In May 2026, the national commercialisation programme InFECT-TT, aimed at accelerating clinical product development for infectious diseases, was officially launched. The programme was established under RVO’s Thematic Technology Transfer (TTT) scheme and consists of two complementary pillars: InFECT-TT (pillar 1), focused on the commercialisation and validation of academic innovations, and IDIF (pillar 2), focused on early-stage investment in start-ups. Both pillars contribute to the development of vaccines and therapies against infectious diseases and to the Netherlands’ pandemic preparedness.

Sabien van der Schoot and Rob Mayfield are at the helm of these two pillars. Both bring extensive experience in drug development, innovation and venture building, with a shared ambition: to bring promising scientific innovations to patients and society more quickly.

Sabien van der Schoot (pillar 1 – InFECT-TT): “My mission is a world that is  resilient to infectious diseases”
For Sabien van der Schoot, the societal urgency is a key driving force. “Recent events have once again shown that infectious diseases remain a global threat, with the potential to rapidly develop into pandemics. This underlines how important it is to continue investing in collaboration, innovation and the development of effective preventive and therapeutic solutions.”

Van der Schoot trained as a pharmacist, obtained a PhD in formulation development and has over 23 years’ experience in drug development and programme management. As programme director of InFECT-TT, she focuses on bringing together the expertise of the five participating university medical centres: Amsterdam UMC, LUMC, UMC Utrecht, Radboudumc and UMC Groningen.

“InFECT-TT was established to maintain momentum in infectious disease innovation, strengthen collaboration and accelerate the development of new solutions,” says Van der Schoot. “My focus is on linking innovative programmes within the consortium, so that we create synergy and maximise the impact of innovations.”

Under Pillar 1, InFECT-TT supports researchers with, among other things, vouchers for validation projects, proof-of-concept development, IP and regulatory strategy, business plan development and market exploration. A total of €57,000 is available per proposal, combined with guidance from business developers at the participating UMCs.

According to Van der Schoot, it is precisely this combination of support that is crucial. “We want to provide targeted assistance to accelerate promising innovations towards clinical application. This is not just about funding, but also about access to expertise, guidance and the right network.”

She also sees the collaboration with IDIF as an important added value. “By ensuring that support in early development phases is well aligned with follow-up investments, innovations can move through critical development phases more efficiently.”

Rob Mayfield (pillar 2 – IDIF): “Strong science deserves a strong route to market”
Under Pillar 2, the Infectious Diseases Innovation Fund focuses on investments in early-stage start-ups working on therapies, vaccines and platform technologies for infectious diseases. The fund has approximately €6 million available for seed investments of up to €1.5 million per start-up.

The fund is managed by LEH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leiden University, led by Rob Mayfield. Mayfield has extensive experience as a fund manager and venture capitalist in the life sciences and health sector.

According to Mayfield, the challenge lies not only in developing strong science, but also in successfully guiding innovations towards the market and follow-on funding. “The Netherlands has a strong knowledge base in the field of infectious diseases, but many early-stage innovations struggle to attract sufficient investment. With IDIF, we want to help start-ups take that next step.”

IDIF supports start-ups in pre-clinical and early clinical development and helps companies become investor-ready for subsequent funding rounds. According to Mayfield, this involves more than just capital. “It’s also about strategic guidance, building strong teams and creating a sustainable development pathway for innovations.”

He also emphasises the importance of collaboration within the wider ecosystem. “We are delighted to be working with RVO, InFECT-NL and these leading research institutions in a crucial sector of the healthcare market,” said Mayfield in the earlier announcement.

From academic innovation to societal impact
The two pillars complement each other perfectly: InFECT-TT supports academic innovations in the early stages of commercialisation and validation, whilst IDIF helps start-ups to facilitate further development and growth. This creates a continuous development pathway from academic research to clinical application and entrepreneurship.

The programme focuses on therapies, vaccines, innovative delivery methods and platform technologies that contribute to a rapid response to future outbreaks. Diagnostics fall outside the scope of the programme.