Karnataka co-creates innovative solutions with The Netherlands

Life Sciences and Healthcare (LSH) is a priority sector under bilateral collaboration between India and the Netherlands. Growing market opportunities in India, combined with the Netherlands’ strengths in areas such as Therapeutics & Vaccines, Medtech and Digital Health create excellent opportunities for partnerships that address shared societal challenges with smart solutions and make India a valuable partner for the Dutch LSH Sector. The affordability and accessibility of healthcare remains at the core of partnerships between the Indian and the Dutch stakeholders.

On the 17^th and 18^th of October, more than 80 companies and knowledge institutes from the Netherlands in the fields of Life Sciences & Healthcare (LSH) and Horticulture & Agriculture visited Bengaluru. Heading the delegation were Dutch Minister for Medical Care and Sport, Bruno Bruins, Chair of the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, Carmen van Vilsteren, Vice Minister of Agriculture, Marjolijn Sonnema and Chairman of the Topsector Horticulture & Starting Materials, Loek Hermans.

To encourage partnerships around important themes of affordability and accessibility, a Healthcare Seminar was organised at Hotel Four Seasons in Bengaluru that brought together government officials, healthcare practitioners, med-tech companies, IT companies, academic institutes and start-ups. The Ministerial and business delegation also visited Philips Innovation Campus, Centre for Cellular & Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), Narayana Health City and Anthem Biosciences.

4 MoUs were signed during a Holland Trade Reception hosted by Consul-General of the kingdom of the Netherlands in Bengaluru, Gert Heijkoop. The overview is given below:

1. Co-development Agreement between Dutch company, CareAnimations and National Institute for Mental Health and Neuro Science, Bengaluru to co-develop animated videos aimed at mass population to increase awareness and acceptance of mental disorders and stimulate the willingness to seek professional help.
2. MoU between Dutch company CareAnimations and Centre for Social Action, Christ University Bengaluru to develop animated videos aimed at people in urban slums to increase awareness, understanding and willingness to act with regard to a range of Public Health issues, such as clean drinking water, sanitation, education, substance abuse, etc.
3. MoU between Dutch company, CareAnimations and AIC-Octo Spaces Incubator Services Private Limited, Hyderabad to explore synergies in improving Indian private hospital sector with better patient service, patient outcome es, patient satisfaction and patient retention, combined with higher efficiency and productivity.
4. Cooperation agreement on the joint center on genome stability between Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) to establish advanced cutting-edge research in DNA damage response defects, genome stability and therapeutic applications. The two sides will also develop co-supervised PhD programmes, to strengthen capacity building.

Calling Bengaluru, Brainport of India, Dutch Minister for Medical Care and Sport, Bruno Bruins said, "The State of Karnataka is an important partner for the Netherlands regarding health. It is impressive to see how the Bangalore biotech cluster is helping to drive new scientific breakthroughs and innovations. Not only on antimicrobial resistance but also on digital health, medical devices and diagnostics. I see a lot of opportunities for and positive energy between Dutch and Indian companies and knowledge institutes to work together on affordable and accessible healthcare for all. A challenge not only in the Netherlands but also in India. Building up a healthcare infrastructure for everyone is a hard nut to crack. At the same time there are unique opportunities by using new data-technology, ICT and e-health. Working together on our mutual challenges will help us both to improve the national and global health”.