On Wednesday, April 21, a subsidy of 2.1 million Euros is to be officially handed over to the Open Diagnostics Ecosystem, a project from the LIFE Cooperative. The official handover of the subsidy was done by provincial Deputy IJzebrand Rijzebol (on behalf of SNN) and Monique Koolman (on behalf of the gemeente Groningen), to Ton Vries (Director, Open Diagnostics). The idea behind Open Diagnostics is to make the Northern Netherlands a global expert for the development of innovative diagnostics equipment and techniques. The Northern Netherlands has all the pre-requisites needed to become a world leader in this field: medical and technical knowledge from a range of institutions and businesses, care partners and world-class facilities. Open Diagnostics is intended to support anyone that has an ambitious idea for new diagnostic technology or techniques.
The European subsidy that will be used to support Open Diagnostics has been made possible thanks to the Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN) and the municipality of Groningen.
“Throughout the province, the cities in this region and SNN, we are working to stimulate the economic and innovative ecosystem. We have high expectations for the Open Diagnostics Ecosystem as the diver for the development of new innovations in the North of the Netherlands. I’m pleased to be able to hand over this subsidy and wish the LIFE Cooperative all success with the development of this project” says Deputy Rijzebol of the Province of Groningen.
Putting diagnostics on the map
Together with the businesses at the LIFE Cooperative, partners, and the Campus Groningen network the LIFE Cooperative has been working on innovative projects involving diagnostics for several years. With the start of the Open Diagnostics Ecosystem, it is hoped that research, knowledge sharing, and production will all be stimulated. The goal is to develop diagnostics so that they become an important part of identifying healthy cells, but also the early detection of illness.
The Open Diagnostics Ecosystem is not the first project stimulated by the cooperative; a cluster of around 40 life science and medical technology companies. Former projects have included a portal and funds for medicine development, and an accelerator for innovations in medical technology. Now, diagnostics is being put on the map.
“We can only achieve this with ambition, a wish to work collaboratively, and joint projects to begin and develop. Together we are more innovative, and we can achieve lots of things - thanks to the unique infrastructure that we have worked on. We’re incredibly proud of our achievements so far”, says Ton Vries (Director, Open Diagnostics and board member of the LIFE Cooperative).
"Together we are more innovative, and we can achieve lots of things - thanks to the unique infrastructure that we have worked on. We’re incredibly proud of our achievements so far"
Start of the first project
Now that the subsidy has been handed over via the SNN and gemeente Groningen, the Open Diagnostics project has officially started. The first project will be the development of a new diagnostic tool, together with the company Detact Diagnostics. Detact have created a new bacterial detection platform that is innovative, specific, and quick. It lends itself well to application in the areas of healthcare and nutrition. “Thanks to the Open Diagnostics Ecosystem we hope to speed up our own research and development, and then make better use of all the knowledge that our region has to offer”, says Wouter van Gammeren, CFO at Detact Diagnostics.
Photo from left to right: Hedi Koning, Matthew Burton, Ton Vries, Wouter van Gammeren. Photographer: Niels Cornelis Meijer
The LIFE Cooperative was begun in 2015 with the clear goals to make life sciences and medical technology in the Northern Netherlands more sustainable, to strengthen the overall ecosystem for development, and to help the sector grow by between twenty and thirty percent in the coming years. The LIFE Cooperative develops efficient solutions for international challenges. Together they develop research and development projects that result in smart innovations, for example in the production of medical products, 3D-imaging and biomarkers, diagnostics, and medicines. The LIFE Cooperative has helped grow around 40 businesses and startups in the North, with around 4,000 FTE jobs represented and an economic contribution of over 400 million.
The SNN is a partnership for the three Northern Provinces that works to stimulate, facilitate and connects people, ideas, and ambitions that can help provide a contribution to the development of the Northern Netherlands. This is done by providing subsidies, lobbying for the North in both the Hague and Brussels, and bringing together Northern businesses, the government, and (knowledge) institutions. The Open Innovative Call subsidy is an invitation for businesses and knowledge institutions to work together to create a good climate for innovation.
