Catalyze

20/10/2026

📸 Looking ahead together at Catalyze Day 2026!

Last week, colleagues from across Catalyze Group, Grantific and Catalyze Capital came together for our annual Catalyze Day, this year centred around The Future of Innovation Consulting.

Throughout the day, we explored this theme from different perspectives, exchanged ideas and considered the opportunities and challenges shaping our industry.

We were thrilled to welcome our clients Diederik Engbersen (CEO at CimCure B.V.), Mohammad Kojourimanesh, Dr. PDEng. (Co-Founder & CEO at ATA Mute B.V.), and Ali Abdi, MSc, MBA (CBO at ATA Mute B.V.), who presented their companies and innovations before joining a discussion with Theodoor Rutgers, CSO & Co-founder of Catalyze Group and CEO & Co-Founder of Grantific. Hearing directly from our clients brought a valuable perspective to the day's conversations.

Guest speaker Christian Kromme also joined us to speak about the future of professional services.

Thank you to all our guests and colleagues for bringing their curiosity, ideas and energy to the day!

🎬 More from Catalyze Day coming soon in our aftermovie...

21/09/2026

🍻 A well-deserved borrel after a busy deadline day!

Last week, our team wrapped up an intense submission period across a range of major funding programmes, including Horizon Europe, Eurostars, EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator, and ERC Proof of Concept calls.

After many weeks of hard work supporting our clients’ innovative projects, it was great to come together in the office, celebrate the team effort, and raise a glass to everyone involved.

Thank you to our team for your dedication, collaboration, and energy! 🤩

21/09/2026

❤️ What if we could help the heart conduct electrical signals differently – using nanotechnology?

That’s what the EU-funded NanoBeat project is exploring. Led by Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg (UKHD), the consortium is developing CardioINK: an injectable material combining conductive nanowires and hydrogels to explore new approaches to treating cardiac arrhythmias.

Last week, the team came together in Maastricht for its second consortium meeting, with discussions spanning biomaterials, catheter development, preclinical testing, regulatory strategy, and patient involvement.

Catalyze provides project management for NanoBeat, supporting the coordination and progress of the consortium. Our Project Manager, Chantal Van Opbergen, has been supporting the project from the start and attended the meeting in Maastricht.

Reflecting on the progress so far, Chantal shared:
“What stands out is how far NanoBeat has already come — from a shared idea on paper last year to real preclinical progress, built on the combined expertise of clinical cardiology, cellular electrophysiology, medical devices, biophysics, biomechanics, transcriptomics, toxicology, regulatory strategy and the patient voice. It’s fantastic to see all these different types of institutions shape each other’s thinking and work together so well.”

NanoBeat brings together Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg (UKHD), Medtronic Bakken Research Center Maastricht, Universität Heidelberg, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Fraunhofer IZI, CÚRAM Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices, HEMEX Benelux BV, and the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health (NIPC).

We’re proud to support the people turning ambitious health innovation into progress.

07/09/2026

🔬 One year later, back at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in a new role

One year ago, Chantal Van Opbergen, PhD, attended ESC Congress as a researcher, invited to give a talk on cardiac arrhythmias in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy — a topic she had studied for years throughout her PhD and postdoctoral training.

This year, she returned to the congress as a Project Manager, supporting the close of EHRA-PATHS, a five-year European research project focused on improving care for older patients with atrial fibrillation and multiple health conditions, coordinated by the European Society of Cardiology.

It was a full-circle moment that brought together two sides of her career: years spent studying the mechanisms behind heart disease in search of effective therapies, and her work today helping complex research collaborations move science forward.

That research background still shapes how she approaches the scientists and projects she supports today:

“When I sit across from a client trying to bring a therapy or application closer to the clinic, I understand how much has gone into reaching that point, and how much work is often still ahead.”

In her new blog, Chantal reflects on returning to ESC from a new perspective, the personal experiences that shaped her research career, and why helping scientists take their work closer to patients feels like a natural next step.

