Health~Holland publishes call Organ-on-Chip Showcases

Health~Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH), has published a call for Organ-on-Chip (OoC) Showcases. Companies, recognised research organisations/knowledge institutions, patient organisations and health foundations can apply for financial support (PPP Allowance) to develop an OoC showcase that integrates human stem cell or organoid in vitro cultures and/or microfluidics technology. Deadline for submitting applications is January 14, 2019.

OoC showcases are defined as the experimental proof of concept OoC models showing that it is feasible to recapitulate key aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, in health and/or disease. PPP Allowance serves as a first driver in OoC technology development and therefore aims at developing showcases for specific organ or tissue functionalities which qualify for further research funding. The Health~Holland Organ-on-Chip Showcases (HHOOCS) programme falls within the framework of the PPP Allowance Regulation of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.

Funding is between € 300,000 and € 500,000. The PPP Allowance covers a maximum of 70% of the total fundable project costs. A consortium must consist of at least one company and at least one research organisation or knowledge institution. Patient organisations or health foundations are encouraged to financially support the project, but do not need to take part in the consortium. The project duration is up to 18 months.

The Netherlands has an international leadership position in two research fields that are brought together in OoC technology: microfluidics technology and biomedical stem cell research. OoC technology holds great potential to mimic human (patho)physiological conditions for biomedical research and personalised screening of drugs, food ingredients and environmental compounds. In addition, OoC technology can lead to the reduction of animal experiments by development of alternative preclinical test models. Currently, basic research to develop OoC showcases is pivotal, yet financial instruments often require valorisation within the project period - two almost mutually exclusive conditions. Therefore, OoC showcases are a focus point of Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH).

Current financial instruments for basic research to develop and integrate OoC technologies are limited. The Top Sector LSH wants to stimulate the early phase in OoC technology development and therefore established the HHOOCS programme.