Two weeks ago, key stakeholders from Massachusetts and the Netherlands came together in a digital session to discuss how the Life Sciences & Health ecosystems are responding to COVID-19, which lessons could be learned from the reaction to the pandemic, and how to stimulate closer international collaboration.
The same organisations also signed a MoU in 2019 to advance ongoing collaboration in life sciences and included Mark Sullivan (Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment, MOITI), Elizabeth Steele (MassBio), and Jennifer Griffin (Massachusetts Life Sciences Center) from Massachusetts and Focco Vijselaar (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy), Clémence Ross-van Dorp (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy), Annemiek Verkamman (HollandBIO) and Carmen van Vilsteren (Health~Holland) from the Netherlands. Akshay Vaishnaw (Alnylam Pharmaceuticals) and Freddy Nguyen (MIT COVID-19 Challenge) were invited as speakers to share their activities in light of COVID-19. The session was moderated by Hans Schikan (Top Sector Life Sciences & Health).