expanded to Amsterdam. Australian space startup Fleet Space Technologies opened its European headquarters in Delft, Japanese biotech company Human Metabalome Technologies opened an office in the Leiden Bio Science Park and previously American cyber security company Dtex Systems sets up in Europe’s leading security cluster: The Hague Security Delta (HSD). Meanwhile, leading retailers Zalando and Bestseller United, based in Germany and Denmark respectively, joined the FashionTrade wholesale platform in Amsterdam.

In 2016, companies such as Google, Medtronic, Oracle, PVH, Grünenthal’s Innovative Medicines Unit, Carnival, Aegex, Coca-Cola, Danone, Can-Pack, Hikvision, HEAD Aerospace,  and more celebrated expansions and establishments in Holland.

FDI growth driven by manufacturing, logistics and ICT

IBM’s Global Location Trends 2017 reports manufacturing, logistics and ICT leading global foreign direct investment growth. These sectors align with key industries in the Netherlands.

Considered one of the most wired countries in the world, Holland is a hotspot for information and communications technology companies. Global IT companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Interxion, Infosys, Huawei, Oracle, Intel, IBM, Verizon and Google invest in Holland for its unparalleled IT infrastructure.

Additionally, the Netherlands is a hub for foreign-owned logistics and distribution operations. Many multinationals choose Holland as their gateway to Europe to manage supply chain or grow e-commerce operations. Companies in a wide range of industries – from agrifood and life sciences to chemicals, maritime and IT – have also established advanced manufacturing operations in the Netherlands.

IBM’s Global Location Trends Show Record Year for Inward Investment in the Netherlands

Amsterdam/Rotterdam 2nd most attractive region

The Dutch region Amsterdam/Rotterdam (‘Randstad’) is the 2nd most attractive metropolitan region in the world for foreign investments, based on the number of projects. Also this becomes apparent in the IBM Global Location Trends Rapport 2017.

The attractiveness of the Amsterdam/Rotterdam region has increased in comparison to the report from 2016, when the same region was ranked 3rd in the IBM report. According to the IBM report, the Amsterdam/Rotterdam region shows consistent growth and has become a top destination for foreign investors, especially ICT companies.

 

Source / IBM Institute for Business Value / NFIA / Rotterdam Partners

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Hercules Pharmaceuticals ontvangt investering van UNIIQ voor ontwikkeling immuuntherapie tegen kanker

Inhibition of tumor growth

Many cancer patients experience a suppressed immune system. This causes the body to incorrectly detect tumor cells as healthy tissue, resulting in the inability of the body’s natural defence system to attack and destroy these cells. Hercules Pharmaceuticals currently develops a therapeutic that activates the immune system, thereby limiting the growth and metastasis of the cancer cells. This therapy revolves around the inhibition of the Aryl Hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in different forms of cancer in which AhR has a high expression level.

Over the last few years, a number of different therapies, focusing specifically on improving the patient’s immune system, have been introduced into the market. These so-called ‘checkpoint inhibitors’ have had a strong positive effect on patients suffering from a number of difficult-to-treat cancers, such as skin and lung cancer. Using the UNIIQ investment, Hercules Pharmaceuticals will further develop its lead compound and use this compound in a number of mouse models, thereby also exploring the possibilities to use the compound in combination with current therapies. Expectations are that Hercules’ drug can be used as both a standalone therapy and a combination therapy.

This investment from UNIIQ enables us to further prove efficacy and safety of our drug

Further Development

Hercules Pharmaceuticals was founded by Boston University and DDF Ventures and uses the IP and knowhow from inventor and CSO David Sherr. The company is headed by CEO Bart Wuurman, former CEO of, amongst others,  Lanthio Pharma and AM-Pharma. Wuurman: “This investment from UNIIQ enables us to further prove efficacy and safety of our drug. Initially this will be done by using different mouse models, but we have set a clear goal to use this therapeutic in a clinical setting as soon as possible”.

Liduina Hammer: “Immunotherapy has seen a very strong growth and a number of breakthrough developments over the last couple of years, strongly improving the outlook for a large number of patients. Hercules Pharmaceuticals has shown promising results so far in this field and with this this investment UNIIQ will contribute to an important step towards obtaining proof-of-concept with the technology and further growth and development of the company.”

