Recap: Life Science Festival Nijmegen – A Celebration of Innovation and Collaboration

On June 12, Briskr and supporting partner Avantor Science hosted an inspiring Life Science Festival at Noviotech Campus in Nijmegen. As part of a two-day national event, the Nijmegen edition brought together researchers, entrepreneurs, and professionals to explore cutting-edge innovations in the life sciences sector.

The festival kicked off with a welcome by Marion Schouten (Briskr), who highlighted Briskr’s role in accelerating innovation and business growth in Health & High Tech. Liz Fransman (Avantor) introduced the festival concept and shared how Avantor and its partners are helping to drive progress in life sciences.

The heart of the event featured interactive workshops, hands-on demos, and short pitches from suppliers eager to showcase the latest developments in their fields.

A broad range of Avantor’s Life Sciences suppliers was present, each bringing unique technologies and solutions:

  • Oxford Nanopore – Nanopore sequencing
  • Agilent – Automated electrophoresis solutions (protein and DNA)
  • QuantaBio – (q)PCR and NGS reagents
  • Molecular Devices – Plate readers and automated imaging
  • Beckman Coulter – Flow cytometry
  • Cytiva – Protein purification and filtration
  • Leica – Imaging
  • Sartorius (Polyplus) – Transfection reagents
  • Fujifilm – GMP recombinant proteins, media, and LAL/endotoxin testing products
  • Omega Bio-tek – Nucleic acid extraction reagents and instruments
  • MP Biomedicals – sample preparation
  • Syngene – DNA/protein gel documentation systems
  • Discover Echo – imaging

Participants had the opportunity to ask questions, test equipment, and engage in valuable discussions with experts and peers. The collaborative atmosphere and high-quality content made this festival a standout moment for the life sciences community in the Nijmegen region.

A heartfelt thanks to all speakers, suppliers, and attendees for their enthusiastic contributions. Together, we’re building a stronger, more connected life sciences ecosystem!

Workshop Navigating the AI Act: Strategies for innovation in Health & Hightech

Join us for an afternoon full of insights, inspiration and practical tools to future-proof your AI-driven innovation.

The European AI Act is reshaping the innovation landscape. From data use and IP protection to risk classification and transparency obligations — the road to compliance can be winding. How can you ensure your AI-driven innovation stays competitive, compliant, and protected?

Briskr and supporting partners BDO, EP&C Patent Attorneys and QServe invite entrepreneurs, innovators, legal experts and tech developers in health & hightech to join this hands-on workshop. Our expert speakers will help you unravel key challenges and opportunities at the intersection of AI, law, GDPR and patents.

Program Highlights:

  • AI & Innovation: Legal aspects
    Overview of the AI Act with a focus on personal data use, transparency, and IP challenges.
  • The winding road to AI Act Compliance
    Compliance strategies, timelines, emerging standards, and risks of non-compliance.
  • Effective patent strategies in the age of the AI Act
    What’s patentable in AI, how to protect it and how to align your IP strategy with regulatory obligations.

Trainers:

For whom?
This workshop is especially for: startups, scaleups, legal advisors, R&D managers, data/AI developers, and entrepreneurs working on AI-driven products and services.

Let’s make sure innovation and compliance go hand in hand. Register now!

Good to know
The workshop is facilitated in English and is free of charge.

Participation in the workshop is free for everyone, including drinks and bites. However, for cancellations within 24 hours prior to the event, we will charge a fee of 15 euros (excluding VAT) to cover incurred expenses.

Intellectual Property Walk-in session

Monthly IP walk-in for health & hightech entrepreneurs
Are you a startup or SME in the health or hightech sector? Every month, we host a free walk-in session where you can get expert advice on Intellectual Property (IP).

Why IP matters
As an entrepreneur, protecting your ideas, technologies, and brand is crucial. Whether you’re developing medical innovations, software, or high-tech devices, having a solid IP strategy can help you secure funding, attract partners, and stay ahead of the competition. From patents and trademarks to design rights and trade secrets—knowing your options can make all the difference.

Meet Rienk Rienksma – IP Advisor at RVO
Rienk is an Intellectual Property advisor at the Netherlands Patent Office, part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. He supports startups and SMEs with questions about IP rights in the broadest sense—whether it’s patent protection, trademarks, or understanding how to safeguard your innovation roadmap.

The advice is confidential, free of charge, and completely independent—no commercial interests involved.

You’re welcome to just walk in, or if you prefer, you can make an appointment in advance.

Contact Rienk Rienksma: rienk.rienksma@rvo.nl

Hoe groot is jouw wereld? Kom naar de Nacht van de Ruimte 2025!

De Nacht van de Ruimte is terug. Op donderdag 19 juni 2025 presenteert INNOVATE i.s.m. Quest Magazine, HAN University of Applied Sciences en vele andere partners een spectaculaire nieuwe editie waarin we het thema ‘hoe groot is jouw wereld?’ verkennen.

Visionairs uit wetenschap, kunst en technologie dagen je uit om je blik te verruimen: van het meten van het universum tot ethische keuzes hier op aarde, van het vergroten van je wereld met kunst en verbeelding tot de kracht van de nacht. Verken nieuwe perspectieven met inspirerende talks, live muziek en check je kennis tijdens de Quest Quiz. Mis het niet!

Vind hier meer informatie en bestel tijdig je tickets.

Internationaal innoveren? 6 tips van RVO voor slimme ondernemers

Als innovatieve ondernemer wil je misschien ook de grens over. Maar heb je dan al nagedacht over intellectueel eigendom, internationale wetgeving en bescherming van je ideeën? De Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) helpt je graag op weg.

Wij delen alvast 6 nuttige tips van RVO, waarmee jij je internationale plannen een slimme basis geeft. Wat kun je verwachten?