🔗 Read the full article: https://www.catalyze-group.com/chantal-van-opbergen-full-circle-at-esc-from-researcher-to-project-manager/

07/09/2026

🚀 Schaalverbreding van AI-gestuurde epilepsiemonitoring: Neuro Event Labs Oy start crowdfundingcampagne

We zijn verheugd te kunnen delen dat Neuro Event Labs (NEL), een portfoliobedrijf van Catalyze Capital, een nieuwe crowdfundingcampagne is gestart ter ondersteuning van de volgende fase van internationale groei.

Epilepsie treft wereldwijd meer dan 65 miljoen mensen, maar aanvallen kunnen nog steeds moeilijk nauwkeurig te detecteren en karakteriseren zijn met patiëntdagboeken of kortdurende ziekenhuismonitoring. NEL pakt deze kloof aan met Nelli®: een niet-contact monitoringoplossing die wordt aangedreven door AI-diagnostische algoritmen. Met behulp van video en audio die met een eenvoudige camera zijn vastgelegd, helpt het zorgprofessionals om aanvallen thuis en in het ziekenhuis te detecteren en te beoordelen.

De technologie van NEL heeft al aanzienlijke praktijkgebruikelijke adoptie laten zien. Het is door meer dan 7.000 patiënten gebruikt en ingezet in 60+ ziekenhuizen, is goedgekeurd voor medisch gebruik in Europa en heeft FDA-goedkeuring gekregen voor ziekenhuisgebruik in de Verenigde Staten. Het wordt ook gebruikt als uitkomstmaat in meer dan 10 klinische onderzoeken door toonaangevende farmaceutische bedrijven.

Via Catalyze Capital, ons investeringsfonds, zijn we er trots op NEL te blijven ondersteunen terwijl het voortbouwt op deze sterke basis en zijn bereik uitbreidt over Europa en de VS.

Daarom investeren Catalyze Capital en Hadean Ventures nog eens €500.000 om de volgende groeifase te ondersteunen. En deze keer openen we de ronde ook voor het publiek.

Met de lancering van haar crowdfundingcampagne biedt NEL nu een bredere gemeenschap de kans om deel te nemen aan deze volgende groeifase en de bredere implementatie van haar technologie te ondersteunen.

02/09/2026

🫀🇩🇪 iCARE4CVD Annual Consortium Meeting: advancing personalised cardiovascular care

Last week, we joined the iCARE4CVD Annual Consortium Meeting in Munich, hosted by Amgen. Across two days, 75 consortium members from 40 partner organisations discussed developments in AI and digital biomarkers, patient care pathways and clinical study implementation, with valuable contributions from both the Patient Advisory Board and Scientific Advisory Board.

iCARE4CVD is an Innovative Health Initiative (IHI)-supported public-private research collaboration working to advance more personalised, data-driven approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention and care.

As a project partner, Catalyze delivers project management and science communication, supporting collaboration across the consortium and helping translate the project’s work for relevant audiences.

💬 Science Communication Advisor, Carolina Vieira, leads communication & dissemination for iCARE4CVD, where she is also responsible for engaging the Patient Advisory Board:
“Every year, one of the highlights for me is seeing how our Patient Advisory Board challenges and inspires the consortium – bringing perspectives that genuinely add to the research discussions. This year also felt like a turning point for iCARE4CVD, with so many productive conversations and important results and milestones ahead that we’ll soon be able to bring to a wider audience.”

Thank you to all iCARE4CVD partners for the productive discussions and collaboration.

01/09/2026

🎉 Three Horizon Europe Health wins. Almost €26 million in funding secured!

The latest results from Horizon Europe Health were recently announced, with three Catalyze-supported projects securing funding across three highly competitive calls, where overall success rates were as low as 3%.

As our Principal Consultant and Horizon Europe expert Helen Pothuizen, PhD shared, "These results are a strong recognition of both the quality of the projects and the expertise of the teams that will take them forward.”

Behind each success were our Innovation Consultants, working closely with ambitious consortia to shape complex project concepts into strong, competitive Horizon Europe proposals.