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Human Metabolome Technologies vestigt Europees kantoor in Leiden

Sandra de Wild (NFIA), Henri Lenferink (Mayor of Leiden), Mr. Ryuji Kanno (HMT), Mr. Tsutomu Hoshiba (HMT), Mr. Hiroshi Inomata (Ambassador of Japan), Lissa Culbertson Boxy (InnovationQuarter).

Hotspot for life sciences

Human Metabolome Technologies (HMT) has selected Leiden for three distinct reasons. First of all, the Netherlands has a strategic location in the centre of Europe which gives HMT a logistical advantage when receiving samples from clients in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Additionally, the Leiden Bio Science Park which includes the Leiden University, the Leiden University Medical Centre and the dynamic cluster of pharmaceutical and biotech companies make up a great transitional research environment in which HMT can thrive.

Lastly but also important for the company and their Japanese culture, Leiden is the location where Philipp Franz von Siebold settled after leaving Japan. He was the first European physician to introduce Western medicine to Japan during the Sakoku era. This was an era of national isolation so the Japanese have a great admiration for Dr. Siebold and his work.

Tsutomu Hoshiba: “InnovationQuarter and NFIA have provided excellent support for the setup of our European office in beautiful and friendly Leiden. Their timely and pinpoint guidance made for an easy entry and now we are ready for business. Because of the InnovationQuarter staff diligence, our success is almost guaranteed.”

Human Metabolome Technologies vestigt Europees kantoor in Leiden

Henri Lenferink (Mayor of Leiden), Mr. Ryuji Kanno (HMT), Mr. Tsutomu Hoshiba (HMT), Mr. Hiroshi Inomata (Ambassador of Japan).

Metabolomic analysis

Human Metabolome Technologies (HMT) was founded in 2003 using a unique technology for metabolomic analysis. In 2013, HMT established their first overseas office in Boston, MA where they have expanded their business to around 100 projects in North America. HMT’s primary business aims to provide complete solutions for metabolome analysis in drug design, diagnostic technology, and food production, using a wide range of targets including human and animal samples. HMT is now ready to build on this success by opening this new office in the Netherlands so they can expand their reach and provide services to the European research community.

Established in Leiden

InnovationQuarter, the Leiden Bio Science Park foundation and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) offices in Boston, Japan and The Hague have provided information and assistance in setting up the office in Leiden and introductions in to the Life Science & Health business network in the region.

Mayor of Leiden Henri Lenferink: “We are pleased that HMT has chosen the Leiden Bio Science Park as the location for their European office. With their advanced metabolomic analysis technology, HMT will be a valuable addition to the Leiden life science cluster. And we are proud to have another strong tie to our long and warm relationship with Japan”.

“We are delighted with the establishment of HMT’s European office in our region,” says Chris van Voorden, Director Foreign Investments at InnovationQuarter.

Our team will continue to support HMT as they grow their European business and are excited to assist them in exploring possibilities for collaboration with regional partners and businesses.

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VarmX onvangt seed capital investering voor de ontwikkeling van gemodificeerd bloedstollingsfactor X-002-848x386

To avoid spontaneous stroke or vein thrombosis, currently millions of patients in the US routinely take factor Xa inhibitors, also called direct oral anti-coagulants (DOACs), such as apixaban, edoxaban or rivaroxaban.  There is a significant unmet medical need, as no effective treatment is available for patients experiencing severe (internal) bleeding or requiring emergency surgery.  Due to the increasing use of factor Xa inhibitors for anti-coagulation, the global market for this compound is growing rapidly.

Investors

With their investments, BGV and InnovationQuarter enable the company to speed up the development of the compound, particularly setting up the manufacturing process. Previously VarmX received a pre-seed investment from Leiden University and UNIIQ, the early-stage proof-of-concept investment fund for the Province of Zuid-Holland.

Pieter Reitsma, Professor emeritus of Molecular and Experimental Medicine at LUMC and CSO of VarmX explains: “Innovative research into the properties of a snake venom provided the scientific basis for the factor Xa reversal agent. This is exemplary of the translation of basic research into a potential life-saving therapy.”

