LED3 Business Club

The LED3 hub is pleased to invite you to the upcoming LED3 Business Club session, organised within the LED3 hub under the Faculty’s Drug Discovery & Development theme.

This session focuses on From Academia to Biotech: Building, Scaling and Creating Impact, exploring how academic research can be translated into companies, products and industry partnerships, and what the journey looks like in practice.

Program

  • 16:00–17:30 | Talks & panel discussion
    • Paul Vulto (CEO & co-founder, MIMETAS) sharing practical insights from building and scaling a biotech company from its academic origins, including the recent development with Bruker
    • Mirjam Huizenga (Academic Founder, Myriagon) offering a perspective on starting out as an academic entrepreneur and the early stages of building a company
    • Anouschka Versleijen (LURIS) providing an overview of LURIS and the broader context of Leiden University’s long-term vision and ecosystem development
    • Panel discussion bringing these perspectives together and exploring the opportunities, challenges and decisions involved in translating academic research into real-world impact
  • 17:30–19:00 | Networking
    • Informal networking with pizza and drinks, bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, industry representatives and the wider Leiden life-science ecosystem.

Why attend?

  • Hear first-hand how an academic discovery can develop into a biotech company
  • Learn about the opportunities and challenges involved in building and scaling a company from academia
  • Understand the role of the university ecosystem in supporting translation and entrepreneurship
  • Explore entrepreneurship, spin-outs and industry collaboration as potential paths for your academic career
  • Connect with researchers, entrepreneurs and companies from the Leiden Bio Science Park ecosystem

Practical information

  • Date: 12 November 2026
  • Time: 16:00–19:00
  • Location: Gorlaeus Building, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden.
  • Register via this link.
  • The Organizing Committee: Kim Bonger, Nathaniel Martin and Sara Cigna.