Insight as a Foundation: PharmaNL’s 4DMap and Gap Analysis

News April 10, 2025

PharmaNL has set itself an ambitious goal: strengthening and future-proofing the pharmaceutical sector by optimizing both the infrastructure for drug development and the training opportunities. PharmaNL is doing this within two main program lines: Shared Development Infrastructure and Human Capital Growth. To accurately map out where the greatest needs and bottlenecks lie, PharmaNL conducts a comprehensive gap analysis each year. This analysis helps to make targeted investments in both program lines. Since the spring of 2024, Debby Vermeer has played an important role in this. With a background in therapeutic antibodies and broad experience in both academic and industrial environments, she is, as an independent consultant, responsible for the further development of the tool (an interactive 4D Map), which is central to PharmaNL’s gap analysis and which helps to substantiate investment choices.

“The goal is that when a party submits a request to PharmaNL, it can immediately be assessed against the existing infrastructure and needs in the field,” Vermeer explains. “That’s why I’m not only focusing on further developing the tool, but also on conversations with different regions and parties to clarify how they can use the tool and which new functionalities are needed.”

4DM Map*

PharmaNL uses the 4DMap as a tool for the gap analysis, mapping the gaps and existing opportunities in the pharmaceutical field in two areas: shared infrastructure and training. The tool, which includes all process steps relevant to the development of drugs and biological products, inventories which skills are already present and which are still needed. It also maps where people are being trained and what future competency needs will look like. The same is done for infrastructure: the existing infrastructure is mapped, and the needs of companies are analyzed. This includes the demand for specific equipment, knowledge sharing, and shared facilities.

Through interviews with companies and institutions in the three consortium regions (Leiden, Groningen and Oss), and now also beyond, PharmaNL collects data on which analyses are performed to identify trends. In addition to this bottom-up approach, PharmaNL also holds expert sessions in which these results are interpreted, supplemented or nuanced. These insights directly feed into the PharmaNL Investment Agenda, so that targeted projects can be submitted.

Interaction and maximization

An important focus in the further development of the tool for PharmaNL’s gap analysis is facilitating interaction between companies. “Sometimes it’s not entirely clear that certain activities are already present in a region, while the same thing is being set up elsewhere,” Vermeer notes. By collecting this information centrally in the tool, a clearer picture emerges of what already exists and where there is still demand. This transparency can prevent duplication of initiatives and at the same time promote collaboration between parties.

Matchmaking

An important innovation in this process is the introduction of a matchmaking functionality. “Companies will soon be able to send messages to other parties: ‘I see that you have this facility, can we collaborate?’” says Vermeer. This process encourages the sharing of equipment, knowledge and expertise, which is essential for the further development of pharmaceutical infrastructure in the Netherlands. Work is currently underway to obtain permission from companies to include their contact details and a login system is being developed that allows companies to manage their own data.

Efficiency

Brigitte Drees, board member and main applicant of PharmaNL and CEO of Pivot Park, emphasizes the importance of the gap analysis and the 4DMap for the efficient use of resources: “By understanding where the greatest needs lie in terms of essential infrastructure and training opportunities within the pharmaceutical sector, we can allocate the funds from the National Growth Fund more effectively. This allows us to maximize the impact of our remaining budget of 57 million euros.” Thanks to the systematic approach of the 4DMap, PharmaNL can effectively translate these insights into concrete investment decisions.

The tool is being developed in such a way that it will remain useful and valuable in the future. “Ultimately, the system of the tool and the gap analysis must fund itself,” Drees explains. This can be achieved in various ways: through an annual fee from participating companies or through ongoing funding from regions. In addition, PharmaNL is seeking collaboration with other Dutch initiatives, such as Oncode Accelerator, also a National Growth Fund project. “Many growth funds have infrastructure development as a common goal,” says Vermeer. By combining these initiatives, the tool can become more complete and be used more broadly.

Future perspective: national coverage and broader application

At the moment, the tool already includes infrastructure for small molecules and biologics, and recently cell-based therapies and therapeutic vaccines have been added. “This results in new interviews and insights and contributes to the investment agenda,” says Vermeer. The current focus is on collecting more information by adding new parties in order to achieve nationwide coverage.
The 4DMap currently contains around 200 parties, and in May a pilot will start to involve companies more actively in this tool. “We want to show them what they can get out of it and how collaboration can help them,” says Vermeer. Through participation in events and roundtable discussions, awareness of the tool will be further increased.

With these developments, PharmaNL is taking a major step towards an integrated, national overview of pharmaceutical infrastructure and training opportunities. This is not only a valuable instrument for companies, but also for policymakers who want to make targeted investments in the future of the pharmaceutical sector.

*4DM stands for Drug Discovery, Development, and Deployment Map. Source: NIH, USA, Clinical and Translational Science, March 2018; 11(2):166–174. doi: 10.1111/cts.12531. Epub December 22, 2017. Application of a Dynamic Map for Learning, Communicating, Navigating, and Improving Therapeutic Development.