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and more efficient exploitation of resources. Based on its strategic focus areas, INHolland hasstarted a number of projects that draw upon the characteristics of the region to develop researchactivity. For instance, in the focus area ‘sustainability’ INHolland works together with the city ofAmsterdam, the province of Noord-Holland and regional companies. Furthermore, the theme‘city marketing’ has received a boost from the recent I AMsterdam marketing campaign of thecity of Amsterdam. More generally, INHolland stresses that it benefits a great deal from thesocial/demographic and economic map, the existing networks and the active stakeholders of theAmsterdam metropolitan region.Box 3-2: Responding to regional needs and demandsNetherlands Institute for System BiologyHEIs and research institutions in Amsterdam have much knowledge that can contribute to systembiology, a swiftly developing paradigm within the life sciences discipline. For this reason the VUUniversity Amsterdam has initiated the Netherlands Research Institute for System Biology(NISB). Other partners in this institute are the University of Amsterdam, FOM Institute forAtomic and Molecular Physics, and the National Research Institute for Mathematics andComputer Science. Formally launched in 2007, the NISB aims to coordinate and share researchefforts, knowledge, and grant applications on behalf of its partners, and systems biology at large.Duisenberg School of FinanceGiven the strong financial services sector in Amsterdam, the Dutch financial sector together withseveral Dutch research universities have decided to create the Duisenberg School of Finance(DSF), with the aim to establish a number of high profile programmes in finance at the MSc,MPhil, and PhD level. The founding partners of DSF are ING, Aegon, Fortis, APG, NYSEEuronext, SNS Reaal, the Dutch Central Bank, as well as the following academic institutions:UvA, VU, Tilburg University, Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Tinbergen Institute. Theregional significance of DSF is that two regional universities, which have quite a different profileand a history of competition, have acknowledged their mutual interest and decided to worktogether in this initiative.De KarthuizerDe Karthuizer is a practical and research center established by the Hogeschool van Amsterdam.Its purpose is to provide occupational training for students at HvA within educationalprogrammes related to social sciences and law. At De Karthuizer, students work together withAmsterdam residents and professionals to solve practical social questions which arise in the urbanenvironment. De Karthuizer frequently works in cooperation with the municipality ofAmsterdam, for instance in the research programme Mantelzorgers in Amsterdam.Source: NISB (2009), DSF (2009), De Karthuizer (2009)A number of research initiatives undertaken by the HEIs in Amsterdam are executed incooperation with regional partners. The UvA works together with HEIs, the municipality,companies and the non-profit sector. In general, researchers at UvA establish and maintain theirown contacts with partners, for instance through personal networks and conferences. TheTechnology Transfer Office of UvA and AMC plays a crucial role in assisting universityresearchers to set up contacts with external organizations (see more on TTOs below). The VUalso works together with HEIs (especially the UvA), the municipality, companies and the nonprofitsector. Both research universities work together in a large number of initiatives (also seeAnnex E). The municipality and other governments in the region are regularly involved withresearch at the VU, either as contractor or object of study. This takes place mainly in the field of72