VIB (Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie) and VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) have joined forces to develop a brand new Bio Incubator Brussels (BIB) on the green VUB Main Campus in Etterbeek. This innovative hub will be the place where science, technology and entrepreneurship come together to accelerate pioneering biotech developments. Start-ups in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and health technology looking for lab and office space are welcome here.
The bio-incubator came about at the initiative and with the financial support of the VIB-VUB Centre for Structural Biology. This research centre, headed by Jan Steyaert and Han Remaut, already has several successful biotech spin-offs on its assets (Ablynx, Biotalys, Confotherapeutics).
"With the new bio-incubator, we want to facilitate the creation of new start-up companies and strengthen the link between our lab and our spin-offs."
Jan Steyaert, Scientific Director VIB-VUB Centre for Structural Biology
Lab and office spaces within a stimulating ecosystem
The Bio Incubator Brussels offers units with laboratory and office facilities in a stimulating ecosystem for innovation and scientific collaboration. Its spaces are furnished with state-of-the-art laboratory furniture.
On the ground floor, 6 lab units ranging from 70 to 200 m² are available, each equipped for independent operation yet designed to interconnect flexibly for expanded needs. Shared amenities include an inviting entrance lobby, a fully equipped lab kitchen, a waste disposal port, and a vibrant social space fostering collaboration among tenants. Office spaces and shared meeting rooms are located on the first floor. BIB also offers mentoring, networking opportunities and direct access to academic talent and industrial partners closely linked to the university and institute.
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RE-use of the Willy Van Der Meeren student facilities
The famous modernist concrete student facilities by architect Willy Van Der Meeren on the VUB campus will be given a scientifically oriented repurposing. In addition to the VIB-VUB facility for Biological Cryo-Electron Microscopy (BECM), the Circular Retrofit Lab - the unique demonstration lab for 'circular construction'- a microbrewery and sourdough bakery, a cleanroom for the development of new microfluidics and microreactor applications, there will now also be a bio-incubator. The Bio Incubator Brussels is easily recognised by the distinctive red colour of its buildings.
The new interpretation of existing buildings fits in perfectly with the VUB core theme Re-Use, in which the university, as a socially responsible knowledge institution and urban engaged university, approaches its construction and research projects in an ecologically conscious manner.
