Foreign Investments Europe Investment opportunities Medical Technology
Medical technology in the North of the Netherlands is developing at a rapid rate. It is with good reason that more than 20% of employment in the region is linked to the healthcare economy. Within the world-class knowledge infrastructure, a large number of Contract Research Organizations excel. Top-quality facilities and the availability of qualified personnel make an unmistakable contribution to a better use of new technologies and finding new applications.
In the coming years, the emphasis will be on Healthy Ageing. The North of the Netherlands has the ambition to develop into a world leader in the area of healthy and active ageing, and therefore the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen University and the northern Academies are building on the future of health in close cooperation with business and governments. Two examples include ERIBA and the LifeLines project.
ERIBA is a research institute where top scientists and their research groups carry out fundamental research into the ageing process and its corresponding diseases. In 2010, the construction of a new building was started on the site of the UMCG; it will be specifically for this institute and will have all the facilities required for leading-edge research into the biology of ageing.
Long lasting research programme Life lines
People are living longer, but how can they stay healthy for a longer part of their life? Why does one person develop a chronic disorder in his seventies, while another person does so at the age of 35? By monitoring 165,000 people of different generations over a 30 year period of time, LifeLines aims to provide answers to these questions. The more data that can be collected, the bigger the wealth of information producing new insights and solutions. This will offer great opportunities for the pharma industry as well as for the food industry.
Healthy foundation
The North of the Netherlands has laid a healthy foundation for developing innovative products and services and ensuring important scientific breakthroughs. For example, the Leeuwarden Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery (LIMIS) has developed into a leading Dutch knowledge and training institute for surgeons in minimally invasive operating techniques. PendraCare is also in the vanguard of medical technology in the region; this company from Leek manufactures catheters and other products for cardiological and radiological interventions.
Vision
In the near future, there will be a stronger focus on developments around the theme of Vision, based on the presence of Abott Medical Optics and Ophtec, two renowned organizations that are active in developing and manufacturing implant lenses. Menicon is also located in the region, and this company is the largest manufacturer of hard contact lenses in Western Europe.
Medical technology companies in the North of the Netherlands
PendraCare, IMDS, Abott Medical Optics, Ophtec, Menicon, Orteq, PRA International Early Development Services, QPS Netherlands, Syncom, IQ Corporation, DSM Biologics, Astellas Europe.
Knowledge institutes/related institutes
UMCG, Groningen University, Hanzehogeschool Groningen, Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden, IMIS, Healthy Ageing Network Northern Netherlands (HANN), European Research Institute on the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA).
Contact
For more infromation please contact Gerard Lenstra: lenstra@nom.nl or +31 (0)50 521 45 76