Herman Wijffels, Professor of Sustainability and Social Change, Utrecht University … I would like to see a truly sustainable society and knowledge economy develop, and I am convinced the life sciences can and must play a major role in bringing it about … Ab Klink, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport … A long-term vision supported by all stakeholders is essential to guiding the innovations that will help us overcome these challenges – together … Robert-Jan Smits, Director DG Research, European Commission … A knowledge economy can only be created by investing in it! ... Feike Sijbesma, CEO Royal DSM … The only other ingredient needed for a flourishing life sciences field and bio-based economy is a firm commitment from all stakeholders involved to help make the Netherlands the world’s “Life Sciences Polder” … Partners in the polder A vision for the life sciences in the Netherlands and the role of public-private partnerships Partners in the polder A vision for the life sciences in the Netherlands and the role of public-private partnerships Summary of the main recommendations Many representatives from the life sciences field have come The world has entered the age of the life sciences. More and together to write Partners in the Polder. The book articulates more, the life sciences help us address social challenges in the promise of the life sciences and discusses how the healthcare, food supply, energy security and environmental Netherlands can deliver on that promise, paying particular sustainability and enable our knowledge economy. The attention to the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs). Netherlands has a unique position. Our scientific research in Partners in the Polder looks at how academia and industry are the life sciences is in the global top three, and our country is coming together to translate basic knowledge into practical home to strong food, health, agricultural and chemicals & applications: the origins of the PPP, its purpose and outlook, energy sectors that can deliver on the promise of the life strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures. sciences. Partners in the Polder makes three main recommendations Nevertheless, translating our excellent knowledge into novel that are broadly supported by the field and draw on the products, processes and services and delivering these to experience and expertise of scientists, researchers, business society is difficult. To overcome this challenge, academia, leaders and policymakers from all corners of the life sciences industry and the government have joined forces in recent and on studies and publications from industry associations, years in precompetitive research collaboration on an the OECD, the Innovation Platform and others. The authors unprecedented scale. It is now time to follow through and hope that this summary of the main recommendations make that investment pay off. piques your interest in the book itself. It contains many more observations, lessons and recommendations. 4 5 I. Provide continuity in innovation policy for 15 years market. The field and government together need to create or more (p. 62-66) such conditions, and Partners in the Polder contains many The Netherlands has the ambition to become an interna- tips and ideas for doing so: from valorization mechanisms tionally leading knowledge economy and play a prominent to certification systems to acting as launching customers. role in addressing social challenges like climate change. For that, innovation is crucial. Innovation in the life sciences We should take our rich (national) landscape of PPPs to the can take 15 years or more: from the initial idea to the next level of scale and scope. It is recommended that the uptake of a new product, process or service in society. Much field consolidate the more than 40 Dutch PPPs in which life time, energy and money needs to be invested in uncertain sciences play a role into ten or fewer clusters that are part of outcomes. The Dutch government stimulates innovation international networks, and that the government continue with many sound policy instruments. Innovation policy to invest in such partnerships. The government should also itself, however, changes at least every four years – in increase investment in the basic research in academia that priorities, criteria, instruments, procedures and points of is needed to preserve our world-leading knowledge position contact. If the rules keep changing during the innovation (especially in harsh economic times). Academia in turn has game, returns on previous investments will be low, new the responsibility to valorize its research results: to make it efforts will be few and we will not realize our ambitions. easy for entrepreneurs to acquire and build on its knowl- edge and