Princess Máxima Center to expand with innovation wing thanks to partnership between the Foundation and Rabobank

Expansion is essential

Each year, around six hundred children in the Netherlands are diagnosed with cancer, and every two to three days a child dies from the disease. Because many forms of childhood cancer are very rare, continued investment in research and innovation remains essential. This makes it possible to develop new treatments more quickly to cure more children with cancer, with a better quality of life. To achieve this ambition, the Princess Máxima Center needs to continue expanding. This has now become possible thanks to Rabobank’s multi-year support. In 2025, the bank donated twenty-five million euros to the Princess Máxima Center Foundation for the construction of the innovation wing. Over the next two years, an additional total amount of thirty-five million euros will be added.

‘Health is one of the most important conditions for broad prosperity. It determines to what extent people can participate, develop themselves, and lead good lives. Our own research shows that experienced broad prosperity in the Netherlands has declined since 2019, including in the areas of health and well-being. That is why, as a cooperative bank, we are committed to prevention, inclusion, and innovation in care, with special attention to children, young people, and vulnerable groups. The Princess Máxima Center fulfills a unique and irreplaceable role for children with cancer,’ says Janine Vos, CHRO and member of Rabobank’s Executive Board.

‘We are grateful that through this partnership with the Foundation of the Máxima Center we can support the construction of the new innovation wing and in this way make a structural contribution to pioneering research and better and more effective treatments.’

From AI to cell therapy: a broad boost for innovation

The new building section will house several new research groups. One of these focuses on applying artificial intelligence (AI) to enable faster diagnoses. In addition, this partnership will support the development of new immunotherapies and cell therapies.

Rabobank also supports the Máxima Center in strengthening collaborations with leading national and international organizations. New initiatives in the field of local and national partnerships are being supported. Internationally, the focus is on expanding and intensifying collaborations with pediatric oncology centers. The Máxima Center currently works with more than twenty-five partners in Europe, Asia and Africa. The Foundation also supports these partners in setting up local fundraising initiatives.

A step forward toward the mission

‘The construction of the innovation wing will allow us to realize a necessary acceleration in pioneering research and the development of more effective treatments for children with cancer. To achieve our ambitions, our center is and will remain highly dependent on the structural support of donors, such as Rabobank’s partnership with the Princess Máxima Center Foundation. We are therefore extremely grateful to Rabobank for their financial contribution over the next three years,’ says Gita Gallé, Chief Financial & Operating Officer of the Princess Máxima Center.

‘This makes both the construction of the innovation wing and the launch of new innovation programs possible. Thanks to this partnership, we can house new research groups and attract leading researchers and professionals, offering them the best facilities. It also helps us further strengthen collaborations with leading institutions in cancer care and research at the local, national, and international levels. In this way, this partnership enables us to take an important step forward toward our mission: to cure every child with cancer, with optimal quality of life.’

Construction of the new innovation wing is expected to start in the second quarter of 2026, with completion planned for 2028.

Photo credit: LIAG architects and construction consultants