Stichting Sanquin Bloedvoorziening

Their core work

Sanquin is the Netherlands' national blood supply foundation, headquartered in Amsterdam, combining blood banking operations with deep research into blood biology, immunology, and transfusion medicine. Their research division investigates red blood cell biology, immune regulation, and protein therapeutics — particularly around haemophilia treatment and immunogenicity of biological drugs. They bring a unique translational perspective, connecting clinical blood product supply with fundamental immunological research, and have contributed significantly to COVID-19 convalescent plasma evaluation and remote infection detection during the pandemic.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), Sanquin focused on fundamental blood cell biology — erythrocyte life cycles, haematopoiesis, stem cell differentiation, and microfluidics-based drug screening — alongside autoimmune disease research in multiple sclerosis. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted toward applied immunology: COVID-19 response (convalescent plasma, remote detection), haemophilia A therapeutics, advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), and point-of-care inflammation diagnostics. The trend shows a clear move from basic blood science toward translational immunotherapy and rapid-response infectious disease work.

Sanquin is moving toward translational immunology applications — expect growing activity in personalized diagnostics, cell-based therapies, and pandemic preparedness.

How they like to work

Sanquin operates predominantly as a participant (9 of 12 projects), joining established consortia rather than leading them. Their two coordinator roles (TC-Evo, PRinTERs) are both in T cell immunology — their area of deepest in-house expertise — suggesting they lead when they hold clear scientific authority. With 86 unique partners across 14 countries, they maintain a broad but non-repetitive network, indicating openness to new collaborations rather than reliance on a fixed set of allies.

Sanquin has collaborated with 86 distinct partners across 14 countries, reflecting a well-connected European network. Their partnerships span academic institutions and clinical research centers, with particular density in Western European health research ecosystems.

What sets them apart

Sanquin occupies a rare position as both a national blood supply organization and a research institute, giving them direct access to clinical samples, patient cohorts, and real-world transfusion data that purely academic labs cannot match. Their dual expertise in blood biology and immunology makes them an ideal partner for projects requiring both fundamental immune research and practical clinical validation. For consortium builders, Sanquin brings infrastructure, regulatory experience with blood products and ATMPs, and a track record in training networks (4 MSCA-ITN projects).

Highlights from their portfolio

• PRinTERs
  Largest single grant (EUR 2M ERC Consolidator), coordinated by Sanquin, investigating post-transcriptional regulation in T cells — signals deep in-house immunology leadership.
• SUPPORT-E
  Pan-European COVID-19 convalescent plasma evaluation — demonstrates Sanquin's unique role as a blood supply organization contributing to pandemic response research.
• EDUC8
  Training network addressing Factor VIII immunogenicity in haemophilia A — a niche but high-impact clinical problem directly tied to Sanquin's blood product mission.