Chapter 2 Mission, vision, core values, and strategic aims of the past six years – 2016-2021

2. Mission, vision, core values, and strategic aims of the past six years – 2016-2021

Mission

The overall mission of Amsterdam Neuroscience is to broaden the fundamental knowledge around the (central) nervous system and to translate this into effective therapies and treatments for the individual patient with a neurological or psychiatric disorder.

Vision

Amsterdam Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary research institute that makes a powerful impact in the field of basic neuroscience and Translational Neuroscience. We aim to be a fertile breeding ground for the next generation of neuroscientists. Armed with outstanding scientific knowledge, the highest clinical standards and pioneering innovations, we play a pivotal role in the battle against brain diseases. For the patient of today and the future.

Strategic aims at the start of Amsterdam Neuroscience

When we launched Amsterdam Neuroscience in 2016, we did so with a strategic plan that was the result of an internal SWOT analysis and discussions with program leaders. Although there was no simple recipe for success at the time, this bottom-up approach made it possible to define major characteristics for building a strong partner organization, irrespective of laboratory or clinical housing. These included a consensus on shared leadership in various focused research programs; a strong strategic and complementary research agenda; a shared, excellent graduate- and medicaltraining program; shared infrastructure; and service facilities (including a clinical trial unit) for large-scale (investigator-initiated and sponsored) investigations. What’s more, the idea of a strong embedded business development strategy aimed at adding new industry alliance programs was embraced in order to reach our translational goals. Best practice models of how to organize Amsterdam Neuroscience were available in each of the participating institutes. Working from a shared vision towards a shared implementation plan, outlined below, we created an appropriate follow-up action plan in the program of the new network organization.

The overall strategy

Amsterdam Neuroscience focuses on scientific excellence, young talent and innovation in four cross-disciplinary research programs. In addition, there are five more clinical-oriented research programs that focus on both existing and new treatments for a number of brain and nervous system diseases, including neurological, neurovascular and psychiatric disorders. Amsterdam Neuroscience’s overall mission is to broaden the fundamental knowledge base to improve our understanding of the human brain and nervous system in health and disease, and to translate this into effective therapies and treatments for the individual patient.

With a focus on both fundamental and Translational Neuroscience, we work on aspects of the primary function of the brain and the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. In addition, however, we also identify relevant biomarkers, drug targets and new molecular structures for interventions for brain disorders. Through clinical trials on patients, we validate new diagnostic tests, therapies and interventions. Our clinical research often focuses on the prevention of brain disorders, or the recovery thereof. We do this both by investigator-initiated research and through collaborations with external parties such as biotech or pharma companies. Cooperation with industrial partners can, in turn, help accelerate clinical development and validation of new methods and interventions. And all while putting the interests of the patient first.

Through scientific excellence and high clinical standards, we provide the best breeding

ground for the next-generation professionals working in the neuroscience field. Team science and communication are important core values that make Amsterdam Neuroscience the connecting research institute, where investigators contribute to a good infrastructure with partnerships, suitable financing and valorization opportunities.

Strategic aims set out in 2016

• Build a strong research network organization

Amsterdam Neuroscience aimed to strengthen collaborations between investigators from various disciplines by focusing its research strategy on nine research programs. Five research programs focusing on specific brain and nervous system disease mechanisms were complemented by four programs focusing on innovation and technology that would provide PoC for causal relationships in brain and nervous system function mechanisms. This would be applied in translational research, and linked these two groups of research programs. At Amsterdam

Neuroscience, innovation took place (and still does to this day) at all levels of research, from molecular, to cellular studies, to circuitry and intact brain and behavior, both at the individual as well as population level. • Provide instruments to facilitate collaboration

A ‘network’ research organization with collaborations between different departments was preferred at this stage. There was consensus on the sense of urgency to focus on a limited number of experimental approaches, brain functions and disease mechanisms. A condition sine qua non was that each of the research programs should have substantial internal (seed) funding to initiate novel PoC projects. The projects within each of the nine research programs were to strengthen the link between different disciplines and collaboration between different partners (irrespective of their campus location). • Specify focus and strategy in each of the nine research programs

Atotal of nine research programs were defined, and the number of investigators per research program and specific goals, ambitions, assets, translational links and priorities of each research program were outlined by the program leaders. The participating departments and Principal Investigators and their research teams were categorized accordingly. • Identify - and collaborate with - strategic partners at regional, national and international levels

The research being executed in Amsterdam Neuroscience relied on excellent research in major neuroscience areas. Investigators at Amsterdam

Neuroscience were to coordinate, or participate in, major European research programs. In addition, major patient and human subject cohorts and major research infrastructures were already available (or were in the process of being set up). An alliance between Amsterdam UMC and the Netherlands

Institute for Neuroscience (NIN; of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, KNAW) had already been formed via the Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB) and via dual appointments of several Principal Investigators. • Facilitate talent development, provide quality promotion, control and monitoring of the regulations, and connect with (institute-specific) core facilities and infrastructure • Facilitate valorization via dedicated business development

Translational Neuroscience is at the core of the collaboration between university labs and clinical practice. This was exemplified by our proposal to involve an embedded business development office to bridge the gap between academia/clinic and biotech and pharma industries (i.e., through the IAO) and, if possible, through an embedded Clinical

Trial Unit (to facilitate the execution of investigator- and industry-initiated clinical trials).