This is exemplary of the translation of basic research into a potential life-saving therapy

VarmX onvangt seed capital investering voor de ontwikkeling van gemodificeerd bloedstollingsfactor X-001848x386

Francis Quint, Head InnovationQuarter Capital, states: “We are very pleased to invest in a LUMC spin off taking a promising research program conducted in Leiden onto the global stage of pharmaceutical development.”

“We believe the product is based on very elegant science in an area of significant and growing unmet need: unstoppable bleeding in an increasing patient population.  It fits very well with our funds’ focus on truly innovative products that have the potential to positively impact patient care” comments Oskar Slotboom, partner at BGV and chairman of VarmX.

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The Netherlands Ranks No. 3 on the Global Innovation Index 2017

Global Innovation Index

Each year, the Global Innovation Index (GII) surveys some 130 economies using dozens of metrics that provide a high-level look at innovative activity. Its 81 indicators explore political environment, education, infrastructure and business sophistication. The GII is co-authored by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and French graduate business school INSEAD.

“Innovation is the engine of economic growth in an increasingly knowledge-based global economy, but more investment is needed to help boost human creativity and economic output,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “Innovation can help transform the current economic upswing into longer-term growth.”

Innovative Leader in Europe and Globally

Holland is one of 15 European countries among the top 25 global economies on the GII. A press release from WIPO notes, “Europe is particularly strong in human capital and research, infrastructure, business sophistication.”

In addition to ranking No. 3 overall on the GII, the Netherlands ranks first in the following categories: business sophistication, knowledge absorption, intellectual property payments, ICT services imports, and FDI net outflows.

Furthermore, Holland has strengths in human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, and knowledge, technology and creative outputs, indicated the GII.

High Marks in Innovation

Besides ranking highly on the GII, the Netherlands leads other indexes such as the European Innovation Scoreboard and has innovation hubs across the country.

 

Source / InvestinHolland /WIPO

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Een zachte landing voor VSParticle in de California Bay Area

A ‘deep dive’ into the network

VSParticle, a spin-off of TU Delft, is currently in the San Francisco Bay Area on a visit to CITRIS, an institute affiliated with the University of California. CITRIS is headquartered on the UC Berkeley campus and has bases in other locations.

The Soft Landing Program has put VSParticle in touch with top scientists in the field of Life Sciences & Health, Sensors and Microelectronics. A demonstration of VSParticle’s ground-breaking innovation at the world-renowned Marvell Nanolab is an important part of the Program.

In addition to forging valuable links in the University of California ecosystem, VSParticle is also using the Soft Landing Program to establish and follow up useful contacts that can help the company move forward in entering the US market.

Vincent Laban, CFO of VSParticle: “The Soft Landing Program has brought us in contact with the best researchers in nanotechnology and is helping us discover what issues they face and how our technology can make a difference. It will help us sharpen our business case and entry strategy for this market.”

Soft Landing Program with Digital Health Bootcamp 2018

Through the Soft Landing Program, InnovationQuarter and its partners provide a platform to companies that are serious about expanding in the US and want to test the ‘market fit’ of their product. The Program is low threshold, offers a lot of customization and gives companies the opportunity to follow up favorable contacts as well as develop and test a market-entry strategy.

The current program round has now ended. We will kick off the next round in November this year, and this will run until March 2018. This year’s edition will be preceded by a Digital Health Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, which is aimed at companies wishing to develop and fine-tune their US strategy. The Bootcamp is a potential springboard for the Soft Landing Program, but it will also be expressly open to entrepreneurs that are still exploring market opportunities in the US.

A soft landing for VSParticle in the California Bay Area

About VSParticle

VSParticle helps researchers and industrial parties create new materials from nanoparticles, with applications in Life Sciences & Health, Catalysts and Microelectronics. The TU Delft spin-off develops nanoparticle generators and sample preparation systems designed to make particles ranging in size from single atoms to 20 nm in diameter. VSParticle systems make it possible to perform rapid iterations in material research and reduce costs and waste streams in industrial applications. VSParticle is part of the YES!Delft incubation program in Delft.

Would you like to know more?

More information about the current Soft Landing Program can be found on: siliconvalley.hub2hub.biz.

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TU Delft Research Exhibition

Due to TU Delft’s 175th anniversary this year, a total number of 175 projects were on display, giving visitors a taste of all the cutting-edge research and technology that is being developed in Delft. Research projects of all sorts, in a broad range of industries and phases were on display in stands all throughout the university library, with experts and researchers to answer any questions that visitors had.