🔹 Tip 1: Denk goed na over geheimhouding bij internationale beurzen
🔹 Tip 2: Voorkom onbewuste inbreuk op IE-rechten van anderen
🔹 Tip 3: Registreer je rechten in de landen die er voor jou toe doen
🔹 Tip 4–6: Over procedures, Europese uitputting én gratis advies van een octrooiadviseur

Daarnaast lees je het verhaal van start-up Speaksee, die hun internationale strategie slim hebben opgebouwd met hulp van RVO.

👉 Nieuwsgierig geworden? Lees alle tips, uitleg en het praktijkvoorbeeld op de pagina van RVO over internationaal ondernemen en IE-rechten.

Intellectual Property Walk-in session

Monthly IP walk-in for health & hightech entrepreneurs
Are you a startup or SME in the health or hightech sector? Every month, we host a free walk-in session where you can get expert advice on Intellectual Property (IP).

Why IP matters
As an entrepreneur, protecting your ideas, technologies, and brand is crucial. Whether you’re developing medical innovations, software, or high-tech devices, having a solid IP strategy can help you secure funding, attract partners, and stay ahead of the competition. From patents and trademarks to design rights and trade secrets—knowing your options can make all the difference.

Meet Rienk Rienksma – IP Advisor at RVO
Rienk is an Intellectual Property advisor at the Netherlands Patent Office, part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. He supports startups and SMEs with questions about IP rights in the broadest sense—whether it’s patent protection, trademarks, or understanding how to safeguard your innovation roadmap.

The advice is confidential, free of charge, and completely independent—no commercial interests involved.

You’re welcome to just walk in, or if you prefer, you can make an appointment in advance.

Contact Rienk Rienksma: rienk.rienksma@rvo.nl

Dag van Winkelsteeg

Winkelsteeg is volop in ontwikkeling – en dat laten we graag zien. Op dinsdag 20 mei nodigen we jou uit voor de allereerste ‘Dag van Winkelsteeg’.

Een kijkje in detoekomst van jouw werk- en woonomgeving.

Wat kun je verwachten?

Informatiemarkt ‘Winkelsteeg in beeld’. Met foto’s, tekeningen en kaarten van de plannen voor Winkelsteeg. Ook is er een maquette van het gebied. Verschillende organisaties laten zien waar ze nu aanwerken en wat er nog gaat gebeuren.

Workshops en presentatiesJ e kunt zelf meedoen en meer leren over hoe Winkelsteeg steeds meer een plek wordt om te werken, te wonen én om leuke dingen te doen.In gesprek met elkaarJe krijgt alle kans om vragen te stellen en ideeën te delen. Je kunt in gesprek gaanmet andere geïnteresseerden uit de omgeving. En met ondernemers, medewerkersvan de gemeente en andere organisaties die in Winkelsteeg werken aan deontwikkeling van het gebied.

Tussen 16:00 en 20:00 uur ben je van harte welkom in de Meet&Greet in gebouw M vop Noviotech Campus – loop gerust binnen wanneer het jou uitkomt. Aanmelden is niet nodig. Voor de workshops kun je je ter plekke aanmelden.

Houd de website in de gaten voor de precieze workshops en inhoud van het programma.

Looking back: A powerful workshop on startup-corporate collaboration

Last week, we hosted a dynamic and insightful workshop with Corina Kuiper, Managing Director of the Corporate Venturing Network and founder of Innovation Family. With over 25 years of experience in strategic management and innovation, Corina brought a wealth of knowledge to the table — and it showed!

The session, titled “Ready to team up: Building successful startup-corporate collaborations,” was packed with real-life examples, practical tools, and valuable insights into how startups and corporates can truly benefit from working together.

  • From understanding the cultural and strategic gaps between corporates and startups
  • To exploring different types of collaborations and when to use them
  • And identifying the key success factors for long-term impact

Corina guided participants through the entire journey of effective collaboration.

She received a full 5-star rating from all participants — a clear testament to the relevance of the topic and the quality of the session. We thank Corina for her inspiring contribution and all participants for their great energy and openness.

Takea look at the collage to catch a glimpse of the day!

Life Science Festival

A TWO-DAYS LIFE SCIENCE FESTIVAL

Avantor is bringing together the most interesting innovations in the Life Science sector to a new festival. We will have workshops on how to use different instruments and scientific presentations which will introduce you to what is new in the LifeScience market! The two dates in Leiden and Nijmegen are meant to give the possibility to everyone in the Netherlands to join. The programs will be the same, just choose the one that is more convenient to you. Spots are limited, book yours by scanning the QRcode below of via this link.

10TH OF JUNE BIOTECH TRAINING FACILITY LEIDEN

12TH OF JUNE NOVIOTECH CAMPUS NIJMEGEN

Recap | Briskr Workshop: Company Valuation & Legal Issues in Joint Ventures

The online Briskr workshop delivered a strong and engaging session filled with valuable insights for startups preparing to raise funding.

BDO took a leading role in the session.

  • Sjoerd Klabbers shared practical approaches to company valuation and offered guidance on how to prepare for negotiations with potential investors.
  • Eva Godefroy and Valerie van Engelenburg-Sijberden addressed the legal side of joint ventures, including topics like exit strategies, decision-making processes, and shareholder agreements—all crucial elements for building strong investor relationships.

Geert Corstens from Oost NL provided valuable insights into the investor’s perspective: What drives their decision-making? What expectations do they have before and after investing? His contribution helped participants to better understand how to align their business case with investor priorities.

The workshop was especially relevant for the startups preparing to pitch at the upcoming Business Angels Network Nijmegen (BANN) meeting in June. With the knowledge gained, they are well-positioned to take the next step in their funding journey.

A big thank-you to all speakers and participants for making this digital edition a success!