CTMM and partners invest 28 million in personalized medicine

The Center for Translational Molecular Medicine (CTMM) will invest over 28 million Euro
in personalized medicine in collaboration with other Dutch Top Institutes for life-science research (the BioMedical Materials program and Top Institute Pharma). The partners selected seven research projects aiming to develop new ways of delivering drugs to specific disease sites within the human body mainly for treatment of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The research will increase the drugs’ effectiveness, thereby reducing the required doses, minimizing unwanted side effects. Together with the development of tailored drug therapies, the imaging guided and targeted drug delivery techniques that these newly funded projects aim to develop, are widely regarded as one of the keys to highly personalized medicine. “With the pattern of diseases such as cancer being different in virtually every different patient, personalized medicine is absolutely essential to improving patient outcomes,” says Hans Hoogervorst, chairman of the Supervisory Board of the CTMM.

Campus enhanced with a new
international training institute: EIBIE

EIBIE stands for European Institute for Business Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
EIBIE is a joint initiative of TiasNimbas Business School and Philips Research.
The institute presents itself as a centre of excellence focusing on all elements that are involved in new business creation. It combines practical education with excellent research and the creation of eco systems. EIBIE works with the world’s best lecturers and professors in new business and entrepreneurship in its teaching curriculum and research. In March, EIBIE will start an Executive Master of Business Innovation (MBI) programme for students at MBA level. The key element in this two-year course will be learning the skills and techniques to turn your own business case into a successful undertaking. The EIBIE Master Class on Open innovation and Entrepreneurship will start in April, welcoming Professor Henri Chesbrough (founder of the open innovation philosophy) as a visiting lecturer. More information on the EIBIE can be found here.

Philips passes DNA research on to Biocartis

Philips Research recently concluded an agreement with the Swiss company Biocartis involving the takeover of one of its activities. It concerns the research after fully automated diagnosis equipment for human DNA and RNA. A package of knowledge, including the related patents, and seven researchers will move from Philips to this company.
It will set up a subsidiary, which will move into an office at High Tech Campus Eindhoven.
Philips and the Campus will make the necessary facilities available to this company. Philips will also conduct back-up research on a contract basis. It will involve technology that will enable the detection of foreign DNA in human blood, for instance from a bacteria. It also allows verification of human DNA mutations that appear in e.g. cancers.
According to Biocartis the work of Philips provides a good basis with good choices with regard to functionality and flexibility. The company also stated that all this can result in innovative and cost-efficient diagnosis equipment.

Good attendance at seminar on tax benefits for innovation

Since 1 January of this year, the corporate tax rules on profits from patents have changed. Now that the change has been implemented, innovative businesses can get extra tax benefits. Reason enough for initiators High Tech Campus Eindhoven,
Mazars Accountants & Tax Consultants, Vereenigde, Senternovem and
Octrooicentrum Nederland [Netherlands Patent Centre] to hold an informative seminar on the regulations.

The changes: the ‘patent box’ that was introduced in 2007 has been converted into what is now known as the ‘innovation box’. The most important agreement in the innovation box is that corporate tax on profits from innovations has been lowered from 10 to 5 percent. This applies to products and services that are entirely or partly the result of patents ensuing from intangible assets for which an R&D statement has been granted. What’s more, there is no longer a maximum for this scheme.

In the past, the patent box was seldom used. The speakers at the seminar are expecting the new, improved innovation box to result in a serious increase of the tax benefits for profits from innovations. In view of the wide interest shown, we intend to organise a sequel to this seminar at the end of this year.

IREX Technologies will also market new eReader in Europe

IREX Technologies is writing a new chapter in digital reading with the introduction of its new eReader, the IREX DR800SG. Following its introduction in the American market, the eReader will also become the connectivity platform in Europe as of January.
The IREX DR800SG is a compact 8.1 inch touch-screen eReader which is linked to the 3G connectivity platform. Apart from enjoying its modern design, users can also go to various sources to purchase books, newspapers, and magazines. IREX also supports several file formats, including the ePub industry standard and various DRM formats.
This means that the system is an open system unlike many other systems that only allow the use of proprietary file formats. IREX’s new eReader is supported by partners who, together, will provide a virtual shop floor, the content, and a reliable wireless network.

