Valorisation program IXAnext 2017-2022

To stimulate innovation, economic activity and entrepreneurship in both education and research, IXA developed and ran a six-year program (2017-2022): the valorisation programme IXAnext: Talent for Innovation. Some of its projects and facilities have found a more permanent place in de universities entrepreneurship infrastructure.

Lasting incubator facilities at Amsterdam universities

As a result of the IXAnext program combined with growing awareness amongst researchers from all domains, all universities have on-campus incubator facilities. Places where innovative knowledge and research based start-ups can thrive. They offer workspace and dedicated support, and connect students, researchers and alumni to entrepreneurial expertise, resources and a community of like-minded peers. For example:

• at VU and UvA campus you find Demonstrator Lab: the place where researchers, staff, and students can develop and test their business ideas and accommodate their start-up activities.
• HvA Bachelor students have access to the HVA Venture Centre and their 10k Pre incubator program. HvA Venture Centre offers coaching and guidance in developing innovative and/ or sustainable ideas into a start-up during a 20 week program. After that they can join for instance Demonstrator Lab or AVS.
• UvA’s Amsterdam Law Hub a unique breeding ground where law education, research, entrepreneurship and society come together.
• Humanities Venture Lab at UvA, for Humanities-minded entrepreneurship

Stimulating collaborations between companies and researchers

The Research Facilities database helps Research & Development departments to gain access to specialised, high-end equipment and instruments. If you are interested, please reach out to one of our business developers.

The Physics on Demand program enabled companies and non-profits to benefit from the latest scientific expertise and research facilities. It was aimed at strengthening the Research & Development capacity of organisations by building collaborative partnerships, share specific scientific expertise, equipment and state-of-the-art research facilities.

Further we provided researchers who seek to collaborate with industrial partners, with the Physics2Market Grant. This grant encouraged knowledge utilisation, by helping researchers validate physics-related research. The total available budget of €250,000 has been spent.

Entrepreneurship in education and practice

Finding a good mentor for a student start-up can be challenging

In the start-up phase of a company, it can be particularly valuable to be able to spar with an experienced entrepreneur. Therefore, the Start Up and Running platform was launched. On the platform, student entrepreneurs can find experienced mentors – active entrepreneurs, who can advise them in the various stages of the start-up. Having a mentor truly makes a difference when starting a company. A mentor can also be of great value in a more mature phase of a company.
Visit the website Startup and Running to learn more.

An alliance and partnership

The IXAnext valorisation programme was an alliance between the Amsterdam universities and knowledge institutes: HvA, UvA, VU, AHK, Amsterdam UMC-VUmc and Amsterdam UMC-AMC and the NWO institutes AMOLF and NIKHEF.  The program offered facilities and funding, infrastructure, a network, educational measures and much more.

The IXAnext valorisation programme was made possible with a contribution of the City of Amsterdam.