Together with a delegation of EZK members, Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau and Ben Feringa, as members of the National Growth Fund Committee, visited NecstGen and Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). The visit took place in Leiden where two of the five pilot lines of the Pilotfabriek are located. The facilities opened their laboratory doors for this special occasion.

During the visit, the delegation was shown around the building. Afterwards the progress of all pilot lines were discussed. The delegation was impressed by the progress made so far.

After the visit Advisory committee members Constantijn Van Oranje-Nassau and Ben Feringa expressed that: "We closely monitor the progress of all projects. It's inspiring to see which steps the implementing parties have taken and which collaborations are brought further to make the projects a success. The success of these projects contributes to the sustainable earning capacity and thus to the future of The Netherlands."

Pilot factory in short- The Netherlands is one of the frontrunners in the field of regenerative medicine. The Pilot factory offers, through its specialized pilot lines in different regions, access to the entire regenerative chain: development and production of stem cells, mini-organs, tissues and smart (bio)materials.

Startups, industry, research institutes and universities can make use of the facilities and expertise of the Pilot Factory. By virtue of this strong infrastructure, collaboration and expertise can enable preclinical innovations in the field of regenerative medicine to be brought to the patient faster and cheaper.

In this way, the Pilot Factory contributes to strengthening and improving healthcare and enhances the innovative power of the Netherlands.

Growth Fund investment - The National Growth Fund was created by the cabinet to invest € 20 billion in projects that aim to achieve long-term economic growth between 2021 and 2025. RegMed XB has submitted a proposal for investment in the Pilot Factory during the first round of the National Growth Fund. In total, the National Growth Fund allocated € 56 million for the construction, equipping and staffing of the RegMed XB Pilot Factory.

Progress realization - At the start, three phases were defined for the realization of the RegMed XB Pilot Factory.

• Phase 1: setting up and setting up the infrastructure.
• Phase 2: open to clients and projects.
• Phase 3: scaling up.

The Pilot factory is currently in the transition between phase 1 and phase 2. Building the infrastructure of the Pilot Factory has started in 2021. A lot of progress has been made over the past year, while the underlying technology platforms for the pilot lines were further developed. Five pilot lines are currently being established (both the facilities and the staffing) and the first projects have already been commenced.

• Biomaterials pilot line (Smart BioMaterials Consortium, Eindhoven)
• Stem cell pilot line (NecstGen, Leiden)
• iPSC and OoC pilot line (LUMC, Leiden)
• Microtissue pilot line (University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht)
• Macrotissue pilot line (ReGEN Biomedical, Maastricht)

The Pilot Factory in operation – A lot has been achieved so far. A large part of the facilities is ready for use and the first projects and collaborations have started.

(Starting) companies and academic groups can now use the so far built up RG infrastructure of the Pilot Factory. 

The support of the National Growth Fund and the investment of provinces, private parties and knowledge institutions enable an ecosystem in which parties closely work together. This brings curing chronic diseases one step closer.

Access the full article here.

More information about the Pilot Factory

Press contact: Erik Eijrond. Translated by: Hannah Bredero