Life Sciences in the South of the Netherlands

A Highway to Growth and Success

Limburg, the southernmost province of the Netherlands, is well on its way ­towards becoming a major player of European and even of global scale in the field of life sciences.Some of the leading life science institutes of Europe are based in Limburg and the surrounding regions of Liège in Belgium and Aachen in Germany. The prov­ince of Limburg is the operating base of DSM the world’s biggest supplier to the life sciences industry. On both large and smaller scale, the province is a hive of new initiatives, start-up companies and business activity

 All this is not so surprising. Both estab­lished and newly founded companies find in Limburg the perfect breeding ground for their development and sustained growth. This relates to such factors as a stimulating business establishment cli­mate, availability of venture capital and the counselling services that new busi­nesses need to find their way without needless delays. Excellent facilities, from attractive business parks and laborato­ries down to a well-equipped develop­ment incubator which holds great appeal for young talent are available.

 Excellent Links and a Strong Network
Sharing knowledge begins with finding and getting to know each other. That is why nv Industriebank LIOF in Limburg took the initiative to cooperate with Maastricht University and the Province of Limburg in founding an association for companies and institutes active in life sciences. The Life Sciences Limburg As­sociation (LSL), a platform of Life Sci­ences and medical devices companies with more than 150 members stimulates network building, exchange of knowl­edge and generation of ideas. It provides an effective and efficient route to anchor knowledge and convert it into commer­cial success. LSL has excellent contacts with similar platforms in Aachen (Life Tec Aachen-Jülich) and Liège (Bioliège) and is a strong player within the associa­tion known as “Meuse Rhine Triangle, Heartbeat of Life Siences in Europe

Where Science, Education and Trade and Industry Come Together
More than one hundred renowned re­search institutes are based in the cross­border Meuse Rhine Triangle of Maas­tricht, Liège and Aachen. Within a radius of sixty kilometres there are four univer­sities engaged in life sciences (in Maas­tricht, Aachen, Hasselt and Liège) as well as three university hospitals, in Maas­tricht, Liège and Aachen – a major factor where for instance clinical trials are con­cerned.
The Transnational University of Limburg is a joint operation of the Uni­versity of Maastricht and Hasselt, which in the few years since its foundation, at­tracts the largest number of students in life sciences in the Netherlands. Leading research institutes and life science busi­nesses – more than sixty – which are based in Limburg are alive with activities and initiatives in this field. This Eure­gional Triangle has the highest concen­tration of universities and colleges in Eu­rope, located within 30–40 minutes drive from each other. The University of Maas­tricht is the most recently founded uni­versity of the Netherlands and has been rated as the best university in the coun­try in a report by the Dutch Government. Upon its foundation 30 years ago this university adopted the teaching and su­pervision system for which Oxford and Cambridge are renowned. That’s why Maastricht also ranked highest in
The Netherlands with regard to the number of spin-off companies.

Facilities and Busi­ness Parks: Room to Start, Room to Grow
Biopartner Incubator Maastricht is a breed­ing ground (5,200 m2) for new developments. It is an impressive complex of facilities which holds great ap­peal for starters with innovative ideas. Cross-fertilization of knowledge and opti­mum utilization of the available facilities are typical features of the attractive climate of this institute. The “In­cubator” is physically linked to the research facilities in Maastricht and is equipped with laboratories and clean rooms where tests of a scientific nature and clinical trials are car­ried out. Less than one year after its inaugu­ration, the accommodation – the fastest growing development incubator of the Netherlands – already houses dozens of businesses. Plans are in progress to ex­pand this facility by another 5,000 m2 in 2008. Some companies that are hosted are the above mentioned PharmaCell, Nutriscience (Patient trials for food in­gredients), Mubio (vaccines, immunodi­agnostics) Pathofinder (Bacterial and viral multiplex DNA diagnostics), Vita K (Vitamin based products), Nanotox (R&D service for nanoparticles), Synapse (Haematology products), Magnamedics (Controlled release particles), BioMed­booster (IP-broker).

