Starting this summer, the new BioMatTech Campus on Energieweg in Nijmegen should become a place where ambitious medical companies, especially in the world of biomaterials, join forces. Initiator Tonny Voermans explains why this new location is badly needed, even though many good facilities for the health cluster are already present in the Nijmegen region.
Tonny Voermans is the director of BioMed Elements, an innovative biomaterials company. "We use biodegradable biopolymers to develop surgical implants. So we supply hospitals directly or indirectly. We focus on ease of use in development and want to offer a low-cost alternative to what is currently available in the market. As a company, we have passed the start-up phase, you could call us a scale-up. This year, we will launch at least two more new products in the market."
The company, based at the Kerkenbos business park, is outgrowing its premises. “We have twelve staff members and there’s no room to expand. The spaces next to us are all full too. We considered splitting up or moving out altogether, but there’s hardly any space available in Nijmegen. Our landlord suggested a space nearby, on Energieweg. When I went to have a look, it turned out to be about five times the size of what we were looking for.”
Voermans put it out of his mind, but not long after, the REACT-EU fund, a European grant implemented by the province of Gelderland, caught his eye. "It occurred to me that I would surely not be the only entrepreneur in the province running with this problem," he says.
Need for flexibility
On behalf of BioMed Elements, he entered the application process. "We had a lot of contact with the province to check things out and also asked for and received help from other stakeholders in the region such as Radboud University, Raboudumc, the municipality of Nijmegen, the Novio Tech Campus, Health Valley and The Economic Board, among others. They helped us get a good picture of exactly what entrepreneurs need.
This clearly showed that the health cluster in Nijmegen is very strong, but that at the same time there are also challenges, especially because there is a huge influx of new companies coming to the region and there are also many companies that want to expand. As a result, there is a great need for space. The corona crisis has intensified that problem."
Thus, slowly but surely the plans for the BioMatTech Campus emerged: a collective building with office space, laboratories and clean rooms. "From the beginning, we said we did not want to compete with the Novio Tech Campus, among others," Voermans clarifies.
"The pie is more than big enough for different parties. We thought carefully about how we want to differentiate ourselves. Among other things, we noticed the need for flexibility. Start-ups in particular, but also scale-ups, sometimes need something for a few months, for example for validation research. We are going to facilitate that. But for our own stability, we are also looking for companies that want to rent for longer periods. "ou
Discussions are currently underway with interested parties, for both the short and longer term. Radboud University and Oost NL are assisting with this. Construction of the laboratories, amongst other facilities, is also in full swing. “The aim is to have six laboratories, six clean rooms and 380 square metres of office space up and running by early June.”
Not only space
“With us, you’re not just renting space; we offer genuine business support services,” says Voermans. “The space we offer is already partly equipped. In addition, companies can make use of a quality management system for medical applications, geared towards both the European and American markets. We also offer them the opportunity to apply for grants together with us.”
The ‘BioMat’ part of the name clearly refers to biomaterials. Voermans is therefore not necessarily targeting all medical companies. “For companies whose activities are in line with what we do, our concept offers the greatest added value.”
Collaboration
Potential tenants may come from nearby, but also from further afield. “We are in talks with all sorts of companies. Some are from the region, or from other provinces in the Netherlands, but we are also in discussions with companies operating in North America or Asia.”
The BioMatTech Campus is primarily intended to foster greater collaboration. Voermans emphasises just how important this is. “There’s a great deal happening in our field and it’s difficult to find the right people. There are also many challenges, such as quality management. As a result, many companies feel compelled to work with expensive consultants. But there is a wealth of knowledge available that can also be tapped into through effective collaboration. We can really help each other with that.”
If you’d like to find out more about the BioMatTech Campus, download the information brochure in PDF format here.