Solar energy powered car Nuna 5 takes a trip round the Campus

Every year a group of students from the Technical University of Delft participates in the World Solar Challenge in Australia – a race for solar energy powered cars.
The Nuon Solar Team won silver with their latest machine, the Nuna 5.
The team recently visited the Campus and took the Nuna for a spin around the
Campus site.

Point-One goes China

Innovation programme Point-One, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, SenterNovem and the Agency for International Business and Cooperation (EVD) recently signed the 2g@there program “Point-One goes China”. Point-One is a Dutch national strategic innovation programme on Nanoelectronics, Embedded Systems and Mechatronics, aiming to gain worldwide leadership through private and public partnership.

Since China is emerging as a significant market for high tech companies and is home to a large number of important technology-based manufacturing and outsourcing partners, Point-One wants to approach China to join forces and combine strengths. Chinese companies are fast developing into potential innovation partners for Point-One members and are becoming prospective investors for the Netherlands. Furthermore China offers an important pool of talent for Point-One industry and academia.

Approaching China by joining forces under the Point-One umbrella will increase the business success rate of Dutch companies doing business in and with China.
The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), East Netherlands Development Agency and Brabant Development Agency (BOM) are partners in the programme. Additional information is available from Marcel de Haan.

Special Interest Group: nice network concept to be continued

The Special Interest Group (SIG) is the ultimate place for both researchers and users of a particular technology to meet. Better still, the SIG does not cater exclusively for Campus companies. The concept was devised by Mikrocentrum and High Tech Campus Eindhoven to connect Campus companies with companies outside the Campus.
This set-up has proved very successful. The recent edition on Open Innovation in Health Technology drew 130 visitors to the Campus. During the evaluation it became clear that the attendants were impressed by both the programme and the speakers and, even more importantly, were willing to contribute to the next edition both actively and in terms of providing content. And so High Tech Campus Eindhoven and Mikrocentrum will organise new SIGs again in 2010 on current topics. Every SIG has the same format: two lectures on content matters, a pitch match and a social networking event. SIG is supported financially by the Ondernemersplein from Gemeente Eindhoven [The Business Centre of the Municipality of Eindhoven], which enables free admission for all visitors.

Holst Centre appoints Director SME Partnerships

On 1 January 2010, Margot Nijkamp stepped into her new role as Director SME Partnerships. By expanding its partnerships with SMEs, Holst Centre hopes to bring its technologies to market faster. It also believes that SMEs have a lot to bring to its technology projects in terms of new market, application and end-customers insights. Margot is happy to take on the challenge of bringing SMEs on board. “In my role of HR Director, I helped build up the Holst Centre on High Tech Campus Eindhoven for over four years. Now I will be helping to build Holst Centre from a different angle and I am excited to be in a role where I can have impact on developing the business.”

KML Linear Motion Technology GmbH

On the Campus since: October 2009
Employees at the Campus: 2
Website: www.kml.at

What is the company's core activity?

The Austrian company KML Linear Motion Technology GmbH has been manufacturing high-quality mechatronics since 1984. These include both linear motion orbiting systems and systems with specific movements such as ‘ball-screw’. The partial systems produced by KML can be incorporated into complete multi-axis motion systems.
All direct-drive solutions that KML produces have their basis in years of experience and continuous development. One third of all 40 employees are engineers.
The main application areas in which KML is active are the electronics and semiconductor industries. KML also has experience with laser, medical, and handling applications.

Why an office on the Campus?

KML wants to expand on a European scale. Apart from the office on the Campus, it will open offices on several other campuses in France, the UK, Italy and Scandinavia.

Global Litho Services

On the Campus since: July 2009
Employees at the Campus: 5
Website: www.globallithoservices.com

What is the company's core activity?

Global Litho Services has 20 employees and operates worldwide. They serve companies in Europe, America and Asia by supporting and selling used and new lithography equipment.

Why an office on the Campus?

The Campus is an ideal environment for technology companies. Also, Global Litho Services is an activity of Simax Global Services which had already settled on the Campus.

Soft Change

“In terms of psychology, companies are currently in the survival mode and this is exactly what does not lead to results.” This is the opinion of Rogier Guns, a change manager who is working at High Tech Campus Eindhoven and the author of the recently published book ‘Zacht Veranderen’ [Soft Change]. “Of course I understand why companies are cautious at the moment; they look at costs with a critical eye and do not make ill-advised investments. But just penny-pinching will not help you conquer the world.”

