STICHTING LYGATURE

Their core work

Lygature is a Dutch foundation that orchestrates public-private partnerships in life sciences and health research, acting as a neutral broker between academia, industry, regulators, and patient organizations. They specialize in managing complex multi-partner clinical development programs — from designing adaptive trial frameworks to coordinating large-scale data infrastructure projects. Their core value lies in bringing structure and governance to pre-competitive collaboration, particularly in drug development, clinical trials, and health data management. Based in Utrecht, they serve as a trusted intermediary that enables research consortia to function effectively across organizational and national boundaries.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015-2018), Lygature focused on regulatory and multi-stakeholder coordination for drug development pathways, exemplified by ADAPT-SMART's work on adaptive trial design and HTA/reimbursement alignment, alongside foundational life-science research infrastructure through CORBEL. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted decisively toward digital health — remote clinical trials, AI applications in pathology and drug development, FAIR data principles, and digital biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases. This evolution reflects a clear trajectory from process-oriented partnership management toward technology-enabled, data-driven clinical research.

Lygature is positioning itself at the intersection of AI, digital endpoints, and clinical trial modernization — expect them to be a key partner in any consortium digitizing the drug development pipeline.

How they like to work

Lygature operates primarily as an active partner (14 of 19 projects), joining large consortia where they contribute governance, coordination, and data management expertise rather than bench science. With 354 unique consortium partners across 26 countries, they function as a network hub — connecting diverse organizations rather than repeatedly working with the same partners. Their 3 coordinator roles (ADAPT-SMART, ESCulab, GNA NOW) show they can lead when the project demands neutral multi-party orchestration, making them a reliable and well-connected consortium partner.

Lygature has collaborated with 354 unique partners across 26 countries, making them one of the most broadly connected health research foundations in the Netherlands. Their network spans major pharmaceutical companies, universities, hospitals, and regulatory bodies across Europe, with particularly strong ties in Western European health research ecosystems.

What sets them apart

Lygature occupies a rare niche as a neutral, non-profit orchestrator of public-private partnerships in health research — they don't compete with pharma, academia, or hospitals but instead make their collaborations work. Their combination of clinical trial expertise, FAIR data governance, and digital health knowledge makes them uniquely qualified to manage the increasingly complex interface between traditional drug development and digital innovation. For consortium builders, Lygature brings credibility with both regulators and industry, plus a proven track record of managing EUR 12M+ in EU-funded collaborative programs.

Highlights from their portfolio

• UNITE4TB
  Largest single project (EUR 2.2M to Lygature) combining AI-driven trial design with tuberculosis drug development — demonstrates their capacity to manage high-budget, long-duration programs through 2028.
• GNA NOW
  Coordinator role in a critical antimicrobial resistance project developing new gram-negative antibiotics, showing Lygature can lead drug development programs, not just support them.
• BIGPICTURE
  EUR 1.7M contribution to Europe's central AI-powered digital pathology repository — marks their strategic entry into AI infrastructure for medicine.