35 years of creating value in an unpredictable world

In his opening address, CEO Prof. Koos Burggraaf briefly sketched the evolution of CHDR over the past 35 years, from its origins as a government-funded initiative with a single employee to the dynamic organisation it is today. CMO / CSO Prof. Geert Jan Groeneveld reflected on the fact that unpredictability is inevitable, and yet biological systems tend to evolve towards more order, culminating in the human need to create meaning and value in the midst of change.

Creating value underpins CHDR’s three strategic goals — to develop drugs, develop methods, and develop people. In collaboration with partners and clients, CHDR creates value by developing drugs that alleviate symptoms of disease and prolong life. By developing better methods and cultivating the potential of talented people, the value is amplified even further.

In the symposium, three renowned scientists spoke about their experiences in creating value. Prof. Dinko Valerio described several new developments in biotechnology that he has been involved in realising. Prof. René Bernards explained how the fundamental oncology research of recent decades is now giving rise to ever better therapies. And Prof. Meta Roestenberg gave a personal account of how her team, in collaboration with CHDR, worked amid all the unpredictability of the pandemic to develop treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19.

During interludes between the lectures at the symposium, musicians Eric Vloeimans and Juan Pablo Dobal underlined with their lucid improvisations how human creativity can turn the inherent unpredictability of the world into value and beauty.

Watch the presentations below.