“What we really need is creativity and entrepreneurship. Companies must cherish their innovators and entrepreneurs because they are the ones who bring in BHAGs, Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Audacious goals and dreams that allow you to make the difference. Companies that have the guts to stick out their necks will boom (later). As Darwin already stated: ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change'.”

“My background is in computers. Via an intermediate job as a team manager I eventually ended up in change management. It is an attractive direction because there will always be a need for change specialists; basically, the only constant is change. So my advice is: if you do not want to change yourself, become a change manager. It is also great to be able to help people to come out of a change which they initially dreaded very much and then come out of in a better shape. Change is not difficult for employees. Being changed is. It will go wrong when people’s directions for use are ignored. If you only base yourself on figures and procedures, which many managers do, this is bound to generate a lot of defiance and resistance. I am usually asked to step in when the top-down attempt to change has failed. Where do I start? In the room where the coffee machine is! It is crucial to know what the sentiments are. Only very few people dare to say to their manager what they think deep down. That’s why managers often live in a world of some kind of politically correct make-belief.”

“On these grounds I dare to put it that all those change models, the theory, will not automatically work. Even the successful author Steven Covey (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) openly admits that it is difficult to put his theory into practice. Change is situational. It is different every time. The methods you apply in one situation may have the exact opposite effect in the next. You must listen well to what is happening. And only once you know that you can start planning interventions. I always tell the management to pay special attention to the NoNos. You know the kind of person, the one who starts by shaking his head at every proposed change. The NoNo is highly valuable to your change process because he is the one who actually voices the resistance that lives among a large group of people. So you’d better prepare yourself for a long friendly relationship with Mr NoNo; if you play it smart, he will unintentionally help you very hard to achieve your goal. In my book Zacht Veranderen [Soft Change] I am not pretending to present a great model that I created myself. The book is the result of writing down a series of lectures from professors and then test them in practice. You should look upon it as a fan of inspiration, with which you can start working immediately.”

Holst and Imec rewarded for research
on wearable energy harvester

Wearable devices are an affirmation of the human tendency to try and make common devices much more convenient to use. This approach not only refers to watches, phones, or music players, but also to medical devices and health monitoring systems.
Pacemaker systems have evolved from huge operational units to small, internal
self-sustainable solutions. A similar idea stimulated the development of wearable health monitoring systems at Holst Centre.

Microwatts
Holst Centre/imec recently received the Frost & Sullivan’s 2009 European Technology Innovation Award for its research on the wearable electrocardiograph energy harvesting solution. The energy harvesting solution they demonstrated provides tens of
microwatts of energy per square centimetre for modules measuring 3 x 4 cm.
In this specific application, the efficiency of the energy harvesting module was sufficient to operate the wearable ECG using 14 units integrated in a shirt.

Test
The device was tested in indoor and outdoor conditions. During energy harvesting,
the system’s power management unit uses a converter to charge two 2.4V batteries.
In all cases, the system’s performance was sufficient to operate the ECG.
The whole unit is fortified against any mechanical stress that would accidentally destroy the fragile thermopiles of the energy harvester. The shock protection, made of thermal insulation material, can even withstand the device being washed with laundry and a drying cycle of 1,000 rpm.

Lifetime warranty
Interestingly, the product requires no service during its entire life and user activity is only limited to the need to wear it. Once placed close to the body, the device starts itself up and monitors the patient’s health. Personal devices, which formerly couldn’t be made portable due to their large sizes or high power requirements, are now developed in the form of easy to wear care gadgets. This approach can be applied to monitoring systems and to a whole range of personal appliances that could be integrated into clothes or personal equipment such as mobile phones, watches, etc.

Energy
Most personal devices still consume large amounts of energy that cannot be provided by currently available energy harvesting solutions. However, the increasing efficiency of energy harvesters, such as the system developed by Holst Centre and imec for health monitoring systems, could enable the fabrication of a wide range of self-sustainable personal solutions in the future.

Unique technology
The Frost & Sullivan award symbolizes recognition of Holst Centre/imec for its
unique technology, the quality and depth of its research program as well as the
vision and risk-taking that enabled it to undertake such an endeavour. Holst Centre and Imec will continue to miniaturize health monitoring devices that allow for efficient and easy monitoring of human health with e.g. electrocardiograph units, which was not possible in the past.

Source Frost & Sullivan

High Tech Campus Eindhoven
embraces sustainability. What about you?

