Looking Back: Molecule 2 Business 2024 – Next-Level Collaboration

On June 3, the Molecule 2 Business event brought together a vibrant mix of participants from the worlds of science, business, government, and education at Noviotech Campus in Gemeente Nijmegen. The central theme? Next-Level Collaboration – and how it fuels the future of drug discovery.

Keynote speaker Carmen van Vilsteren. Health~Holland plays as an architect and integrator. She highlighted how initiatives like Women’s Health and Organ-on-a-Chip are part of a broader, interconnected innovation landscape. Next-level collaboration is multi-layered. From strategic alliances to living labs, and from local to international partnerships – all types of collaboration are needed:

– Cross-functional teams
– Public-private (quadruple helix) partnerships
– Living labs and consortia
– Strategic alliances
– Regional, national, and international networks

Highlights from the breakout sessions and round table discussions included:

Pharma Delta emphasized the need for a strong public-private consortium with short communication lines, robust infrastructure, and a clear focus on human capital.

Municipalities of Gemeente Oss and Gemeente Nijmegen expressed a shared ambition: to create an online platform that connects the dots between regional initiatives and offers a clear roadmap for collaboration.

HAN University of Applied Sciences underlined the importance of preparing students for the full drug development lifecycle, from lab to patient.
Researchers discussed the need for broader awareness of the end-to-end process — including the final impact on patients.

The topic of drug repurposing and valorisation sparked lively discussion. The key takeaway? Always start with a viable business case — one that’s both accessible and sustainable. And don’t hesitate to seek advice early in the process.

And there was also a strong call to bring patients and investors more explicitly into the conversation in future sessions.

In summary:
Collaboration should serve a clear, shared goal. With intrinsic motivation, trust and a willingness to share knowledge as essential ingredients for success.

As one participant noted:
“Embrace the chaos – it’s where true innovation begins.”

Organisation: Briskr, Health Valley Netherlands, Pivot Park and SMB Life sciences. Powered by Health~Holland.

From Molecule 2 Business Event – Next Level Collaboration

Date: June 3, 2025
Registration: 13:00-13:30
Program: 13:30-17:00 hrs (+ networking, drinks & bites)
Location: Noviotech Campus Nijmegen, building M, Meet&Greet area

From molecule to market – let’s move forward, together
The Molecule 2 Business event is back in Nijmegen – bringing together entrepreneurs, start-ups, scientists, spin-offs, consortia partners and public sector stakeholders from the Land van Cuijk, Oss, and Nijmegen regions for an inspiring afternoon focused on pushing boundaries in drug discovery.

This year’s theme: Next level collaboration
At the intersection of science, business, and public ambition, we’ll explore how stronger connections across sectors can spark innovation, accelerate development, and shape the future of pharma. Whether you’re a seasoned expert or just starting your journey in drug development, this event offers valuable insights, meaningful networking, and space to spark new collaborations.

Why join?
Collaboration redefined  Discover how shared spaces for innovation and new forms of partnership are changing the game in pharma and drug discovery.
Expand your network Meet professionals, researchers, and policy makers who share a common goal: boosting innovation and impact in the life sciences.
Learn from leading voices Gain real-world insights from experts who are pioneering new approaches to pharma, collaboration, and regional development.
Speak up & shape the future Take part in interactive discussions on the challenges and opportunities shaping our field — from education partnerships to government support and knowledge transfer.

Event Highlights

Keynote: Carmen van Vilsteren (Health~Holland)
During this keynote presentation you will learn more about the Dutch ecosystem and the role of Health~Holland in shaping this ecosystem. Collaborations are key in creating a healthy ecosystem. Two cases will be highlighted; namely the Women Health and Organ-on-A-Chip.

