Dora Janssen launches Paul Janssen Futurelab Leiden
Baroness Dora Janssen-Arts — widow of Dr. Paul Janssen — officially announced the launch of Paul Janssen Futurelab Leiden, an international training program providing blended learning (online and on-campus) to biomedical professionals with an entrepreneurial spirit. This training program is an initiative of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), sponsored by grants from ZonMw, Health~Holland, Leiden University, LUMC and PharmaNL. Listen to Baroness Dora Janssen's message for the next generation of scientists.
Training a new generation of leaders
Dr. Marcel Kenter, the program’s director, founded Paul Janssen Futurelab Leiden ("Futurelab") with a clear mission: to equip a new generation of biomedical and pharmaceutical professionals with the skills to develop medical interventions more efficiently and effectively.
Kenter explains: "“Developing effective medical interventions in companies and university medical centers—and ensuring these reach patients—has become an increasingly complex and costly process. Many promising interventions fail prematurely during development, often due to poor decision-making. In some cases, development is halted too late, leading to significant consequences for both researchers and patients.”
Futurelab addresses these challenges by offering gifted biomedical and pharmaceutical researchers a safe, hands-on learning environment rooted in real-life scenarios. The training covers a wide range of essential topics, including biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, non-clinical and clinical product development, market approval, and intellectual property. Each topic is crucial to the successful development of new medical interventions.
“At Futurelab, we believe that ‘learning by doing’ is the most effective way to master these skills,”
Kenter emphasizes.
Blended learning
Each teaching module developed by Futurelab includes a 5-week online course that seamlessly integrates into participants' daily schedules. This online component is followed by on-campus training in Leiden, where international participants collaborate on challenging assignments inspired by real-life case studies. Participants are guided by seasoned experts who played pivotal roles in the cases being explored.
Post-graduate biomedical and pharmaceutical professionals are invited to register for courses starting today at www.pauljanssenfuturelab.eu.
Dr. Paul Janssen’s legacy
Dr. Paul Janssen, famous scientist and entrepreneur and founder of Janssen Pharmaceutical, inspired us to start this initiative. At Paul Janssen Futurelab Leiden, Dr. Janssen’s legacy will serve to inspire future generations of researchers.
Paul Janssen Futurelab Leiden has no financial ties with the firm Janssen Pharmaceutica or its mother organization Johnson and Johnson.
Download pdf