Eric Smetink (KPN):

Good to see what is going on in this university. I think it is much more geared to finding solutions for real life problems and it also sparks creativity

The TU Delft Research Exhibition was a showcase of innovative ideas and projects, and was also very much about connecting university research with external partners. With more than 1800 visitors from over 400 different organizations, it was a very succesfull event.

Workshop

On the first day of the event, InnovationQuarter and the TU Delft Valorization Team jointly organized a workshop for international companies that had already shown interest in exploring possible cooperation with TU Delft. Antal Baggerman (TU Delft) and Rinke Zonneveld (InnovationQuarter) gave a presentation on the strengths of TU Delft and the West Holland region as a whole.

This side event drew about 20 attendees, mostly high-level officials from American and Asian multinationals that have been present in the Dutch market for a while. After the presentations, the attendees were split up into smaller groups for a personal tour at the exhibition, to visit research projects that might have a link with the activities of their company.

We thank all the participants. We look forward to staying in touch and working together in the near future!

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In 2015, a preliminary inter-laboratory validation study already indicated an excellent transferability and reproducibility. Now, in a large international validation study, together with seven expert laboratories, Toxys is determined to confirm the outstanding performance and added value of the ToxTracker assay. The validation study is initiated in parallel to the recent  initiatives towards the European Center for Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and should contribute to regulatory acceptance of the ToxTracker assay.

About the study

The consortium of consists of 7 multinational corporations in the field of health care and consumer products, the pharmaceutical industry and international CRO’s with additional support provided by several experts in the field of genotoxicity and cancer hazard assessment. In accordance with the OECD guidance document on the validation of new test methods, the ToxTracker assay will be installed in each of the participating laboratories. After a technical training , each lab will independently test a significant selection chemicals for their hazardous and genotoxic properties.

The results from the participating labs will use to determine the transferability, intra- and interlab reproducibility. The outcomes from this international study will be published at the end of the project. Giel Hendriks:

We are very proud to bring together such a strong consortium with key opinion leaders in our field and demonstrate the reproducibility and predictive capacity of our ToxTracker assay in this extended study.

About ToxTracker

ToxTracker is an unique, stem cell-based reporter assay for genotoxicity and cancer hazard assessment, that combines multiple biomarkers to get mechanistic insight into the of action of genotoxic compounds. A major advantage of ToxTracker is that it not only includes markers for induction of DNA damage, but also reporters for a non-genotoxic mode-of-action like oxidative stress and protein damage. All these types of cellular damage have been associated with increased cancer risk.

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Zuid-Hollandse ondernemers geven visitekaartje af tijdens missie in Zuid-Duitsland

Economic mission to southern Germany

The trip was in line with the aspirations of InnovationQuarter and its partners to strengthen ties between West Holland and southern Germany. The large turnout of both Dutch and German companies at the different events demonstrated great mutual interest. As a result, in the coming years InnovationQuarter aims to organise regular internationalisation activities focused on the technology clusters in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

Zuid-Hollandse ondernemers geven visitekaartje af tijdens missie in Zuid-Duitsland

Personalised medicine

In collaboration with local partner organisations Bio-M and Bioregio STERN and supported by NBSO Stuttgart, mini-conferences were held in Munich and Stuttgart. These gatherings offered a mix of short substantive contributions, pitches and one-on-one matchmaking discussions. In Stuttgart, for example, Carin Huibers (global platform leader parenterals at Janssen Biologics in Leiden) shared her vision of international developments in the biopharmaceutical industry, and a carefully prepared matchmaking event for all delegates and potential German business partners also took place.

The matchmaking event in Stuttgart received special praise. According to Arie Baak of Euretos, “It exceeded our expectations.” If you would like to find out why Dutch and Germans businesses get along so well in the biotechnology field, you can listen to the podcast (in Dutch) on Duitslandnieuws.nl.

Zuid-Hollandse ondernemers geven visitekaartje af tijdens missie in Zuid-Duitsland

Cyber security – ‘solutions for Industry 4.0 and corporates’

Cyber security is a hot topic in Germany. In light of German investment in Industry 4.0 and the associated rise in the digitalisation of manufacturing, cyber security solutions are becoming increasingly relevant. Traditional manufacturing companies, however, do not possess the necessary expertise themselves to implement these solutions.

