Four new companies, including LIFE Cooperative member Bioprex Medical, founded by researchers from the Faculty of Science & Engineering, have been nominated to participate in the fifth edition of the Academic Startup Competition (ASC).
The ASC is an annual program in which the most promising academic startups from Dutch universities and research institutes participate. The goal of the ASC is to accelerate their growth, provide clarity on where to focus, and open doors that were previously closed.
The ASC starts with forty teams, nominated by Dutch universities, startup programs, research institutes, and research programs. After three rounds, ten winners will be announced on April 2, who will travel to the U.S. a month later. There, in Silicon Valley, these teams will meet entrepreneurs, investors, and connectors.
Bioprex Medical
Medical implants, or other medical devices inside the body, are susceptible to bacterial infections. Moreover, such infections are often difficult to treat with antibiotics, which can easily lead to bacterial resistance.
Scientists from the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, led by Prof. Ton Loontjes and Dr. Rui Li, have developed an antibacterial coating that can prevent these types of infections in medical implants. The coating, based on so-called quaternary ammonium compounds, kills bacteria through an electrostatic mechanism. This mechanism differs significantly from the way antibiotics work, meaning the use of the coating does not contribute to the development of resistance.
Read the full article from the University of Groningen (FSE Science Newsroom | René Fransen) here.
Who is developing the most impactful innovation in Life Sciences & Health in the Northern Netherlands? Five companies are in the running for the LIFE Science Innovation Award 2026: Flux Robotics, Limosa Immunodiagnostics, SPCTR, MimeCure and GlycanScan International. The nominees will present their innovations on Tuesday 22 September during the fifth edition of the LIFE Science Conference in Groningen. An independent jury will select the winner, who will receive a €10,000 cash prize.
ZonMw is expected to open the final call for proposals within the PharmaNL Shared Development Infrastructure (SDI) program line. This program line focuses on strengthening the infrastructure for the development, upscaling, and production of innovative medicines in the Netherlands.
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