This milestone was marked with a live BiotechNews interview by Schuttelaar & Partners on the expo stage at Innovation for Health on 26 March together with Bertholt Leeftink of Oncode Institute and Shobhit Dhawan of Ligase BioPartners.

Enabling the Next Generation of Oncology Ventures

OBF II is made possible with support from key funders, including the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) and KWF Dutch Cancer Society. The fund provides targeted early-stage financing to oncology ventures, with clearly defined ticket sizes and a strong focus on advancing cancer innovation.

Proven Success of the first Oncology Bridge fund.

The Ligase BioPartners team brings a strong track record, including prior collaborations with the Oncode Institute on several promising spin-outs through OBF I. These initiatives reflect a shared focus on building a portfolio of high-potential ventures targeting major disease areas such as cancer, with the ambition to translate scientific breakthroughs into innovative therapies. To date, OBF I has supported the creation of approximately 15 spin-outs, demonstrating the strength of this approach.

These spin-outs have attracted significant investor interest, securing more than €30 million in follow-on private investments in 2024 alone. Overall, the fund has achieved an impressive 15x multiplier on investments in spin-outs, with €4.5 million invested from the Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund leveraging €69 million in co-investments.

This performance demonstrates that structured early-stage support embedded within a leading research environment can significantly accelerate oncology innovation.

Doubling down on oncology, together

Under a strategic collaboration agreement, the Ligase team manages both OBF I and OBF II and works closely with Oncode researchers and business developers, further strengthening Oncode Institute’s commitment to translating fundamental research into clinical solutions for cancer patients.  As part of a coordinated pipeline linking scientific excellence to clinical and commercial translation, Ligase BioPartners and Oncode Institute support innovations that can transform outcomes in major cancer indications, while also driving societal impact through improved accessibility and affordability of therapies, and by advancing solutions for rare and paediatric cancers.

Improving the oncology innovation

National and European policy reports, including the Wennink report, have highlighted that the Netherlands excels in scientific research but remains vulnerable in translating that knowledge into societal and economic value. For healthcare systems under pressure, this is not only an economic challenge but a societal one: innovations that could lead to more effective and efficient treatments reach patients too late, or not at all.

Early-stage innovations often face a lack of funding at the point where risk is highest but impact potential is greatest. The Oncology Bridge Fund addresses this gap by enabling promising oncology innovations to progress from research toward clinical development where traditional funding is limited, but timely investment is crucial.

Oncode Institute and Ligase BioPartners launch Oncology Bridge Fund II to accelerate cancer innovation for patients

“At Oncode Institute, we believe that excellent oncology research carries a responsibility beyond discovery alone,” said Bertholt Leeftink, Managing Director of Oncode Institute.

“Our role in the ecosystem is to connect fundamental science, clinical practice and application across universities, university medical centres, companies, patient organisations and funders. Through instruments such as a Bridge Fund, we reduce fragmentation and ensure that publicly funded research moves coherently from discovery toward clinical and societal impact. With the OBF II, we are scaling this role and embedding valorisation as a professional, long-term public function that contributes to sustainable healthcare and better outcomes for patients.”

“OBF II focuses on supporting oncology innovations at the moment they need it most,” said Shobhit Dhawan, Managing Director and Fund Manager at Ligase BioPartners.

“By combining early-stage funding with rigorous scientific and translational assessment, we help promising discoveries move from the lab toward the clinic and the market, creating societal value and preparing companies for follow-on investment. Together with Oncode Institute, we are scaling a model that has already proven its value.”