The Termeer Foundation Opens Up Nominations for the 2022 Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award

The Termeer Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on connecting life science innovators and catalyzing the creation of new medicines, today announced that nominations for the annual 2022 Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award are officially open.

The Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award began as part of an agreement in July 2019, between the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, which created and signed a Memorandum of Understanding laying the basis for a Massachusetts – Netherlands Transatlantic Life Sciences Partnership. The signatories included Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (Health-Holland), MassBio, HollandBIO and the Henri A. Termeer Tribute Committee; all of whom agreed to provide support and organize activities to promote trans-Atlantic collaboration between the two biotechnology ecosystems.

The nomination form can be found on the Termeer Foundation website.

“The excitement and interest that was created around last year’s inaugural awards has provided an excellent platform from which to continue to support future biotech leaders through this unique opportunity,” said Catharine Smith, Executive Director, The Termeer Foundation. “The biotechnology industry is truly a global business environment and the Foundation is committed to creating programs for future industry leaders that elevate them within this international landscape.”

The Henri A. Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award was established in 2021. With support from the Termeer Foundation and Health-Holland, the Award recognizes and honors two emerging life science entrepreneurs, one in Massachusetts and one in the Netherlands, who are leading innovative biomedical research activities, and whose programs have the potential to strengthen transatlantic relations between the two life science regions. Each year, candidates will be selected based on their initial entrepreneurial success in establishing a life science company that meets certain scientific and financial criteria, exhibit a strong interest in mentoring other young entrepreneurs, and a willingness for additional involvement in Termeer Foundation programs. Awardees also receive Fellowship status within The Termeer Foundation, which includes access to experienced healthcare mentors, networking with fellow peer entrepreneurs, and recognition at the annual Termeer Fellows Celebration. Recipients are invited to spend a week visiting their fellow awardee’s company, and to participate in additional learning, networking and cultural events in that location.

2021 winners were Eline van Beest, CEO, Hybridize Therapeutics, and Joshua Cohen and Justin Klee co-founders and CEO’s of Amylyx Pharmaceuticals.

"The Henri A. Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award is helping to solidify the growing collaboration between the Cambridge and Netherlands biotechnology ecosystems by establishing opportunities for industry entrepreneurs to shape business policy and pipelines,” said Hans Schikan, board member of Health-Holland and a member of the Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award Steering Committee. “Through the continuation of this Award, the novel partnership between the Termeer Foundation and Health-Holland will allow honorees to learn how best practices from each biotech community can impact their own growth and ultimately benefit patients.”

The Greater Boston and Netherlands biotechnology sectors represent two of the world’s prolific global biomedical research centers. Boston and Cambridge are home to approximately 1,400 biotechnology companies; ranging from small, emerging start-ups to larger, more established biopharmaceutical companies. Cambridge’s Kendall Square is the heart of this sector and holds a large concentration of life science companies, with over 120 located within the Square’s small footprint. The highly collaborative Dutch Life Sciences & Health community includes 3,100 R&D life sciences companies, 420 biopharmaceutical companies, 65,000 employees in pharmaceuticals and a 4.7-billion-euro medtech market. Life Sciences businesses in the Netherlands profit from countless opportunities for growth and collaboration.

Winners of the 2022 Henri A. Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award will be announced at the 2022 Innovation for Health Conference in Rotterdam.

About The Termeer Foundation

Building on the bold legacy of Henri Termeer, who pioneered groundbreaking treatments for rare diseases, The Termeer Foundation connects life science innovators and catalyzes the creation of new medicines. The Foundation’s network of emerging and established healthcare innovators cultivates tomorrow’s leaders and leverages their collective expertise to solve complex problems in drug development and accessibility. The Foundation also integrates its network with academic institutions, nonprofits, regulatory agencies and other organizations across the global healthcare ecosystem to provide expert counsel, stimulate innovation, eliminate barriers to progress, and ultimately connect the world of healthcare until every patient has a cure. Visit us at www.termeerfoundation.org or on LinkedIn @TermeerFoundation.

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