Unilever, DSM, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, TNO, Plant Sciences Group Wageningen and Leiden University have taken the initiative to set up a Metabolomics foundation. “They are convinced of the importance to have an organised metabolomics community in the Netherlands”, Merlijn van Rijswijk explains. “During the last 5 years we have built a strong network of research groups, that has a strong reputation internationally.”
The mission of the NMC foundation is on purpose broad: to promote, design, initiate and/or execute research, research infrastructures and facilities, education, knowledge dissemination and knowledge application in the area of metabolomics technology and its application in the life sciences. The foundation aims to draft a public-private research agenda, and will look for the most suitable funding options. Furthermore, the organisation will connect with other leading groups internationally to participate in Horizon2020 and infrastructure projects, and wants to contribute towards standard setting and distribution of methodologies.
Other important topics are to sustain metabolomics technology expertise and infrastructures like the ones in Wageningen, Leiden and at TNO and to provide easy access to these facilities. The NMC would also like to set up interest groups, where researchers with a specific interest in for instance in biostatistics or metabolite identification can meet on a regular basis. In contrast to the period funded by the Netherlands Genomics Initiative, the new foundation is an open network: all scientific and industrial groups can become partner of the foundation.
December 1 2014, NMC will organise a scientific meeting at the Rijtuigenloods in Amersfoort, as part of the DTL opening event: ‘DTL on Track’. Information on the NMC agenda and running NMC projects and activities can be found at the NMC website. If you are interest in a partnership or you want to know more about activities, please contact Merlijn van Rijswijk.