The Holomicrobiome Innovation Institute was officially launched this week at ARTIS in Amsterdam. The new public-private partnership is receiving €200 million from the National Growth Fund and brings scientists, companies, governments, and civil society organizations together around a single goal: translating knowledge about microbiomes into concrete applications for a healthier and more sustainable society.
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam’s Professor of Systems Biology Bas Teusink of A-LIFE/AIMMS serves as Scientific Director and Associate Professor of Societal Entrepreneurship in Health and Life Sciences Linda van de Burgwal, of the Athena Institute at VU Amsterdam is Director of Valorization. Together with the Holomicrobiome team, they are working to connect fundamental and impact driven research and innovation with societal applications.
Microbiomes - communities of bacteria, fungi, and viruses - are found everywhere: in soil, in water, on plants, animals, and in the human body. They play an important role in health, food production, and ecosystems. According to researchers, there is still much untapped potential.
“New technologies, especially in the field of data collection and AI, enable major scientific breakthroughs,” says Bas Teusink. “By bringing knowledge and data together, we can develop applications more quickly that contribute to societal challenges.”
For example, researchers are working on microbes that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from manure, make agriculture less dependent on chemical agents, help purify water, or better predict the effectiveness of medicines.
Connecting science and society
Within the consortium, the Athena Institute focuses on societal impact and collaboration. Among other things, the institute coordinates so-called Living Labs, in which researchers, together with companies, policymakers, and societal partners, develop new applications and test them in practice. In addition, Athena works on valorization, monitoring, and societal engagement surrounding the research projects. The goal is to bring innovations to society faster and more inclusively.
Linda van de Burgwal: “Scientific insights, policy, and business models do not always align well yet. As a result, many innovations remain on the shelf for too long. By collaborating with all involved parties from the start, we can remove innovation barriers more quickly.”
The Netherlands as an international center for microbiome research
The Holomicrobiome Innovation Institute is the world’s first integrated innovation network that researches microbiomes across all domains: from soil and water to plants, animals, and humans. Eleven Dutch universities, all university medical centers, seven universities of applied sciences, knowledge institutions, and dozens of companies collaborate within the consortium.
In addition to VU Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam, Wageningen University & Research, TNO, Friesland Campina, Arla Foods, and Winclove Probiotics are among the affiliated partners.
The official opening coincided with a new NWO call of €26 million for research projects within the Holomicrobiome domain. With this, the Netherlands aims to further invest in research and innovation regarding microbiomes in the coming years.
According to the initiators, the institute can contribute to a new economic sector in which sustainable health, circular production, and ecological restoration take center stage.