The product companies are arranged according to guidelines of the OECD and according to one or more of the fourteen typical Life Sciences product groups: therapeutics and diagnostics are included as well as seeds and plants, industrial proteins and more. The service companies are arranged according to the services that they supply. Also included are all the governmental agencies, Life Sciences knowledge centres, top institutes and sector organisations. The database is in English and therefore, also suitable for international use.

A database to keep the sector together

The Life Sciences sector is strongly interconnected, also in the Netherlands. It is a very dynamic sector where cooperation and cross-pollination make innovations possible. In addition, it is a sector that contributes very much to the major social challenges of this century: health, food and the environment. The Dutch Life Sciences sector is accommodated in six top sectors: Life Sciences & Health, Agrofood, Horticulture, Chemistry, Energy and High Tech. The Dutch Life Sciences database will help Life Sciences companies and institutions locate each other, and will interconnect this very vital sector.

A database for reinforcing open innovation

Innovation demands national and international cooperation, also in the Life Sciences. In an open innovation model, companies incorporate their own technology with technology and knowledge of third parties in order to reach their target markets. New partners and unexpected valorisation opportunities emerge along the innovation track. This results in patent licenses or new spin-off companies with which new markets can be reached. The Dutch Life Sciences database reinforces this open innovation.

A database for the sector’s development with a specific purpose

Specific development and/or specific regional development of the Dutch Life Sciences sector require insight: where are vaccine companies located or the companies that focus on plant refinement or on innovative food articles? Which companies are involved in the bio-based economy? Which knowledge centres and companies can be brought together in new knowledge clusters? Companies, knowledge centres and authorities are looking for this information and want to be able to consult it at any time and to apply it for their own interest. The Dutch Life Sciences database is the answer.

Economic, scientific and social value of the database

The new database keeps all parties informed about new initiatives and relevant developments in addition to providing insight into relevant companies and institutions. The database also delivers customised reports such as sector or regional reports. The database was developed for companies, knowledge centres and authorities, but it is also valuable for development enterprises and investors. For all these parties, it is important that the information is accessible and up-to-date and that the database it here to stay. That is what the Dutch Life Sciences database does!