Delegates interested in the theme ‘cyber security, solutions for Industry 4.0 [German smart industry, ed.] and corporates’ took part in a special theme-based programme aimed at generating exposure for Dutch developers and suppliers of cyber security solutions in this area. Individual companies were given ample opportunity to promote themselves and engage in one-on-one discussions with potential partners. Jorrit van der Walle, CEO of Audittrail, participated in this programme and said:

Thanks to InnovationQuarter’s cyber security mission, I have gained many new insights into the southern German market.

The programme also afforded German participants and members of the delegation the chance to put forward various important points. For example, Evert Driehuis of Securelink in Sliedrecht (one of the leading cyber security companies in Europe) made a valuable contribution, as did Ruben van Vreeland of BitSensor (a promising startup in Eindhoven) and Professor Pieter van Gelder of Delft University of Technology and the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) Centre for Safety & Security.

To provide insight into what Dutch cyber security entrepreneurs are looking for in Germany, Duitslandnieuws.nl has published an article featuring interviews (in Dutch) with participants from three companies that were involved in the two-day mission: Software Improvement Group (SIG) in Amsterdam, Compumatica in Uden and Onegini in Woerden. These security companies are also affiliated with The Hague Security Delta (HSD), Europe’s leading security cluster.

Germany places high value on safe browsing online, but why is it lagging in this area? Dutch and German participants offer their opinions in this podcast (in Dutch) on Duitslandnieuws.nl. You can also read the SecureLink report (in Dutch) for more information.

Zuid-Hollandse ondernemers geven visitekaartje af tijdens missie in Zuid-Duitsland

Economische Programmaraad Zuidvleugel (EPZ)

Companies that took part in the mission were accompanied by a strong delegation from EPZ, the regional economic board. Under the leadership of Ab van der Touw (CEO of Siemens Nederland) and Adri Bom-Lemstra (member of the South Holland Provincial Executive), EPZ delegates participated in a specific programme that focused on knowledge sharing, cooperation and strengthening ties with important existing and potential partners in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

Over the two-day period, the delegation visited various companies and organisations, including Siemens, the Technical University of Munich and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Munich and Upper Bavaria. Delegates also spent time at Bayern Innovativ, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Bavaria and the Ministry of Economic Affairs for Baden-Württemberg and Fraunhofer. Representatives of these companies and organisations met with the delegation to discuss topics that included public-private cooperation in science, innovation and professional education. These representatives also made considerable contributions to the two main business programmes.

A series of events was jointly launched at the invitation of Ab van der Touw: workshops at the Siemens head office in Munich, a lecture by Carin Huibers during the personalised medicine event in Stuttgart and the King’s Day reception at the Netherlands Consulate in Munich, sponsored by EPZ. This traditional networking reception was attended by more than 500 Dutch and German visitors from Munich and the surrounding area and generated valuable exposure for the West Holland region, the businesses taking part in the mission and the Netherlands as a whole.

You can read more about the mission on Ron Bormans’ blog (in Dutch) (Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences) ‘Kein jugendlicher ohne Talent’ (No Youth Without Talent), a theme-based visit to southern Germany to share information with businesses and higher education about Industry 4.0 and what it means for educating young people.

Peter Vermeij, Nederlandse Consul-Generaal in München, opent Koningsdagviering op Schloss Nymphenburg

Peter Vermeij, Dutch Consul-General in München, opens celebration King’s Day at Schloss Nymphenburg

The mission received invaluable support from various partners

As InnovationQuarter received invaluable support from many partners in organising this mission, we would like to express our gratitude to the following.

