The President of the Republic of Estonia, mr. Alar Karis was on a visit to the Netherlands on 8-9 April. The visit got off to a fitting start on 8 April at the Utrecht Science Park, where the President was accompanied by a science and business delegation from Estonia. The President was welcomed in Utrecht by Mayor Sharon Dijksma, Director of the Science Park Jan Henk van der Velden and Rector of Utrecht University Wilco Hazeleger. The delegation also visited Genmab, one of Europe’s most successful biotechnology companies, which specialises in antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. They also visited the start-up incubator UtrechtInc. At UtrechtInc, the Estonian science and business delegation met with representatives of Utrecht University, Utrecht University Medical Centre, the Science Park and various companies.
Utrecht Science Park, with more than 31,000 employees and 55,000 students, is the largest science park in the Netherlands, focusing on the fields of life sciences, health and sustainability. It is a powerful ecosystem, consisting of more than 170 educational and healthcare institutions, research institutes and R&D companies. The European Commission named the Utrecht region the most competitive region in Europe in 2023.
The following organizations were represented in the Estonian science and business delegation:
University of Tartu Genomics Institute, Estonian Genome Bank
Health Founders Estonia
Tartu Science Park
Health and Food Technologies Focus Centre
Food and Fermentation Technology Development Center (TFTAK)
Icosagen
Migrevention
Celvia
Estonian Business and Innovation Agency
Photos: Raigo Pajula
