Chapter 3
A unique collaboration for a healthier Netherlands
A disease-overarching approach
INTERVIEW
With Mark Monsma
A society in which people live longer in good health, receive the best possible treatment and can optimally participate. These are in sum the ambitions of the various health foundations in the Netherlands. To achieve this overarching mission, 24 health foundations have joined forces in the Association of Collaborating Health Foundations (SGF). ‘With this, the foundations focus on overarching themes that are important for each foundation, such as prevention, patient participation, immunological research and innovation without experimental animals’, explains Mark Monsma (director SGF). ‘By centring our collective effort on these themes, we create more impact.’
The SGF works on these overarching themes in several areas. In the area of Healthy lifestyle and healthy living environment, the health foundations are jointly investing in the programme Healthy Generation. ‘Our ambition is that in 2040, Dutch youth will have the best physical, mental and social health in the world. And that is not because we want to be the best at all costs but because young people deserve our maximum effort when it comes to their healthy development’, says Monsma. The foundations are also investing in disease-overarching subjects within various research programmes.
‘The research programme Human Measurement Models is contributing to more effective human health research that is less dependent on the use of experimental animals. A unique collaboration has also arisen for highly promising immunological research’, states Monsma. ‘A new development is that we are in the process of shaping a programme that will concentrate on improving the quality of life with and for people with a chronic condition where the strength of the social environment takes centre stage.’ The SGF is also focusing on making knowledge and developments about various subjects available and keeping this up-to-date.
The PPP Allowance is indispensable for the development of the SGF. ‘It was an important boost to collaborate. Not just with the various foundations, but with the entire sector and definitely with industry too’, says Monsma. ‘This is not only due to the financial contribution but, more important, because it helps us all to be on the same wavelength.’ The programme immunology is a fine example of the success of the PPP Allowance, asserts Monsma.
‘The PPP Allowance works as a sort of multiplier. The foundations and industry contributed extra funding in addition to the PPP Allowance, as a result of which 15 million euros became available for research into the immune system. This programme has led to the initiative ImmuneHealthXL in which the various research initiatives collaborate to realise their common goal: to realise better treatments for the patient.’
On the journey towards a healthier Netherlands, the SGF is supported by a wide diversity of donors, experiential experts and young people, and a large network in the health field, politics and industry. Health~Holland is also a proud collaborative partner of SGF. ‘The collaboration with Health~Holland is immensely valuable’, states Monsma. ‘Together, we are working on the challenging missions of Health & Care and we are investing in large-scale and disease-overarching research. I hope that we will continue to collaborate in the future so that we can further shape our joint objectives in the interest of all Dutch citizens.’
PPP Allowance - Match Call
With our ongoing Match Call we invite research organisations, knowledge institutes, companies, and health foundations to apply for PPP Allowance. By means of the PPP Allowance, Health~Holland provides a financial instrument to help consortia to realise their innovative ideas. The proposed projects must contribute to one of the five missions of the societal theme Health & Care. Up to and including 2020, the Top Sector has awarded funding to a total of 164 PPPs that are relevant to mission III.
Would you like to learn more about the PPP Allowance or apply for it? Then take a look here or contact the Health~Holland office (via tki@health-holland.com) to get more information or assistance in the application process. In 2022, the application deadlines are 9 March and 5 October CET 17.00.
Webinar 13 January
An online meeting about the 2022 Match Call Regulation will be held on 13 January 2022 from 12:00 to 13:00 hours CET. More details about this information meeting can be found on our website.
Breath analyser
Better care and less need for medical resources in chronic patients
The public-private project ''Breath anaysler'' complements mission III. The consortium is aiming to contribute to impoving the lives of people with chronic diseases. The project started in 2021 and it is a collaboration between the Department of Pediatrics of MUMC+, School CAPHRI (FHML), the Department of Research Engineering (FHML), the Department of Sensor Engineering (FSE), companies Alphaszenszor and Breath Medics, and several healthcare organisations in the region. With the PPP allowance, the Top Sector offers a financial instrument to support this consortium.
Early diagnosis of chronic diseases of children and elderly is crucial to improve treatment and prognosis, for example chronic lung disease, cancer, chronic kidney or liver disease in children and elderly. Non-invasive analysis of exhaled breath has shown potential for improved diagnosis and management of people with chronic diseases. The breath analyser project focuses on a one-stop diagnostic solution.
Addressing health and care challenges across borders
Cell-Based Technologies Call Flanders - Netherlands
Flanders and The Netherlands have jointly announced the Cell-Based Technologies Call for R&D Project Proposals. It is managed in line with the EUREKA initiative by the national EUREKA offices VLAIO and Netherlands Enterprise Agency, in cooperation with the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (Health~Holland).
The present call for project proposals is connected to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Flanders Department of Economy, Science and Innovation and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy for cooperation in the area of Personalised Medicine. Based on common societal health and care challenges and building on the already successful Flemish-Dutch public-private partnership with regenerative medicine in Regenerative Medicine Crossing Borders (RegMedXB), the partners wish to intensify collaboration on mission-driven research and development in the field of Personalised Medicine over the next five years.
Strong cooperation
in the field of Personalised Medicine
Scope
For this call, there is a common interest in promoting bilateral public-private research and development collaboration projects within one of the subthemes mentioned in the MoU, Cell-Based Technologies. For instance, cell- and gene therapy, human disease models, tissue engineered products and the necessary quality, safety and efficacy standards for personalised medicine and health, where cell-based technologies form an underlying basis. Where possible, we invite consortia to combine biomedical, technological and data-driven expertise in their applications.
