The Life Sciences sector is important for the Northern Netherlands economy. The sector has a strong, innovative core of (SMEs) companies. Human capital is crucial for the innovative capacity. As the complexity of the development process has increased in recent years, innovation capacity is under pressure. There is an increasing need for highly qualified staff with the right competences and expertise. At present, higher education is insufficiently suited to the needs of SMEs. There is a gap in field-specific topics, for example, regarding international laws and regulations regarding the development, registration and production of new products and services.Springboard, Health Hub Roden, Hanse Hogeschool, NHL University of Applied Sciences, Quality Business Support and Demcon have jointly initiated this project which aims to strengthen the educational facilities related to these subject-matter themes. This is achieved by:-the ongoing questioning of the future labour market need (in terms of skills required, labour market connection) through structural consultation with SMEs. To this end, an interactive flexible query method is being developed that translates identified needs into educational needs. —the development of innovative educational modules in line with the needs of Life Sciences companies (SMEs) established in the North Netherlands -the structural assurance of the developed educational modules.The consortium is supported by the other representatives of SMEs in the Life Sciences sector, namely Life Cooperative and HANNN as well as various companies from the region. Better demand for labour market needs and their translation into education leads to a better quality of education. This provides the opportunity for lifelong learning. This leads to:•better qualified graduates who are better and faster deployable, without having to make immediate additional investment in training.•better qualified staff •better baseline for start-up entrepreneursFor companies in the region, this means that they are able to optimally organise the innovation process in order to respond more quickly to international developments. It strengthens the innovative capacity and thus the competitive position of Northern Dutch business.
