Health-Holland

Jurgen Kwik Strategy & Operations Leader at Janssen Vaccines & Prevention “There are a number of reasons why the Netherlands is one of our key locations. In terms of historical background, Janssen built its Dutch presence firstly through the acquisition of Centocor Biotech, and later, Crucell. Both companies were already located in Leiden but, specifically on the R&D and manufacturing fronts, Janssen has invested heavily over recent years to expand its presence and to strengthen the capabilities we have in the Netherlands. There are a couple of reasons for this: the co-location of our activities with external capabilities, the access to external expertise, and access to talent. For example, the ‘hub’ created through the close proximity between Amsterdam and Leiden, both with the co-location of a BioScience Park, the Medical Centres, several universities, and many different types of companies (CROs, CMOs, biotech start-up companies and companies like ourselves) creates an environment that is very interesting for us. We believe in building and participating in such an environment because we feel that cross- fertilisation is critical in ensuring sustainable innovation in our industry.” 59