In the article below, we gathered their perspectives, with Mithila Burute, PhD, Roopashi Saxena, PhD, Asun Sánchez Ochoa, Ita Nudelman, Anna Lammerts, Helen Pothuizen, PhD, and Lucía Moreno Lama, Ph.D sharing what stood out in developing the successful proposals, from strategic proposal design and collaboration to their potential for clinical and healthcare impact.

🔗 Read the full article: https://www.catalyze-group.com/three-horizon-europe-health-wins-secure-almost-e26m-in-funding/

01/09/2026

📢 We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Jan-Hein Auf dem Brinke as CFO of Catalyze Group.

In his new role, Jan Hein will lead our financial strategy and contribute to Catalyze’s continued growth as part of the executive leadership team.

On joining Catalyze, Jan Hein shared, “What appealed to me most about Catalyze is the team and the opportunity to support organisations that are working on innovations with real societal impact. I have always enjoyed working alongside entrepreneurs and innovators, and I was inspired by Catalyze's mission to help bring meaningful innovations to life.

I look forward to partnering with the talented team to support the company's growth, strengthen its financial and operational foundation, and ultimately help more innovators create lasting impact.”

Marlene Végh, Ph.D., CEO, commented, “We are very pleased to have Jan Hein join Catalyze Group. His experience and perspective will be a valuable addition as we continue to grow.

Together with the recent appointment of Josta Kevenaar as COO, we believe we have a strong leadership team in place to successfully guide Catalyze through its next phase of growth. I look forward to working closely with Jan Hein as we continue to strengthen our organisation and pursue our ambitions for the future.”

Welcome to Catalyze, Jan Hein!

20/08/2026

🎯 Tenboron is advancing a biologically targeted radiotherapy for hard-to-treat head and neck cancer

In June 2026, Tenboron Oy 🇫🇮 launched BIOTARGET0010, a €7.6M Horizon Europe project advancing its lead candidate TB0010 towards clinical proof of concept.

We interviewed Juha Jouhki, CEO of Tenboron, on how the project is addressing a key limitation in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Current boron carriers do not always deliver enough boron specifically to tumour cells. TB0010 is designed to overcome this by combining a tumour-targeting antibody with a boron-rich carrier for more precise delivery to EGFR-positive cancer cells.

Through BIOTARGET0010, Tenboron and its partners will advance TB0010 from TRL 5 to TRL 7 through Phase 1b/2 clinical validation in recurrent or unresectable head and neck carcinoma.

“Today, BNCT is still a marginal cancer treatment modality, and boron carriers have limited markets. This makes fundraising extra challenging, in spite of the excellent treatment outcomes even with the old suboptimal carriers. We were fortunate that the expert evaluators appointed by the European Commission saw the opportunity and the big picture,” says Juha.

Catalyze supported Tenboron in developing and writing the successful Horizon Europe proposal, building on our earlier collaboration.

🔗 Read the full interview: https://www.catalyze-group.com/case/tenboron-oy-e7-6m-advance-biologically-targeted-cancer-radiotherapy/

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10/08/2026

👋 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺

Get to know Mithila Burute, PhD, Senior Innovation Consultant.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲?
I made the transition from academia to Catalyze driven by an idea to assist scientists in securing research funding. As a Senior Innovation Consultant at Catalyze, I merge my academic expertise with Catalyze’s mission to bring innovations to life. In this role, I cultivate collaboration for concept building and support scientists to position their research projects for successful funding.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁?
In my role as senior consultant I adapt to diverse roles based on individual client needs, providing support such as consortium building, crafting and reviewing research proposals, and conducting gap analysis to bolster research strategies. Ultimately, my goal is to support scientists in their journey to translate their innovations into impactful societal solutions through persuasive grant proposals and business plans.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲?
I appreciate the diverse backgrounds of colleagues at Catalyze, encompassing biomedical science, life science business, strategy and project management. This diverse mix offers opportunities for mutual learning and enhances teamwork. The youthful and cheerful spirit also keeps the work atmosphere lively and fun.