patents. Another priority is education. Life To change this, the field must first articulate where it sciences innovation needs educated scientists, entrepre- wants to go and what it needs to get there. That is what neurs and venture capitalists, as well as informed citizens Partners in the Polder aims to do. With this, the government who can decide to use an innovation (or not). can formulate long-term objectives (> 15 years) to guide its innovation policy. Such objectives make it possible to keep III. Position the Netherlands as one bioregion (p.75-78) the rules largely constant, in line with (inter)national best In the Dutch life sciences, distances between world-leading practices and tailored to the life sciences. The right (mix academic groups and strong industry sectors (food, health, of) instruments can then be deployed in each stage of agriculture, and chemicals & energy) are small. By position- innovation and progress and results monitored through- ing itself as a single bioregion with local hotspots and out. This way, public money will be invested effectively capitalizing on the Dutch traditions of cooperation and and legitimately. trade, the Dutch life sciences could become incredibly competitive and attractive to international partners. II. Build on the strengths that have been developed (p. 67-75) Successful collaboration will increasingly be a source of All life sciences stakeholders need to build on the strengths competitive advantage. The life sciences field will continue developed. The first priority must be to reap the fruits of the cooperation that began with writing this book, share earlier investments by creating the best conditions for use experiences and set up (informal) coordination wherever and delivery of innovations. These include easy access to useful. Today’s PPPs will help future ones take advantage knowledge and patents, ample availability of (venture) of the lessons learned and existing back offices. In short: capital, the absence of unnecessary regulatory constraints, the Dutch life sciences stakeholders will be ever more well-informed and critical citizens, and a well-functioning Partners in the Polder. 4 5 Colophon EDITORS Marcel Wubbolts (DSM White Biotechnology) Frans Martens Colja Laane (Netherlands Genomics Initiative) Jos Keurentjes (AkzoNobel Industrial Chemicals) (Earth and Life Sciences – NWO-ALW) Koen Besteman Jan van Breugel (Purac International) Louis Vertegaal (Roland Berger Strategy Consultants) Dirk den Ouden (Avantium) (Chemical Sciences – NWO-CW) Eppo Bruins (Technology Foundation STW) AUTHORS Agriculture Colja Laane (Netherlands Genomics Initiative) Part I Huub Löffler Colja Laane (Netherlands Genomics Initiative) (Wageningen University and Research Center) CONTAINS CONTRIBUTIONS OF Koen Besteman Arno Vermeulen (Immuno Valley) Antoon van den Berg, Peter van Bladeren, (Roland Berger Strategy Consultants) Kerst Boersma, Piet Borst, Hans Bos, Douwe Benno van Dongen Technology Breimer, Eppo Bruins, Maarten le Clercq, (Roland Berger Strategy Consultants) Eduard Klasen Tini Colijn, Hans Dons, Michel Dutrée, Anne Jeroen Vugts (W-rite!) (Leiden University Medical Center) Flierman, Thijs Hendrix, Janneke Hoekstra, Ruben Kok Ab Klink, Martin Kropff, Emmo Meijer, Pauline Food (Netherlands Bioinformatics Centre) Meurs, Gert-Jan van Ommen, Anton Pijpers, Jan Sikkema (TI Food and Nutrition) Luc Rietveld (Netherlands Genomics Initiative) Ronald Plasterk, Rudy Rabbinge, Martin Wim Verhoog (MGMC) Scholten, Feike Sijbesma, Robert-Jan Smits, Education & training Onno van de Stolpe, Henri Termeer, Erica Health Leen van den Oever Terpstra, Gerda Verburg, Marco Waas, Edward Roland Lageveen (High Profile Group) (Netherlands Institute of Biology) van Wezel, Peter Wierenga, Rein Willems, Peter Luijten Jan Wisse, Diederik Zijderveld (Center for Translational Molecular Medicine) Valorization Daan Crommelin (Top Institute Pharma) Koen Wiedhaup POSTFACE Emiel Staring (BioMedical Materials Program) Chrétien Herben Herman Wijffels Edvard Beem (ZonMw) (Netherlands Genomics Initiative) Jorg Janssen (Life Sciences & Health) Ingeborg Meijer (Technopolis) PROOFREADER Megan Garr Chemicals & energy Social aspects Luuk van der Wielen Wiebe Bijker (Maastricht University) DESIGN (Delft University of Technology) Frans Brom (Rathenau institute) i am - Grafische Vormgeving Isabel Arends Rob Hoppe (University of Twente) (Delft University of Technology) Atie Schipaanboord PRINTER Sef Heijnen (Federation of Patients and Consumer Ecodrukkers, Nieuwkoop (Delft University of Technology) Organisations) Johan Sanders Erica Terpstra (NOC*NSF) ISBN (Wageningen University and Research Center) Annemiek Nelis 9789080735774 Elinor Scott (Centre for Society and Genomics) (Wageningen University and Research Center) Andre Faaij (Utrecht University)