Breakout Sessions (1 round, 2 choices)

1.From discovery to delivery: Navigating partnerships and infrastructure needswith Debby Vermeer-Kruijsen (DVK Biotech)

2.Drug Repurposing, new opportunitieswith NLO, CBG, FAST, 3DPharmXchange, Radboudumc & Oost NL

NLO (Barend Bouma): Session moderator
CBG/MEB (Leon Bongers): A regulator’s perspective on drug repurposing – good and bad examples
FAST (Benien Vingerhoed): Socially responsible drug repurposing development
3DPharmXchange (Bianca Pauly): Clinical trials with repurposed drugs
NLO (Kolja Adamczyk): How to maintain control on your Drug Repurposing Development
Radboudumc (Maaike Oosterveer): Drug Repurposing at the Radboudumc: accelerating patient access to affordable therapies
OostNL (Keanu Leenknegt): Drug repurposing Investor perspective
NLO (Barend): summarizing & all taking questions

Interactive Table Discussions (2 rounds, 4 choices)
1. Pharma Delta – dive deeper with Floor van de Watering

Table round 1: Which activities and sector initiatives of the regional Pharma Delta collaboration would attract you/your company to join? And what expertise and diversity of experience can you bring in? Think of the field of pharmaceutical, development and production but also areas of education, sector profiling and effective multi-party collaboration.

Table round 2: Same as round 1.

2. Entrepreneurs & Governmentwith Michelle van Wijk (Gemeente Oss) & Monique Schaap + John Brom (Gemeente Nijmegen)

Table round 1: How can local municipalities foster stronger collaborations between the public and private sectors in the life sciences industry?

Table round 2: What role can municipalities play in supporting talent development and educational initiatives that align with the needs of the growing life sciences sector?

3. Education & Innovationwith Adinda Diekstra & Lieke de Haer (HAN)

Table round 1: Which specific knowledge and skills do you consider essential for employees working according to GMP, GLP and GDP, and how can we effectively integrate these into (new) training programs?

Table round 2: AI and (complex) data analysis, a hot topic, which specific skills and knowledge areas are most crucial for professionals in the Life Sciences, and how can we effectively integrate these into training programs?

4. Valorisation / knowledge transfer – with NLO, CBG, FAST, 3DPharmXchange, Radboudumc & Oost NL

Table round 1: Knowledge transfer processes – from science to business focus

Table round 2: Knowledge transfer processes – drug repurposing

Event schedule
13:00 – 13:30 | Welcome with coffee/tea
13:30 – 13:45 | Opening remarks by chair Floor van de Watering (Briskr)
13:45 – 14:15 | Keynote: Carmen van Vilsteren (Health~Holland)
14:15 – 14:25 | Short break / room change
14:25 – 15:10 | Breakout session (1 round, choose from 2 topics)
15:10 – 15:25 | Short break
15:25 – 15:30 | Intro to interactive table discussions (choose from 4 topics)
15:30 – 16:00 | Round 1: Table discussions
16:00 – 16:05 | Change tables
16:05 – 16:35 | Round 2: Table discussions
16:35 – 16:55 | Recap & plenary discussion
17:00 – 18:00 | Networking drinks & bites

This event is powered by Health~Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health.

Good to know
Presentations are in English & the entrance is free (registration upfront is needed though). We welcome new guests, so please feel free to pass on this invitation to relevant people in your network!

We look forward to welcoming you. Let’s explore how stronger connections across sectors can spark innovation, accelerate development, and shape the future of pharma!

When you register: In a few minutes you will receive an email confirmation from events@smb-lifesciences.nl (you may need to check your spam messages). And a few days before the event we will send you an email from marion.schouten@briskr.nl with an updated program and practical information (directions and parking). Feel free to contact us at marion.schouten@briskr.nl should you have any questions in the meantime! We look forward to meeting you!

The monthly meetings Science Meets Business aim to connect people and exchange knowledge in the world of science and business.

