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Developments within NCOH

At the beginning of a new year, it’s time to look back at what has been and what’s to come. The NCOH is proud of all the things accomplished last year. On behalf of the Executive and Supervisory Board, let me share some of the ongoing developments with you.

We started 2016 with the launch of the NCOH in The Hague, and February 4 we will already be celebrating our first anniversary! Strategic Research Theme meetings have been organized throughout the year, and new collaborations have been initiated.

Projects granted

Several initiatives and collaborations for proposals were initiated. Within NCOH-SHF, a TTW (former STW) Perspective proposal was written. Within NCOH-AMR and NCOH-EID, many NCOH PIs have collaborated for ZonMW calls on AMR and zoonoses, and we are very pleased to announce that many proposals were also granted: Granted projects.

NADP

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) has made funding available for the development of the Netherlands Antibiotics Development Platform (NADP), embedded within the NCOH. The NADP will primarily facilitate the development of new antibiotics and alternatives, both nationally and internationally. In relation to the NADP, the Ministry VWS, with Topsector Chemistry, has also provided funding to develop a specific programme on the development of new antibiotics and alternatives that will be executed by the TTW early this year: Initiatives for proposals. Save the date for the NADP launch: 18 April 2017.

Round Table discussions

Two Round Table discussions were organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and Topsectors (AF, L&SH) with NCOH, private parties and different stakeholders in June and December. A wide scala of international organisations from the human and veterinary pharmaceutical industry and companies from agri and food sectors were invited. Fruitful discussions have shaped the development of common themes and research topics that will lead to several new collaborative projects through private-public partnerships in 2017. Status update and Follow-up Round Table NCOH One Health.

NCOH PhD students

In 2017, the NCOH will start with its first cohort of NCOH PhD students across all four Strategic Research Themes. The common research program, covering all four themes and all seven Partners’ interests, for this PhD cohort is Metagenomics for One Health solutions. Coming month, all seven partners will start recruiting the seven PhD students.

WUR Dies Natalis

The NCOH will participate in the 99th Dies Natalis of the Wageningen University and the preceding PhD symposium on 9 March. The four NCOH Strategic Research Themes will then be introduced by the Scientific Directors, and PhD students will pitch their research projects. Dies Natalis: Towards a global one health – wur.nl.

KNAW colloquium

The NCOH presents with the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) a colloquium on ‘One Health Approach to Infectious Diseases’ 14-15 Februari. This colloquium brings fifty experts in the field of One Health together to provide an interdisciplinary perspective and discussion required to develop and implement durable intervention strategies for infectious diseases. The colloquium is preceded by a masterclass for PhD students on 13 Februari. KNAW colloquium and masterclass “One Health Approach to Infectious Diseases” – 13-15 Februari.

Last but not least, we would like to thank Wouter Dhert for his commitment as the Chairman of the NCOH Executive Board during its first year. He has resigned this position but is now involved in the Supervisory Board where he has succeeded Anton Pijpers. We would hereby like to take the opportunity to welcome the new Chairman of the Executive Board, Dick Heederik. We are very pleased he has accepted the position of the chair and look forward working with him. Dick was already active in the preparatory phase of the NCOH and is an active PI in several NCOH Strategic Research Themes. Special credit and thanks to Anton Pijpers, one of the initiators of the NCOH, for his contribution as Vice-Chair of the NCOH Supervisory Board in the last year.

I am happy to conclude that the first year of the NCOH was highly successful with many important collaborative initiatives. I am looking forward to what’s coming next.

Dr Annemarie Rebel, Scientific Director NCOH-SHF