Since 2021, we have been organising the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge. Our goal: to accelerate the transition to a laboratory animal-free world by helping researchers scale their innovative models commercially.
Discover the inspiring winners below, watch exclusive behind-the-scenes videos and see how together we are changing the future of scientific research.
What is the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge?
In the Netherlands, a lot of animal-free research is done, but only a small part finds its way into practice. This is because researchers often lack experience and knowledge on how to scale up their innovation and bring it to market. The Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge helps researchers with:
- intensive bootcamps, coaching by experts
- strong network
- support teams in setting up a successful start-up.
See how the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge works in the video below!
The winners of the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge
Take a look behind the scenes
The impact of the challenge
With the help of the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge, animal-free models can move from development to real application. That way, they can contribute even better to a world without test animals.
Bringing innovative and animal-free techniques to the market is a complex challenge, especially for scientists without entrepreneurial experience. This is why we created the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge. This programme, organised since 2021 and co-sponsored by Stichting Universitas since 2022, provides scientists with the guidance and expertise needed to turn their ideas into successful business cases. In collaboration with the experienced GameChanger Challenge, we help them start or further develop their businesses.
This way, we not only accelerate the validation and implementation of animal-free innovations, but also increase their impact, making these techniques available faster and contributing to the reduction of animal testing.
