The Maastricht University Medical Centre (UMC+), University Medical Center Aachen (UKA) and Royal Philips Electronics N.V. announced that they are to set up a strategic partnership, the aim of which is to pool their knowledge, expertise and experience in the field of healthcare. The planned cooperation will make it possible for new scientific findings to be made available more quickly for routine application in hospitals, thus benefiting patients. The universities of Aachen and Maastricht are also supporting the initiative.
Among others, Prof. Henning Saß and Guy Peeters MD, chairmen of the Boards of Management of the Aachen and Maastricht medical centers respectively, Dr. Henk van Houten, head of the Healthcare Research Program at Philips Research, and Jochen Franke, CEO Philips Healthcare DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), signed a letter of intent at the 'Biomedica 2008' international Life Science Summit in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The signing took place in the presence of Mrs M. van der Hoeven and Mrs C. Thoben, Ministers of Economic Affairs for the Netherlands and the German federal state of North-Rhine Westphalia respectively, and Prof. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Research and Innovation in North-Rhine Westphalia.
Philips and the two university medical centers intend to work closely together and to combine their advanced clinical knowledge and research specifically in the fields of cardiovascular disease and cancer treatment. Their cooperation will cover the research, development and application of new diagnostic and treatment methods. Among other things, the partners' aim is to set up a joint research program in the field of medical imaging technology.
"Shortages in the labor market and increasing competition in the healthcare sector are making it increasingly important to set up international joint ventures to ensure that we can continue bringing about the necessary innovation. National boundaries should not be a barrier to this," says G. Peeters MD, chairman of the Board of Management of the Maastricht UMC+.
Prof. Henning Saß, chairman of the Board of Management of the University Clinic in Aachen comments, "This will benefit both the patient and the participating partners, because it will enable us all to strengthen our European and international competitive position."
Dr. Henk van Houten, Senior Vice President Philips Research, who is in charge of the healthcare research program at Philips Research, adds, "This alliance will give rise to advanced clinical care, as well as ground-breaking clinical research to find an integrated approach to diagnosis and therapy for cancer and cardiovascular disease. The opportunity to work together with highly reputable academic partners in order to link clinical research and healthcare to the application of new medical technologies represents a very exciting prospect for Philips."
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About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lighting and consumer lifestyle, delivering people-centric, innovative products, services and solutions through the brand promise of "sense and simplicity". Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 134,200 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 27 billion in 2007, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, as well as lifestyle solutions for personal wellbeing. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.