  • The Dutch support network in southern Germany: the Netherlands Business Support Offices (NBSO) in Stuttgart and Frankfurt as well as the Netherlands Consulate in Munich.
  • Enterprise Europe Network (Chamber of Commerce of The Hague and Bayern Innovativ) for matchmaking.
  • The German cluster organisations Sicherheitsnetzwerk München, Bio-M, Baden-Württemberg International, BW-Connectec and Bioregio STERN for their extensive preparation and for inviting German counterparts to meet with our delegation.
  • The Hague Security Delta and Medical Delta for creating appropriate buzz across Dutch networks.
  • The City of The Hague for sponsoring the King’s Day event in Stuttgart.
  • EPZ for sponsoring the King’s Day event in Munich and for accompanying the business delegations.
  • The Hague Marketing for bringing a touch of ‘The Hague’ to the King’s Day reception in Munich.
  • Tothem, our PR & Media partner for this trip.
  • Our regional partners Oost NV and BOM as well as Amsterdam Trade and Rotterdam Partners for promoting the mission within their networks.

Peter Vermeij, Nederlandse Consul-Generaal in München, opent Koningsdagviering op Schloss Nymphenburg

Upcoming events and plans

In keeping with its internationalisation programme, InnovationQuarter aims to strengthen economic ties with various key regions abroad. Together with its regional and national partner organisations, InnovationQuarter will focus intensively on economic missions, trade fairs, technology roadshows and soft landing programmes in the coming years.

A number of activities related to the broader context of the recent mission to southern Germany are scheduled for the coming weeks and include the following.

  • From 20 to 22 June, a business trip to MT-Connect in Nuremberg. This international trade fair is aimed at manufacturers, suppliers and R&D organisations in the medical technology industry. The lead partner for this event is Brabant Development Agency (BOM), and this year’s theme is ‘Digitalisation of Healthcare’.
  • From 26 to 29 June, the Digital Health & Smart Devices business trip to the UK. This trip is being organised in association with Health + Care, the UK’s largest integrated healthcare event. Our colleagues from East Netherlands Development Agency (Oost NV) are to act as lead partner for this event with InnovationQuarter providing support.
  • From 13 to 16 November, participation in the pavilion and/or the business trip to Medica, the largest medical technology trade fair in the world, to be held in Düsseldorf. Taskforce Health Care and our colleagues at Oost NV will soon provide additional information about this event.
  • A visit to one of Germany’s largest cyber security exhibitions, the IT-SA, which is becoming increasingly global in its outlook. More information is available from NBSO Frankfurt.
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Above European average

Holland ranks above the European average in all five DESI categories. The country is particularly a leader in fixed broadband, with fast broadband access available to practically every Dutch household. The Dutch are also very well-connected in terms of number of citizens using the internet and their range of online activities. The Digital Economy and Society Index also notes progress in business digitization, ranking sixth in integration of digital technology. In digital public services, the Netherlands ranks third in the EU.

Information technology hotspot

As the most connected country in Europe, the Netherlands is a hub for leading information and communications technology companies. In fact, 60 percent of all Forbes 2000 companies active in the IT industry have already established operations in Holland.

Global IT companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Intel, IBM, Verizon and Google have operations in Holland. Businesses such as these take advantage of the country’s unparalleled digital infrastructure and tech-savvy, English-speaking workforce.

For the full annual report from the European Commission that identifies the Dutch as leaders in digital progress, please visit www.ec.europa.eu for more.

Bron: InvestinHolland.com / EC.Europa.eu
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Brexit seminar

During this seminar, several experts shared their views on important aspects of Brexit. Jeroen Nijland (NFIA) and Jurriaan Kalf (Rabobank) elaborated about its impact on the economy and more specifically foreign direct investment.

Wilco Heiwegen (evofenedex) spoke about the possible impact for importing and exporting companies and how the Brexit will affect international trade and Liam McCloy (FleishmanHillard Fishburn) gave his expert view on the UK politics and the different perspectives on both sides of the pond. Last but not least, Rem Korteweg (Clingendael) gave a remarkable overview of the complexity of the upcoming negotiations and the pitfalls that might be ahead.

