COMMUNICATION

Latest activities of LifeSciences@Work

LifeSciences@Work (LS@W) is our national accelerator for high potential start-up initiatives in life sciences. Academics with entrepreneurial aspirations in genomics, proteomics, metabololomics, bioinformatics, drug development, medical devices, diagnostics and eHealth are invited to join. This accelerator, powered by the Top Sector LSH, will help scientists start a successful company that will make a difference. In three stages scientists are coached to build their own business: Venture Challenge, Expert Classes, Value Centre.

Succesful first Expert Class
During the first LS@W Expert Class, organised by LS@W partner Loyens & Loeff together with mentors and alumni, the focus was the special requirements needed for life sciences start-ups in legal and tax issues. The programme offered speed dating and an interactive workshop by the Loyens & Loeff legal and tax experts.

Dr. Chrétien Herben, valorisation manager of Health~Holland and director of LS@W:

“The expert classes help the LS@W community to strengthen their business case with industry knowledge. During this first edition the exchange of experiences between mentors, alumni and starters happened naturally regardless of their individual background.”

The upcoming expert class will address financing of a business, it will be announced via the LS@W newsletter and website.

Value Centre Vouchers

Five Value Centre Vouchers have now been distributed with the help of Medtech Partners. Startups Harmonics and Quirem Medical explain how the voucher contributed to their business. Harmonics exchanged the voucher to further develop the technical aspects of their product and to obtain independent expertise on which development partner would be a good fit. The Value Centre Voucher provided Quirem Medical with the opportunity to hire an organisation with specific knowledge about the requirements needed to obtain a CE mark. Both stories indicate how external expertise can be of added value to the companies.


Latest News of LS@W alumni

Dutch biotech companies had a successful 2015. In 2016 the investments and acquisitions in the LS@W alumni network will continue. The latest news is about the start-ups Toxys, based at Leiden Bio Science Park, and ThromboDX, located in Amsterdam.