Chapter 3 Partnerships

Public-Private
Partnerships

The Dutch have a long history of collaboration. Their fight against water is the prime example. This has resulted in innovative and smart solutions, for instance the famous dikes. In the field of life sciences & health, the Netherlands has also acquired a leading position. Dutch public-private partnerships (PPPs) receive worldwide acclaim, especially in the areas of oncology, medical technology, biobanks and vaccines. The leading factor within the PPPs is the collaboration between patients, researchers, entrepreneurs and the government.

Public-private partner-
ships R&D Projects

By funding multidisciplinary public-private partnerships, the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH) aims to facilitate innovation. The R&D projects are one of the instruments to realise the Top Sector’s mission: vital citizens in a healthy economy. There are currently more than 400 PPPs of varying shapes and sizes in the Dutch LSH sector. Most of them have a project-based approach to make a significant contribution to R&D. Short summaries of these R&D projects can be found on the project page of this website.

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Strategic public-
private partnerships

There are also some strategic, thematic, long-term collaborations that strive for innovative moonshots within large, national consortia. Top Sector LSH refers to these consortia as “strategic public-private partnerships” and supports them on the basis of their societal relevance, scientific quality and economic potential. At present, Top Sector is in contact with around 30 of these strategic PPPs. Here we give an overview of several of these strategic PPPs.

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Strategic public-private
partnerships

Strategic Partnerships

The Top Sector LSH stimulates, facilitates and finances a variety of PPPs to realise its overarching motto “vital citizen in a healthy economy”. There are about 30 strategic, thematic, long-term collaborations that strive for innovative moonshots within large, national consortia. Top Sector LSH refers to these consortia as “strategic public-private partnerships (PPPs)”. Based on their societal relevance, scientific quality and economic potential, Top Sector LSH will support and facilitate these strategic PPPs via specialised information sessions and matchmaking meetings to enable maximal knowledge exchange.

National strategic public-private partnerships (PPPs) achieved great things during 2019. First of all, PPP Microplastics & Health kicked off in March as the national consortium focused on health effects of small plastic particles. Fifteen projects were granted to investigate how these effects can be limited. At the end of 2019, PPPs RegMed XB and the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance were together awarded 8 million euros for a new valorisation platform.

Overview of strategic PPPs

An HIV-free world: a dream or near future?

Worldwide there are 37 million people living with HIV. In our ideal world HIV would not exist anymore, but unfortunately a cure is not yet available. Aidsfonds and Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (Health~Holland) have decided to partner up and call on you to help us find the cure. We believe that together we can reach an HIV cure!

The two organisations are facilitating collaborations between companies and research institutions. On the evening of the International AIDS conference AIDS2018 in July, they invited public-private parties to apply for the Public-private Partnership Call for HIV-Cure. With this call, two million euros was made available for innovative scientific research into cures for HIV. It is important to find a cure as only then the burden that these patients endure will be enlightened.

Cancer research boosted
by awarding eight projects

In November 2019, the Programme Technology for Oncology II awarded eight projects funding. These projects can start working on technical innovations for the prevention, diagnosis and better treatment of cancer. The Dutch Cancer Society, NWO and the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH; Health~Holland) made an investment of € 5.4 million in the projects. The organisations and private parties involved in these projects are investing more than €1.5 million euros.

NWO Domain Applied and Engineering Sciences, the Dutch Cancer Society and the Top Sector LSH organised the first Programme “Technology for Oncology” in 2015. The success of the first Programme, resulted in the second Programme “Technology for Oncology II”. The aim of the projects is to bring together researchers from technology and oncology in their joint fight against cancer.

Seven projects awarded in Organ-on-Chip technology

The Organ-on-Chip Showcases Call awarded seven projects a grant from the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH; Health~Holland) in July 2019. By investing €2.76 million in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Allowance, the Top Sector wants to stimulate the development of early phase Organ-on-Chip technology.

The seven awarded projects have joined forces with a total of eight companies, seven unique knowledge institutions and one foundation. They target a broad field of Organ-on-Chip technologies, including the heart, brain, eye and blood vessels. The Organ-on-Chip projects are promising for the animal-free testing of new drug treatments in the future. The Animal-free Innovation Transition Programme supports this initiative.

€2.76
million

was invested in
Public-Private
Partnership (PPP)
Allowance

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