Catalyze

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.

29/06/2026

🇪🇺 On 16 June, we kicked off BIOTARGET0010, a unique Horizon Europe Health-funded project focused on advancing a targeted radiotherapy approach for patients with recurrent head and neck cancer.

The project, led by Tenboron Oy, will advance the clinical development of TB0010, a boron carrier for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). With €7.6 million in EU funding, BIOTARGET0010 will support Phase 1 and 2 clinical studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this approach. Completing the project consortium are partners, Universidad de Granada, and The Swallows Charity.

Coralie Zurstrassen, Project Manager on the project, shared:
“I am very excited to have officially kicked off the BIOTARGET0010 project together with all partners. What stood out most during the meeting was how well they complement each other. From research and technology development to patient advocacy and engagement, each organisation brings a unique perspective to the table. Together, we have a great opportunity to help make Boron Neutron Capture Therapy more accessible and acceptable to patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and society as a whole.”

We are proud to have supported this project from successful grant submission to project management, and we look forward to what the consortium will achieve together.

18/06/2026

☀️ Nothing beats the beach!

Yesterday, we came together in Zandvoort for our annual Catalyze summer party. It was a fun evening full of great conversations, beach volleyball, and a delicious BBQ.

With the sun shining, it was the perfect moment to step away from our desks and relax, while celebrating the hard work and successes of the year so far. A big thank you to everyone who joined and made it such a special day!

10/06/2026

🇧🇪🤓 Looking back on a fantastic masterclass at UCLouvain!

Recently, Helen Pothuizen, PhD (Principal Consultant) and Julia Jongejans (Business Developer) travelled to UCLouvain - Université catholique de Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve (BE) to host a masterclass on writing competitive Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals. During the interactive workshop, they guided researchers through the full proposal development process:
- Setting up a strong project concept
- Understanding evaluator expectations
- Crafting impactful narratives
- Defining career development goals
- Building a convincing implementation strategy

Participants learned how to turn their scientific ideas into proposals that are clear, credible, and evaluator friendly. A big thank you to everyone at UCLouvain for the warm welcome!

09/06/2026

💼 We’re looking forward to these upcoming career events!

This month, our team is hosting two sessions that offer an inside look into innovation consultancy at Catalyze. We will share how a research background can be a strong foundation for innovation consultancy, and what it takes to build a career at the intersection of science, business, and impact.

On 9 June, Marit van Bueren (Analyst) and Valentina Quiroga-Fonseca (Junior Business Developer) will join the VLAG graduate school at Wageningen University & Research for an interactive “Careers Beyond Academia” session for PhD candidates.

Later in June (26 June), Tatjana Josefs, PhD (Senior Managing Consultant, Life Sciences & Health) will speak at the BioBusiness Summer School in Amsterdam, hosting a “Meet Your Match: Consultancy Session” on how we support innovators and build long-term client partnerships.

Are you attending either event? We are looking forward to meeting you!

09/06/2026

👏 Join us in congratulating Josta Kevenaar on her 10 year anniversary at Catalyze, and her new role as Chief Operating Officer!

Josta shared, "10 years ago, I joined Catalyze when we were a small company of around 25 people, working from one floor in our Amsterdam office. Since then, I’ve worked with incredibly smart, dedicated and motivated colleagues, all driven by the same ambition: helping promising innovations make real impact. That combination of entrepreneurship, expertise, drive to make impact and culture is what kept me here all these years.

Throughout this journey, I’ve had the chance to grow through many different roles. And now I’m proud to take the next step as COO of Catalyze. A big thank you to our leadership team for the trust and support throughout the years — especially our CEO, Marlene Vegh. And most of all, thank you to all colleagues across Catalyze. The people have always been, and still are, what makes this company special."