In May 2026, under the umbrella of InFECT-NL, a national valorization program to accelerate drug development for infectious diseases will officially be launched, together with an innovation fund. Funded with € 7 million, in the program knowledge institutions (including UMC Utrecht), companies and societal partners will collaborate to translate promising academic innovations into startups and clinical applications with societal impact.
InFECT-NL supports the clinical development of vaccines and therapies against infectious diseases and strengthens the pandemic preparedness of the Netherlands. Through the national valorization program, named InFECT-TT, € 1 million is available for vouchers. In addition, the Infectious Diseases Innovation Fund (IDIF) has approximately € 6 million available for early-stage investments. The program has been established within the Thematic Technology Transfer (TTT) scheme of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and consists of the two complementary pillars presented below.
This pillar focuses on supporting preclinical academic innovations on their path towards spin-outs or startup formation. The InFECT-TT consortium consists of UMC Utrecht, Amsterdam UMC, Leiden University Medical Center, Radboudumc and University Medical Center Groningen. Together, the partners combine expertise in infectious diseases, valorization, and venture building. The program collaborates with Samenwerking Infectieziekten (a Dutch initiative uniting patients, healthcare professionals, and health charities) and was founded by the NVMM (Dutch Society for Medical Microbiology), NVII (Dutch Society of Internal Medicine Infectious Diseases), and the Samenwerkende Gezondheidsfondsen (Association of Collaborating Health Foundations). Support offered by InFECT-TT includes:
Each proposition can receive up to € 57,000 in vouchers. In addition, researchers are supported by business developers from the participating university medical centers.
The Infectious Diseases Innovation Fund (IDIF) provides early-stage investment in startups, with individual investments of up to € 1.5 million. This seed financing supports preclinical and early clinical development and helps companies become investor-ready for subsequent funding rounds. The fund is managed by Libertatis Ergo Holding (LEH), a wholly owned subsidiary of Leiden University. In collaboration with numerous partners across the Dutch Life Sciences & Health ecosystem, LEH has developed a broad portfolio of startups in drug development, biotechnology, and medical technology.
Natalie Mazur MD PhD, pediatric resident at UMC Utrecht and InFECT-NL team member says: “Recent years have shown how important it is to be able to respond quickly to emerging infectious diseases. Think of COVID-19, but also current threats such as avian influenza and hantavirus infections. With INFECT-TT, we can accelerate the development of promising academic innovations toward patient applications. For UMC Utrecht, participation is important because it allows us to link our expertise in infectious diseases, vaccine development, and translational research to entrepreneurship and clinical product development. Together with the other university medical centers, we are building a strong national ecosystem that better prepares the Netherlands for future outbreaks.”
The program focuses on candidate products and technologies for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, as well as solutions that strengthen pandemic preparedness. Diagnostics are outside the scope of the program. Examples of targeted innovation domains include: therapeutics for infectious diseases, vaccines and preventive interventions, innovative delivery methods (e.g. microneedle or intranasal systems), platform technologies enabling rapid response to outbreaks, and technologies that enhance the effectiveness of vaccines and therapies
