“Collaboration is key.” New board member Miranda van Eck on knowledge sharing and innovation in the pharmaceutical sector

News April 20, 2026

Miranda van Eck

At the beginning of this year, Miranda van Eck joined the board of PharmaNL as a new board member. Van Eck is Professor of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Therapies at Leiden University. Since September 2024, she has also been Scientific Director of the Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research, where she leads one of the eight institutes within the Faculty of Science. Her background in biopharmaceutical sciences and her many years of experience in education and research form, in her view, the foundation for a strong contribution to PharmaNL.

Reflecting on her appointment to the PharmaNL board, Van Eck says: “The academic world forms the foundation of a strong pharmaceutical ecosystem. Academics conduct fundamental research, develop new technologies, and educate the professionals of the future. This combination gives universities a central role in the growth of companies and the development of science parks. That is why I believe it is important that experienced academics, like my predecessor Hubertus Irth, are represented on the PharmaNL board.”

Needs and tools

In addition to academic representation, Van Eck is particularly enthusiastic about the development of tools such as the 4DMap, which provides insight into training and infrastructure needs within the sector. “It is great that this knowledge is becoming more widely accessible. The 4DMap shows, for example, where there are gaps in training or laboratory capacity, enabling universities and companies to invest more strategically and collaborate more effectively. As Director of Education, I have been strongly committed to connecting students to the labour market. This tool now makes that possible at a national level.”

By sharing knowledge and infrastructure in this way, Van Eck believes the Netherlands can strengthen its position within the international pharmaceutical landscape. “The ecosystem here is compact but powerful. By making data, expertise, and infrastructure more accessible, researchers in both industry and academia can collaborate more easily and develop innovative therapies more effectively.”

Expertise and network

In addition to her substantive expertise, Van Eck brings a broad network. She is Chair of the Council for Pharmaceutical Sciences, a platform that promotes national alignment between universities. “The discussions we have within the Council, I bring into PharmaNL, and vice versa,” she says. Her experience helps strengthen collaborations and align initiatives across the national pharmaceutical landscape.

Challenges and opportunities

What does Van Eck see as the key challenges for PharmaNL? “It is about identifying gaps and determining where targeted calls are needed, so that we strengthen broadly and avoid overlap.” She also emphasizes the importance of continuity and stable follow-up funding to sustainably strengthen the sector. Communication and visibility play a key role here: “We need to show what comes out of these projects and what impact they have.”

Innovation and technological trends are equally crucial. Van Eck points to AI, quantum computing, and the use of high-quality, well-connected data for patient-centered applications. “With better data, we can, for example, predict how a medicine will work for specific patients. AI accelerates research processes, while quantum computing offers new possibilities for complex calculations that would otherwise take years. In addition, improving predictive models is important to make drug development more efficient and to reduce the use of animal testing.”

Personal focus

During her time on the board, Van Eck aims to further stimulate collaboration between education, research, and industry.
“Collaboration is key,” she says. “It is about understanding what is happening, learning from each other, and making existing knowledge and infrastructure widely available. That way, the Netherlands as a whole can become stronger in this field.”

By leveraging tools such as the 4DMap, fostering international collaboration, and embracing new technologies, Van Eck aims to contribute to a sustainable and innovative pharmaceutical ecosystem in which knowledge sharing and collaboration are central.
“It is not just about individual projects, but about a network where everyone can learn from each other and create impact together,” she concludes.