Rotterdam (The Netherlands), 10 January 2008 - Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam (Erasmus MC) today announces that it has secured a € 2,4 million government grant from the Technopartner-SKE program. The grant helps the Erasmus MC to further strengthen its technology transfer policy and support even more innovative life science start-up companies.
Over the last five years the technology transfer office (TTO) of Erasmus MC has implemented a successful strategy in valorisation of new inventions. During this period a multitude of licenses have been concluded with major pharmaceutical companies, as well as more than 20 spin-off companies have been set-up within the Erasmus MC Incubator. Already 6 companies have seen a successful exit, either by trade-sale to major companies or management-buyout. With the SKE-grant, the TTO will be able to further strengthen and professionalize its valorisation structure and capacity. Scouting and screening of new ideas will play an important role, while the support offered to new spin-off companies can be further extended. Partners of Erasmus MC in the project called ‘Rotterdam Works’ will be the Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management, Economic Development Board Rotterdam (EDBR), as well as major companies like Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Vereenigde Patent Attorneys, ING Bank, Rabobank, and finally Biofarmind, the Association for the BioPharmaceutical Industry in The Netherlands.
Steef Blok, director of the TTO commented: “We are very pleased to have received this grant, which enables us to expand our leading position when it comes to technology transfer in life sciences in The Netherlands. We have an ambitious plan and intend to show that there is so much more possible! We expect that during the 4 years of the Technopartner-SKE program, we will be creating at least 30 new high-potential spin-off companies. I’m confident that this will lay the foundation for future Crucell’s to emerge as a result of our highly renowned research quality.”
About Erasmus MC Erasmus MC is one of the leading research institutes, nationally as well as internationally. Research activities vary from fundamental biomedical research to clinical research and from epidemiology to social healthcare and healthcare policy and management. As largest university medical center in the Netherlands, with 1,500 scientific staff, 2,500 students and more than 12,000 employees, Erasmus MC provides referral care and last resort referral care to 3 million people in the south west of the Netherlands. Please visit www.erasmusmc.nl
