At Oncode Institute, innovation drives both scientific progress and economic growth. Our support for cancer research leads to new therapies, technologies and companies - benefitting patients, but also society as a whole.
Our Impact
Turning Discovery into Economic Value
When researchers make breakthroughs in cancer science, we help transform their discoveries into real-world impact. From the earliest stages, we provide expert guidance, targeted funding and access to a strong network of partners. Our dedicated valorisation team works with biotech companies, pharmaceutical partners and investors to bring new products to market. We also help launch promising spin-offs, create jobs and attract international investment.
These achievements are more than statistics. They represent progress: new companies, new careers and new hope for patients. By connecting science with business, Oncode Institute strengthens the Netherlands’ position as a leading biotech hub. Every success story brings us closer to a future where innovation delivers better treatments, while also creating opportunities, sustainability and shared prosperity.
Our Impact So Far
At Oncode Institute, we embed valorisation early in the research process - helping create value from the start. Our strong and growing portfolio of promising technologies and therapeutic innovations is shaping the future of cancer care and, therefore, impacting lives.
A key driver is the TechDev Fund, which supports the commercial development of scientific breakthroughs and accelerates the journey from laboratory to market. This approach has enabled the validation of new therapies, the development of cutting-edge technologies and early insights into the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of innovations in real-world patient care.
Milestones To Date:
- 12 spin-off companies created
- 9 clinical evaluations of promising innovations
- 9 licenses granted to commercial partners
These 11 spin-offs have created around 60 new jobs and attracted significant investment. In 2024 alone, private companies invested €3.3 million directly into research by Oncode Investigators, while Oncode spin-offs secured an additional €28.9 million from private investors in the Netherlands and abroad.
By combining scientific excellence with strategic valorisation, we help build a stronger, more dynamic biotech ecosystem in the Netherlands. With new partnerships and commercial projects underway, the future holds even greater potential to create further impact.
Impact Story
Flindr Therapeutics.
Oncode Institute’s Oncology Bridge Fund provides scientific start-ups with financial resources, a network of experts and a support network - ensuring that fundamental research discoveries don’t stay in the laboratory, but grow into real economic value.
Flindr Therapeutics is one of these successful spin-offs. When commercial partners were initially hesitant, the Bridge Fund helped the team transform their research into a viable business.
Founded in 2020, Flindr develops small-molecule therapies for cancer treatment. The team studies immune and tumour cells, maps them genetically and develops molecules that influence disease processes.
Maarten Ligtenberg - CEO of Flindr Therapeutics and tumour immunologist - explains:
Today, Flindr Therapeutics is a promising spin-off:
‘Our work in immunotherapy and precision medicine can help people recover and rejoin society. The impact on patients’ lives, and the economic value of that, is enormous.’
He adds that support from the Oncology Bridge Fund is vital for other start-ups:
’Academics like us are trained to do specific research and ask complex questions, not to run a business. You have to dare to commercialise, and Oncode Institute helped us take that crucial step.’
‘Bringing science into a start-up is one thing, but bringing a drug to market is another. At the academic stage, commercial parties were not yet ready to work with us. Now that Flindr is making significant progress with its research programmes, this is changing rapidly.’
Voices from Our Community
Jop Kind, Oncode Investigator
‘This year, we launched sCellgen, a spin-off based on the MAbID technology developed in our laboratory. MAbID is a platform that helps identify and select the most promising antibodies that specifically target cancer - enabling the development of new therapies and diagnostic tools.
The sCellgen launch was made possible in part by support from Oncode Institute’s Base Research Funding. Developing early-stage, high-risk technology is often difficult to finance. Oncode Institute’s commitment to such innovations underlines its unique value within the Dutch oncology landscape.’
Anne Rios, Oncode Investigator
‘Oncode Institute has consistently proven invaluable to advancing groundbreaking research. The institute’s support and expertise were essential in shaping the business case for our upcoming spin-off, Sniper Therapeutics. With the strategic insights we gained, we were able to enhance T-cell therapy with the most powerful tumour-targeting mechanisms.’
Mario van der Stelt, Oncode Investigator
‘The business development team at Oncode Institute has been instrumental in enhancing the impact of my research by coordinating key valorisation activities. Their support has made my interactions with industry far more effective. This has led to valuable collaborations and paved the way for translating scientific discoveries into tangible commercial opportunities - benefitting both the economy and the healthcare sector.’