As a Campus we want to develop ever more sustainably. Reducing the carbon footprint of the Campus residents is, for instance, one of the topics the Campus embraces.
However, it works both ways. If you ask your residents for help, you must also offer them something. Apart from the existing government schemes the Campus has taken some measures of its own to reduce its carbon footprint – measures that are easy for our residents to comply with. Please take note of these measures, or rather: please observe them! Read more about the Bicycle Scheme, Campus bicycles, the special public transport pass and your own parking space when you decide to participate in the carpooling scheme on our website.

Cycling Scores!

We would like to draw your attention to the Cycling Scores [Fietsen Scoort] project.
For some years now High Tech Campus Eindhoven has been participating in a project to promote the use of the bicycle by Campus residents to commute to work.
Participating in Fietsen Scoort is fun, because bicycle rides provide immediate benefits for both your health and the living environment. Basically, you are exercising your muscles and your heart, and you don’t use the car for a while. A visit to the Fietsen Scoort website will immediately show you whether you meet the Dutch Standard for Healthy Exercise [Nederlandse Norm Gezond Bewegen], what the reduction of your carbon footprint (greenhouse effect) is and how many bicycle points you are collecting for the prize
raffle or reward. In a word, Cycling means scoring! The Fietsen Scoort campaign runs all year long and you can start whenever you like. You can keep the score of your cycling kilometres on the www.fietsenscoort.nl website.

Regional news site for expats

A small group of international knowledge workers has taken the initiative to set up www.eindhovennews.nl. This English-language news site reports on developments
in the region and provides a review of sports, cultural and recreational activities:
highly recommended for your English-speaking colleague(s).

New website for Campus Network of Professionals

A new network started at the Campus in mid-2009: the High Tech Campus Network of Professionals (Campus NoP). The network is based on the similar, successful Atos Origin Network of Professionals, Communication & Change. Professionals in the network organise meetings on subjects such as personal development, smarter ways of working and collaborating with professional colleagues. As of now the HTC NoP has a new website: http://htcnop.wordpress.com. As a result, the old Campus NoP wiki will be abolished. Campus NoP plans to organise at least three topical sessions. For more information and questions: mail.

Course on fighting minor fires

Every week there is a course on Fighting Minor Fires. During the course, participants are given information on how to extinguish fires, after which they receive practical training. Campus Site Management encourages everyone to follow this course.
The more people who know how to act in case of fire, the better it is.
Costs are € 25 per participant.
Location: the Campus Emergency Centre in P4 West
(near the former badge distribution office).
To register and find out more, please contact Leo Ringeling.

Prolonged due to success: Pub quiz

The grand final of the Pub quiz, a series of listening and knowledge quizzes in the
Grand Café, was held on Monday 11 January. The final edition contained questions and assignments on many topics related to 2009 – sports, news, music, and more.
Twelve teams competed in the arena and battled hard to win the grand prize.
In the end one overall winner came out on top: Team De Contente Bende.
The winning team participated in all ten editions and attained the highest score overall. Their prize is a VIP visit to the TT track in Assen donated by Compass Group as well as tickets for a football match. As the pub quiz was a great success in 2009, a new series of pub quizzes will be organised in 2010, Every First Monday of the month,
starting at 18.00 hours in the Grand Café. Prior to the quiz you can enjoy a meal
for 7 euros. Register for pub quiz.

Taste Club

The Taste Club is a small club of Campus residents who meet informally to enjoy delicious snacks and drinks and pleasant conversation. The Taste Club was founded at the end of 2009 and the first two meetings have already taken place. There was,
for instance, a wine tasting under the supervision of a sommelier from Wijnimport Bart (the wine supplier to The Strip) and the members of the Taste Club have tried and assessed all dishes on the menu of the Grand Café. The chef had excelled himself, which resulted in an attractive presentation with a selection of different snacks.
Luckily, all members of the Taste Club were unanimously positive. The third meeting of the Taste Club will be on 13 April. People can still join: mail.

3D Printing company from Eindhoven conquers the world

What would you give to present your company in the worlds most famous breakfast tv-show? Shapeways was invited to present its 3D printing services in 16 seconds. Read the article (in Dutch).

National significance of 'smartest square kilometre'
of the Netherlands recognised

High Tech Campus Eindhoven - a textbook example of knowledge exchange and innovation. Read the article (in Dutch).

The next edition of E-magine appears on Wednesday April 7.