Integrated Life Sciences Innovation

Get in touch with the Dutch and experience the advantages of the Netherlands' cooperation model for your business acceleration:

• Access to science & technology ranked in top 5 worldwide
• Highly connected science & industry cluster
• Productive & open business climate

Introduction

The Netherlands has a vibrant, tightly knit life sciences industry. It boasts high per capita R&D output and expertise in the areas of cancer research, infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, (pre)clinical research and medical imaging in preventive healthcare. Innovation and valorization are easy in the country's dense network of world-class research institutes, universities, private sector companies, and clinical research organizations. The Dutch government is particularly keen to support the industry's ongoing growth by supporting a number of crucial public-private partnerships.

Numerous foreign life science companies have established offices in the Netherlands, including Amgen, Centocor, Genzyme, MedimmunePharma, New Brunswick Scientific, Ocimum Biosolutions, OMRON Healthcare and VisualSonics. Foreign investors can avail tax incentives related to R&D wage costs and subsidies for technological partnerships with Dutch parties.

Build, Bundle and Benefit 
In 2008, the Life Sciences and Health innovation program was launched in the Netherlands. The program acts as an umbrella with three pillars i.e. Top Institute Pharma, Center for Translational Molecular Medicine and Biomedical Materials Program. Driven by industry and empowered by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, this will inject €1 billion into some 100 separate projects over the 2008-2012 period. Combined, they will aim to double the industry's turnover, and the number of R&D oriented companies and products. The program, the joint work of all the industry's key players, aims to smooth the path to valorization, by increasing access to funding, encourage international cooperation and improve the overall valorization climate.