Collaboration UMCU and KNAW regarding Hubrecht Institute

25 February 2008

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht have decided to join forces to further develop the Hubrecht Institute into an internationally renowned institute in the area of biomedical research. To this end, the two parties signed an agreement on Thursday, February 21. The Hubrecht Institute has until now received only basic funding from the KNAW. UMC Utrecht will now also provide additional financial support, which means that this basic funding will increase from 5.7 to around 9.7 million euros a year.

Hubrecht Institute director Hans Clevers emphasizes the significance of the agreement: “Thanks to this collaboration, the Hubrecht Institute now has the scale to become a international player. At the same time, we will be able to establish a sound footing for our fundamental research program within the biomedical setting of UMC Utrecht.”

Geert Blijham, chairman of the Board of Directors at UMC Utrecht: “Research from ‘bench to bedside’ – from animals to humans, from the laboratory to patients – this is the kind of work UMC Utrecht wants to be involved in. Collaborating with the Hubrecht Institute on genetic and stem cell research will give this type of research a considerable boost.”

Frits van Oostrom, president of the KNAW: “Our policy is focused on increasing cooperation between our institutes and the universities, and this is a fine example of such cooperation. It offers a wonderful opportunity for further expanding on the excellent research conducted at the Hubrecht Institute.”

The KNAW’s Hubrecht Institute does research in the area of developmental biology, with special emphasis on stem cell research. Strategic biomedical and genome research is also carried out alongside this fundamental research. The research is unique because it focuses on the entire developmental biology of animals, from fertilization to adult organism.