Chemelot: Innovation Community
In 2001 DSM decided to open up its R&D campus to foster innovative research and product developments in cooperation with new companies. In an international research and development climate this site in Geleen offers space for businesses which are looking for office space, high-grade laboratories, advanced analysis equipment and facilities for trial produc­tion. The target group are (high-tech) businesses active in the areas of chemi­cals, biomedical materials and life sci­ences. Chemelot covers an area of 50 hectares of the DSM company prem­ises in Dutch Limburg. Some examples of LS companies at this site are DSM Re­solve (Chemical and physical solutions by analyses), Basic Pharma (Formulation pharmaceuticals), Terreco (Remediation of polluted soil by bio-active materials) and Desol (Nutrional solutions for animal feed).

Avantis Science and Business Park
Avantis Science and Business Park is an attractive and high-quality site in a coun­tryside environment on the border be­tween the Netherlands and Germany. The site (100 hectares), located at a stone’s throw from the University of Aachen, is thus of a combined Dutch and German “nationality”. It is a European pilot project which offers accommoda­tion, either hired or purchased, for exist­ing and newly founded businesses, at fa­vourable terms and conditions.

Heartbeat of Support: Capital and Councelling

LIOF Life Sciences
The area of life sciences constitutes a spearhead of the economic policy pur­sued by the Province of Limburg. Indus­triebank LIOF aims at strengthening and expanding the life sciences sector in Lim­burg and has created a marketing team with participants from trade and indus­try. This team works on development of Limburg’s life sciences profile and stimu­lates new business activity in this area. The LIOF team supports each stage of the business establishment process. LIOF offers not only support in establishing new companies in the region, it can also supply venture capital for high risk new business in the life sciences sector.

Limburg Ventures (LV)
In 2003 LIOF and DSM, together with private investors set up Limburg Ven­tures in order to provide venture capital to incoming life sciences companies. LV is a venture capital fund for businesses which are active in the field of life sci­ences and high-grade materials and want to set up a business in Dutch Limburg. LV focuses on businesses which are past the embryonic stage and is prepared to in­vest up to around € 2 million in a case. In addition to venture capital, DSM also contributes its knowhow and experience in life sciences and high-grade materials. LIOF in turn offers besides venture capi­tal its expertise in start-up of national and international businesses and innova­tive projects.

BioMedbooster: from Inventions and Patents to Business Activity and Money
Scientists invent new medicines and con­ceive ideas for new sophisticated equip­ment. Scientists are entrepreneurial but are not always entrepreneurs. Turning new inventions into a commercial suc­cess is another story. BioMedbooster (BB) has been set up by LIOF, Maastricht Uni­versity and University Hospital Maas­tricht to help scientists to market their ideas. A completely new concept was in­troduced in July 2005. BB is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Province of Limburg. BB scouts are con­tinuously tracing research groups look­ing for new ideas. If there is a slightest change of market potential they will re­port that immediately. A professional team consisting of a businesss develop­ment manager and patent attorney starts to set up a business plan and makes sure that the IP is protected. This is done at BB’s expense. BB is a private limited company, in which the university and the hospital each have a 26 % share, and LIOF takes 48 % for its account. The com­pany should become self supporting and operates as pre-seed venture capitalist. BB has right of first refusal of all inven­tions and ideas of the university and hos­pital. Inventions are turned into solid plans that can be taken to a company for initial negotiations about royalties and patent licencies, or a new spin off com­pany from the institute can be started. If this fails BB will have no income. Agree­ments are in place on how income has to be shared between scientists, institutes and BB.

People, Plans and Passions“
As chairman of Life Sciences Limburg I am convinced that networking is the key element”, says Fred Bollen, manager life sciences at LIOF. “It comes back to peo­ple. That’s why we as LIOF hired COE’s with a track record in life sciences to support us with the creation of new spin offs and the acquisition of companies for settlement in our region. Of particular importance is that the region of the South of the Netherlands (esp. Limburg) is strongly supported by the province of Limburg, and that the province is spear­heading the development of the life sci­ences sector. Due to the many people passionate about our work the number of employees at newly established com­panies in life sciences has grown to more than 250 people since 2002.”