Introduction
The Netherlands, known for its rich history in science and innovation, is rapidly becoming a leading player in the biotech industry. This article offers a brief overview of the biotech clusters in the Netherlands and their respective focuses. Please find below the 12 major hubs, in no particular order. For a detailed overview of all companies, see this interactive map.
1. Leiden Bio Science Park (LBSP):
Established in the early 1980s, LBSP is one of the oldest and most prominent biotech parks in the Netherlands. It specializes in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and life sciences, housing over 200 companies. These range from start-ups to multinational corporations. The park employs over 20,000 people in academia and industry, with a significant proportion involved in research and development. The LBSP began as a collaborative effort between Leiden University and the local government to foster biotech research and development. Companies at LBSP specialize in fields like biopharmaceuticals, medical technology, diagnostics, and green biotechnology.
2. Utrecht Science Park:
Utrecht Science park houses the Utrecht University, the University Medical Center Utrecht, and numerous research institutions and companies. It's a hub for medical research and biotech, particularly in therapeutics, diagnostics and organoids. Over 26.000 employees are employed there in both academia and industry and over 150 companies across all sectors. Notable companies include amongst others Genmab, Merus, GenDx, Danone Nutricia, Cergentis and Integrated DNA Technologies.
3. Amsterdam
The life sciences sector in Amsterdam is a bit less clustered and can be found concentrated around Amsterdam Science Park, the two locations of the Amsterdam UMC and next to the Netherlands Cancer Institute in the Health Innovation District. This hub focuses on amongst others cancer research and smart health, in particular AI in combination with healthcare.
There are around 5200 employees in over 100 companies across all sectors, with life sciences companies such as CureVac, VectorY, Inbiome, Scenic Biotech and uniQure
4. High Tech Campus Eindhoven:
Originally this was a Philips research campus and is nowadays primarily known for its high-tech and IT focus. This campus has recently expanded into life sciences, in particular MedTech, with about 20 companies in the fields of bioinformatics and medical technology.
5. Rotterdam Science Tower & Erasmus MC:
This hub, consisting of the Erasmus Medical Centre and the Erasmus Science Tower specializes mainly in medical technology and health sciences with around 20 life science companies.
6. Wageningen University & Research (WUR) Campus:
Renowned for its agricultural and food science research, WUR Campus is a leader in biotech research related to food production, sustainability, and environmental sciences with over 50 life sciences companies.
WUR Campus has a long history in agricultural science. Its pivot to biotech primarily involves biotechnological solutions in food production and environmental conservation, making it unique among Dutch biotech clusters.
7. TU Twente Campus:
Located in Enschede, this campus is known for its strong emphasis on technical and biomedical engineering with around 20 companies in life sciences, mainly in medtech.
8. Maastricht Health Campus - Brightlands:
The Brightlands campus is closely linked with Maastricht University and the Maastricht University Medical Center. The campus is a leader in regenerative medicine and cardiovascular research with around 30 companies in life sciences.
9. Groningen Campus – Healthy Aging Network:
Home to the University of Groningen and the University Medical Center Groningen, this campus has a focus on drug research, aging and clinical development. It specializes in molecular biology and pharmacy with around 30 life science companies such as ICON (previously PRA Health Sciences) and DSM Biologics.
10. Pivot Park, Oss:
This hub was originally an Organon research site and since then Pivot Park has transformed into a vibrant life sciences community with around 30 biotech companies such as Organon itself, Eurofins, MSD Animal Health, BioConnection and Acerta Pharma.
11. TU Delft campus
This campus is mainly focused on tech and engineering but also has a small but significant life sciences presence, mainly in the field of food biotech, medtech and process development. It houses companies such as DSM Food Specialties, Meatable and the TIM company.
12. Noviotech campus Nijmegen
Established in the heart of Nijmegen, Novio Tech Campus is a hub in amongst others the fields of advanced chip design, nanotechnology, molecular diagnostics and health technology. Home to a mix of start-ups, scale-ups and established companies, it forms a cluster of about 75 companies of which around 40 in life sciences. Examples of companies based there are Noviosense, Protinihi Therapeutics, ATRO Medical and Staten Biotechnology.
Conclusion
The Dutch life sciences landscape with its diverse clusters is a vibrant and growing sector offering a wide range of opportunities both in academia and industry. From the medtech prowess of the technical university hubs to the drug development focus of Pivot Park, these hubs collectively contribute to making the Netherlands a very diverse and interesting place to work in life sciences.
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