SMB-network meeting From Molecule to Business, June 3, 2025

FirstnameInserts / TussenvoegselsLast nameOrganisation
1032rickrickmeurdersRadboudumcGeaccepteerd
1031RosanVegterEATRISGeaccepteerd
1030PieterGroenendalQbD GroupGeaccepteerd
1029RaimonKeijzerQbD GroupGeaccepteerd
1028YourivanNulandNovoSere B.V.Geaccepteerd
1027KarinStultiensVaxxinovaGeaccepteerd
1026YannickLampoSherwood PharmaceuticalsGeaccepteerd
1025LisetteMagneeSymeresGeaccepteerd
1024MinouVerhaegDuchenne Parent ProjectGeaccepteerd
1023BasHulshofRadboudUMC / Biotech BoosterGeaccepteerd
1022RonaldtenBergeFontys / Biotech BoosterGeaccepteerd
1021AstridProvoostBecton Dickinson (BD)Geaccepteerd
1020MartaKijankaMK BIO CONSULTANCY B.V.Geaccepteerd
1019RoelJonkerAmsterdam UMCGeaccepteerd
1018JackoDoumaMMA - Making Medicines AvailableGeaccepteerd
1017DalilaElOuarratVU AmsterdamGeaccepteerd
1016FelicitasPardowRadboudumcGeaccepteerd
1012LeeAyresAviviaGeaccepteerd
1011MerelGansevoortSira IncentivesGeaccepteerd
1010LeonBongersMedicines Evaluation Board / College ter beoordeling van geneesmiddelen (CBG-MEB)Geaccepteerd
1009ManoeJanssenRadboudumcGeaccepteerd
1008BenienVingerhoedFASTGeaccepteerd
1007AliëtteBosmaHandle With CoreGeaccepteerd
1006MichielvanAlstTropIQ Health SciencesGeaccepteerd
1005BrigitteDreesPivot ParkGeaccepteerd
1004AnetaSchaap-OziemlakBio-inspired Think TankGeaccepteerd
1003Wim-JanKootStichting LygatureGeaccepteerd
1001JelenaCvetkovicIndependent Consultant - Life SciencesGeaccepteerd
999PaulZantinghYxion B.V.Geaccepteerd
998ZeinabAhmadiRadboudUMCGeaccepteerd
997KatjaLudwigYxionGeaccepteerd
994TimBieleveldtYERGeaccepteerd
986Christina IlianaNBasdekiRadboud UMCGeaccepteerd
984KhadijehHashemiRadboudUMCGeaccepteerd
979jorikavanDuijn-WiersmaIPSIS PACTISGeaccepteerd
978NadinaGrosiosoncoKnowGeaccepteerd
968CeydaKaplan IscenIndependent Consultant (Medical Device, IVD, Life Sciences)Geaccepteerd
965RikCreemersKadans Science PartnerGeaccepteerd
964RobVan OverbeekKadans Science PartnerGeaccepteerd
963JanvanGeldropFontys HogeschoolGeaccepteerd
961TimMoserNetherlands Cancer InstituteGeaccepteerd
959MoniqueSchaapGemeente NijmegenGeaccepteerd
956MoniquevanScherpenzeelGlycoMScan B.V.Geaccepteerd
955AnsaWasimOostNLGeaccepteerd
952PolaVerschoorRadboudumcGeaccepteerd
951DanielleCounotteUtrecht HoldingsGeaccepteerd
950TildePellegriniFontys HogeschoolGeaccepteerd
949AbbasFreydoonianPolpharma Biologics UtrechtGeaccepteerd
947SusanVeissiQbD GroupGeaccepteerd
946FrankSmeetsHouse of InnovationGeaccepteerd
945LievevanVeggelBrightlands MHCGeaccepteerd
944lemameiwandOost NLGeaccepteerd
940AmirProf. FahmiRhein-Waal University of Applied SciencesGeaccepteerd
938EdKosterRadboud UniversityGeaccepteerd
937KoljaAdamczykNLO - N.V. Nederlandsch OctrooibureauGeaccepteerd
931MaaikeOosterveerRadboudumcGeaccepteerd
930KeanuLeenknegtOost NLGeaccepteerd
929Hesselvan derWeideErasmus MCGeaccepteerd
926BurcuSucukaNLO - N.V. Nederlandsch OctrooibureauGeaccepteerd
925BarendBoumaNLO - N.V. Nederlandsch OctrooibureauGeaccepteerd
924MariekeSniederBriskrGeaccepteerd