Brexit - how does it affect your business - Liam McCloy - CIC Rotterdam 760x680

Liam McCloy, FleishmanHillard Fishburn (part of Omnicom PR Group) at CIC Rotterdam

Program

  • 15:00 – 15:15 hrs Reception at 7th floor
  • 15:15 – 15:20 hrs Welcome by Chris van Voorden (InnovationQuarter) and René Hanssen (Rotterdam Partners)
  • 15:20 – 15:30 hrs Opening by Jeroen Nijland (Commissioner of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency – NFIA) ‘Brexit and its relation to FDI in The Netherlands’
  • 15:30 – 15:50 hrs Presentation by Jurriaan Kalf (Country Risk Analysist, Rabobank)
    ‘Investing in Europe after Brexit’
  • 15:50 – 16:10 hrs Presentation by Wilco Heiwegen (Trade Advisor – evofenedex)
    ‘Brexit: impact on trade and logistics’
  • 16:10 – 16:30 hrs Presentation by Liam McCloy (Public Affairs Expert – FleishmanHillard Fishburn) ‘Politics of Brexit and how organisations deal with its impact’
  • 16:30 – 16:50 hrs Presentation by Rem Korteweg (Senior Research Fellow at Clingendael)
    ‘The pittfalls in the Brexit talks’
  • 16:50 – 17:15 hrs Panel Discussion (+ Q&A)
  • 17:15 hrs Networking opportunity at Venture Café Rotterdam’s weekly gathering

Need assistance?

We hereby would like to thank all the speakers and attendees for an interesting afternoon, and CIC Rotterdam for the great venue and networking opportuniy at Venture Café Rotterdam. If you missed the event, but would like to learn more, feel free to reach out!

Terug naar overzicht

InnovationQuarter has operated as the regional development agency for West Holland since January 1st of 2014. Thanks to cooperation between the national government, the province, all major cities in the West Holland region, the universities and the university medical centres, InnovationQuarter is a unique initiative within the Netherlands.

Working together towards a strong region

Together with various companies, knowledge institutions, cluster organisations, incubators, investors and governments, InnovationQuarter works to strengthen West Holland’s position as one of Europe’s top economic regions. The agency focuses on cooperation between innovative enterprises, cross-pollination between the strong regional clusters, the targeted attraction of foreign companies and financing innovative and fast growing entrepreneurs.

InnovationQuarter exceeded its ambitious objectives for 2016 in all these areas.

  • InnovationQuarter Business Development achieved 16 partnerships between innovative entrepreneurs with an investment volume of € 16 million. In addition, 46 partnerships were stimulated and a further 52 were explored. InnovationQuarter worked with several hundred companies on these partnerships. These were often trend-setting, cross-sectoral projects focusing on the transition to the ‘next economy’.
  • InnovationQuarter Foreign Investments helped 36 foreign companies to establish themselves, move to or expand in the region. Within three years, these enterprises expect to create 730 additional jobs in West Holland and invest an extra € 95.7 million. Since InnovationQuarter started out in 2014, the number of foreign companies which landed in West Holland has increased by no less than 55%.
  • InnovationQuarter Capital invested in 11 companies during 2016, while the UNIIQ fund financed 8 companies. As a result of these investments, the amount of additional capital attracted to the region was € 27.2 million. InnovationQuarter is expected to have been one of the three most active investors in the Netherlands in 2016. The companies in the agency’s portfolio expect to create 241 extra jobs over the next three years. An exit was achieved on the investment in IQMessenger in 2016.
TerugblIQ - InnovationQuarter 2016 Annual Report

InnovationQuarter shareholders receive the first copy of TerugblIQ, the InnovationQuarter 2016 Annual Report © Daniel Verkijk

 

As well as creating projects, new jobs and investments, InnovationQuarter generates added value by playing a connecting role within the innovative ecosystem and by putting the region on the map as an innovative hotspot. The agency also serves as the link between the ‘top sector policy’ of the national government and the regional business community. “Through the comprehensive execution of our core tasks, which includes drawing on our extensive knowledge and networks, we create added value as a regional development agency,” explains InnovationQuarter Director Rinke Zonneveld. “This means we are more than a connector and a catalyst, more than an acquisition organisation and more than an investor.”

Contributing to the Next Economy

InnovationQuarter’s annual report gives a voice to innovative entrepreneurs who help address challenges in fields such as healthcare, security and energy. Rinke Zonneveld: “In light of our ambition to tackle important social issues, these are the entrepreneurs we like to help.” They offer solutions that are often at the interface of sectors and technologies, which is why InnovationQuarter focuses on cross-sectoral collaboration. “This enables us to bring the ‘next economy’ closer in our region,” explains Zonneveld.

TerugblIQ – Annual Report

Curious about our results? See the InnovationQuarter Annual Report 2016 online below (in Dutch).