Meet the Network: Bastian Bedaux Knoppen, Business Development Manager, Technology Transfer Office (TTO), Erasmus MC

The Life Sciences & Health ecosystem within the Rotterdam region is a dynamic network of companies, service providers, educational institutes, healthcare providers, and more, working together to innovate in healthcare. In this series, we would like you to get to know this network. This time, we would like to introduce you to Bastian Bedaux Knoppen, Business Development Manager at the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at Erasmus MC.

Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background?

My name is Bastian Bedaux Knoppen, and I am a Business Development Manager within the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at Erasmus MC. With an interdisciplinary background in biomedical sciences and business, I work at the intersection of science and strategy, supporting Erasmus MC colleagues in translating innovative research into real-world impact. In addition, I serve as a Programme Manager within the Erasmus MC Incubator, where I support startups in navigating the complexities of bringing healthcare and life sciences innovations to market. What I particularly value about this dual appointment is the opportunity to follow the entire innovation journey, from ideation, validation, company formation, growth, to a potential exit.

Can you explain what the Technology Transfer Office does and the kind of work your team focuses on?

The TTO is responsible for Erasmus MC‘s valorisation activities, which, alongside patient care, research, and education, form the institution’s fourth core task. Founded in 2003 with a vision to transform innovative research into practical applications that benefit society. With an interdisciplinary team of experts, our passion lies in moving forward the next generation of technologies by bridging the gap between academia and industry. Technology transfer or valorisation is the process through which research organizations, like Erasmus MC, create value from knowledge by making knowledge available for societal use and translating that knowledge into products, services and economic activities, thereby fostering collaboration between academia, industry and other stakeholders.

Our sense for innovation, entrepreneurial mindset, high level of integrity, responsibility, and dedication drives the TTO team to deliver unique commercial solutions for high-level research that foster healthcare innovations on a worldwide scale. Our core expertise lies in IP management, licensing, spin-off formation, and building strategic partnerships. Within the TTO, the Erasmus MC Incubator provides a supportive ecosystem for early-stage startups and Erasmus MC spin-offs. Operating under the umbrella of Erasmus MC, the Incubator helps entrepreneurs translate innovations by benefiting from close ties to a leading

University Medical Centre. We support high-risk ventures through a combination of housing, programming, (access to) funding, and a network of experts, investors, clinicians, and entrepreneurs.

What are you currently looking for within the Life Sciences & Health network?

We are committed to strengthening the South Holland and thereby Dutch HealthTech innovation space. We are looking for partners that share the same vision and principles, where helping the patient and improving the healthcare sector is at the centre of what they do. We are interested in engaging with a broad range of stakeholders, including industry partners seeking innovative licensing opportunities, investors prepared to back early-stage ventures, partners willing to strengthen the innovation sector, or service providers willing to provide value to the next generation of companies shaping the healthcare sector.

What are some of the exciting developments or plans that you’re currently working on?

Many exciting things are currently in the pipeline for the TTO and the Erasmus MC Incubator. Next year, we will open our new Incubator facility at Erasmus MC. With 2,000sqm of rentable space, we are building an environment that will bring clinicians, researchers and entrepreneurs under one roof. We are also continuously exploring new ways to support our projects and startups. This includes, for example, working closely with industry partners and other stakeholders to showcase our spin-out pipeline and create further opportunities for collaboration. Furthermore, we are collaborating with regional and international partners towards developing initiatives, such as the South Holland MedTech Validation Programme and the NL USA Health Accelerator Programme. The latter is a collaboration with Cedars-Sinai, a medical centre in the US, and is designed to help startups navigate the US market entry. This six-week intensive programme, which will end in Los Angeles, will be launching this fall.

Date: September 5, 2026