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Creating a biocluster for Life Sciences & IT

The high concentration of knowledge and high-grade technology in Amsterdam makes Science Park an attractive location for both Dutch and international companies. In addition to the major national research institutes it has some 80 high-tech, knowledge-intensive companies working in ICT and biotechnology. The clustering of these companies with the knowledge and teaching institutions makes for exchange of knowledge and collaboration leading to new inventions in the field of ICT and Life Sciences.

What are the conditions to become an attractive and successful Science Park on Life Sciences and IT? In the first part of this presentation mr Jan Straub and mr Geert Haksteen give an insight in managing the conditions for settlement of institutes and companies and what is needed to stimulate partnership in the fields of Life Sciences and IT.

Jan Straub is Project manager of Science Park Amsterdam

Geert Haksteen, is Managing Director of Matrix Innovation Centre. This centre provides facilities and office and laboratory space for (starting) company's in Life Sciences and ICT on Science Park Amsterdam.

The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) is part of the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam and situated at the Science Park, Amsterdam. SILS is a multidisciplinary research institute that brings together more than 200 researchers with knowledge from microbiology, plant biology, biochemistry, biophysics, cell and molecular biology, neurobiology and genomics data analysis and bioinformatics while research is carried out at different levels from DNA to whole organism. Integrating knowledge from different disciplines and levels also called systems biology is essential to reach our final goal: understanding life. SILS translates its results towards society by contributing to public private partnership organizations such as TTI Green Genetics and the NGI Centre for BioSystems Genomics. In addition SILS houses two spin off companies Cellagenics BV and Photanol BV and two facilities, the Centre for Advanced Microscopy and the Microarray and Bioinformatics Facility that both offer services for internal and external customers. An overview of SILS’ research and how academic and translational research is combined will be presented.

Willem Stiekema

Since 2010 Willem Stiekema is director of the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences. From 2002-2009 he was director of the Centre for BioSystems Genomics, a public-private partnership comprising four Dutch universities, two research institutes, thirteen potato and tomato breeding companies and branche organizations of potato growers and processors. He graduated in molecular biology in 1975, did his PhD at the Free University Amsterdam in 1980 and postdocs at UC Los Angeles and Wageningen University. From 1986 till 2002 he was Head of the Departments of Genetic Modification of Plants, Molecular Biology and Genomics in various plant research institutes at Wageningen University. In 1999 he was appointed professor in Genome Information at Wageningen University and in 2009 professor in Bioinformatics at the University of Amsterdam.