In the coming months, two new projects will kick off within the Human Capital Growth program line of PharmaNL. These are the projects 'Early Drug Discovery Education Track' and 'Groningen Human Capital for Life Sciences'. These two new projects specifically focus on developing flexible post-HBO and post-academic lifelong learning education that aligns with developments in the pharmaceutical sector.
Ton Vries, board member at PharmaNL, stated: "The board of PharmaNL is pleased with the first subsidy grants in the Human Capital Growth program line. With these subsidies, the approved applications can take concrete steps to develop new and improved forms of education in the life sciences & health sector. And this is sorely needed by the sector: without qualified employees, the undeniable growth of the sector cannot be realized. From the board, we congratulate the applications 'Early Drug Discovery Education Track' from the Nijmegen/Oss region and 'Groningen Human Capital for Life Sciences' and wish them success in these promising projects."
"With these subsidies, the approved applications can take concrete steps to develop new and improved forms of education in the life sciences & health sector. And this is sorely needed by the sector: without qualified employees, the undeniable growth of the sector cannot be realized."
Objective of the subsidy round
The PharmaNL Human Capital subsidy round 2023-1 is the first round within the PharmaNL Human Capital Growth (HCG) program line. This program line aims to further strengthen the pharmaceutical value chain. Implementing a coherent program that enriches the current pharmaceutical education offerings and, where possible, provides them with international appeal and attractiveness, is central to this. The goal of the round was therefore to create additional training or education opportunities that align with existing training or education programs.
The projects will contribute, among other things, to the establishment of a suitable offer of lifelong learning, encouraging professionals in the pharmaceutical sector to further develop themselves and remain active in the sector.
Ready to go
Representatives of both approved projects are very pleased with the grants. "We are eager to start the Groningen Human Capital for Life Sciences project and develop modules that professionals and companies directly benefit from to maintain and expand their competitive position," said Sven Stielstra (Business Developer at LIFE Cooperative).
Project Program Manager for Courses at HAN, Adinda Diekstra, said: "We look forward to setting up a nice set of post-HBO and post-graduate courses within the Early Drug Discovery Education Track, with input from the regional field!"
In the coming months, the projects will be initiated and then made visible on the ZonMw website. Keep an eye on the website for this: Programmapagina PharmaNL Human Capital Growth and Programmapagina PharmaNL.
The Groningen Human Capital for Life Sciences project – a grant application from LIFE Cooperative, Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, and UMCG – improves the competitiveness of the Netherlands in the field of pharmaceutical products and production technologies. This is achieved by facilitating the life science industry in the Northern Netherlands to further develop their core competencies within this Dutch Pharmaceutical value chain: Genetic technology, Bioinformatics & Bioanalysis. Ten educational modules will be developed and tested to provide both students and professionals with the opportunity to continue developing in directions that the industry needs now and in the future. This allows these companies to maintain and strengthen their position in the regional, national, and international value chain. These activities are developed and carried out under the LIFE Academy, where companies and knowledge institutions collaborate to effectively connect supply and demand regarding Human Capital on a regional and national scale.
The aim is to develop an early drug discovery education track (EDD-track) consisting of eight post-HBO/WO courses (Lifelong Learning) that fit within the EDD process and meet the needs of the business community. Through this EDD-track, we intend to train sufficient and appropriately qualified talent for the Dutch Life Sciences sector. The course modules are mainly focused on further education and training, can have a fully theoretical or practical implementation (or a combination thereof), are mostly set up in English (for international appeal), and are developed within a consortium consisting of two educational institutions (HAN and RU), a corporate trainer (Elevate), and a science park (Pivot Park). The approach is to develop sustainable courses through which we can train about 10-20 people per course per year, which will amount to approximately 300-500 skilled individuals over the duration of PharmaNL (eight years).
About PharmaNL
PharmaNL is an initiative of and for the Dutch pharmaceutical sector, supported by a national public-private consortium consisting of Leiden University/Leiden University Medical Center, Campus Groningen, and Pivot Park Oss. PharmaNL aims to provide a sustainable boost to harnessing the economic and societal potential of innovative pharmaceutical products and production technologies. For more information about PharmaNL, visit the website.
