Technological Top Institute (TTI) is an efficient and internationally acclaimed instrument to increase the impact of public/private cooperation in R&D. FIGON, the Netherlands Federation for Innovative Drug Research, has led the initiative to obtain commitments of both industrial and academic partners to participate in a new Top Institute Pharma, which became effective late 2005. Today, universities, knowledge-based institutes and industrial partners have signed Letters of Intent, expressing the intention to fund the Institute. Currently TI Pharma is in the startup phase and works on establishing her first research programmes. TI Pharma aims to achieve leadership in research and education in areas critical for the international competitiveness of the pharmaceutical industry in the Netherlands.

Groundbreaking and crossdisciplinary
The Institute focuses on conducting groundbreaking, cross-disciplinary research and will offer advanced training programs focused on improving the efficiency of the entire drug discovery and development process. This will eventually reduce the ‘time & cost-topatient’ of new medicines and ultimately contribute to the well-being of society. TI Pharma will devote special attention to the Priority Medicines project of the WHO.

As a leading full-service CRO in the Netherlands, Xendo has been approached by different working groups within the TI Pharma initiative. The major ones currently are: