2022 HENRI TERMEER TRANSATLANTIC CONNECTIONS AWARD HONOREES ANNOUNCED BY TERMEER FOUNDATION; SUPPORTING EMERGING LIFE SCIENCE LEADERS IN THE NETHERLANDS AND MASSACHUSETTS
BOSTON, April 21, 2022 -- The Termeer Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on connecting life science innovators and catalyzing the creation of new medicines, today announced the recipients of the 2022 Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award. The awardees of the second annual honor will be recognized during a presentation at the Innovation for Health conference taking place April 21, 2022, in the Netherlands.
This year’s winners of the Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award are:Kasper Roet, of QurAlis Corporation and Koenraad Wiedhaup, of Leyden Labs.
“We are delighted to honor the 2022 Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award winners, Kasper Roet and Koenraad Wiedhaup, both of whom are deserving of this award due to their exceptional professional background and commitment to the ideals of Henri Termeer,” said Belinda Termeer, President and Co-founder of The Termeer Foundation. “Even at this early stage in their careers they have shown a great capacity to combine leadership with innovation within their companies as they pursue distinct scientific paths towards developing breakthrough medicines.”
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 Transatlantic Connections Award creates significant opportunities for its recipients to network, learn and possibly collaborate with life science professionals in two of the most important life science sectors,” said Hans Schikan, board member of Health-Holland and a member of the Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award Steering Committee. “Over the course of the next year as Award recipients and beyond as Termeer Fellows, this year’s winners will be presented with a variety of chances to enhance their knowledge of the global life science sector and plant the seeds for future company success.”
Each year, the Termeer Foundation and Health-Holland selects 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. Candidates are 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 possess 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 local biotechnology sector, and to participate in additional learning, networking and cultural events in that location.
“When QurAlis was established, we recognized that even at an early stage developing medicines to treat neurodegenerative diseases has no borders or geographical limitations,” said Kasper Roet, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, QurAlis. “Being selected to receive the Transatlantic Connections Award is not only an honor, but an excellent platform from which to create those all-important relationships outside our sector.”
The Greater Boston and Netherlands biotechnology sectors represent two of the world’s prolific global biomedical research centers. Boston and Cambridge is 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.
