Six AII researchers have been awarded a TKI-PPP grant between € 300.000 and € 750.000 to perform a research project in collaboration with an industrial party.

Six AII researchers have been awarded a TKI-PPP grant between € 300.000 and € 750.000 to perform a research project in collaboration with an industrial party. The funding is provided by the NL government (Ministry of Economic Affairs) through the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) and the Topconsortium voor Kennis en Innovatie Life Sciences & Health (TKI-LSH, a.k.a. Health-Holland).

Awarded proposals

Examples of honored projects are the development of a novel nanovaccine that will result in a better treatment of cancer patients, longer survival and better quality of life, a machine learning technique that measures signals through EHG which will be able to predict premature labor based on historical cases and validation of a new treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease uniquely based on naturally occurring brain plasticity mechanisms.

About the TKI-PPI grant

In October 2019 the call for the Amsterdam UMC TKI grant 2020 opened. Amsterdam UMC TKI grants for PPP projects are available to all Amsterdam UMC researchers who wish to perform a research project in collaboration with an industrial party. The grant is to stimulate Amsterdam UMC researchers to perform research projects together with companies in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).

For the first time the TKI grant procedures from AMC and VUmc were combined. This also meant that the grant amounts available to both UMC’s were put together, creating a pot of approximately 9 million euros to be divided over our best PPP-research proposals.

Jury process

During both selection rounds (pre- and final application), each proposal was judged by four jury members, consisting of two scientists selected from the eight Amsterdam UMC alliance institutes, an IXA business developer and an outside expert on impact (e.g. a life sciences venture capitalist).

Knowing that applying requires a serious effort of the researchers, we were very happy and proud to receive a total of 60 applications. The jury first selected 29 final proposals to go to the final round, after which 16 proposals could be awarded including the following 6 AI&II researchers:

  • Joke M.M. den Haan: CanNanoVac: Novel nanovaccines to stimulate anti-cancer immunity. Subsidy of € 342.020
  • Marie José Kersten: RACE-CAR: impRove endurAnce, priCe and Efficacy of CAR T-cells (‘Faster, better AND cheaper CARs!’). Subsidy of € 750.000
  • Dasja Pajkrt: Focus-on-Virus: Picornavirus and HIV infection using a complex gut-brain organoid model. Subsidy of € 627.600
  • Elena Rampanelli: A novel microbial metabolite and gut bacteria to halt the beta cell-directed autoimmune attack in type 1 diabetes. Subsidy of 468.565.
  • Alexander P.J. Vlaar:  HistoSeps: Implementation of a novel therapy for sepsis treatment in the intensive care setting.  Subsidy of € 525.839
  • Carlie JM de Vries: NR4Ants: NR4A antagonists as targeted strategy to boost cancer immunotherapy.  Subsidy of € 373.408