Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie

The Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB, English: Flanders Institute for Biotechnology), is a research institute located in Flanders, Belgium. VIB was founded by the Flemish government in 1995, and became a full-fledged institute on 1 January 1996. The main objective of VIB is to strengthen the excellence of Flemish life sciences research and to turn the results into new economic growth. VIB spends almost 80% of its budget on research activities, while almost 12% is spent on technology transfer activities and stimulating the creation of new businesses, in addition VIB spends approximately 2% on socio-economic activities.

The institute is led by Jo Bury and Johan Cardoen. Hugo Van Heuverswyn is Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Goals

The strategic goals of the VIB are:

1. Strategic basic research
2. Technology transfer policy to transfer the inventions to consumers and patients
3. Scientific information for the general public

Departments

The VIB scientist works on the normal and abnormal or pathological processes occurring in a cell, an organ and an organism (humans, plants, micro organisms). Instead of relocating scientists to a new campus, the VIB researchers work in research departments of four Flemish universities: Ghent University, the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the University of Antwerp and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

• Ghent University:
  • VIB Inflammation Research Center, UGent (Bart Lambrecht)
  • VIB Department of Plant Systems Biology, UGent (Dirk Inzé)
  • VIB Department of Medical Protein Research, UGent (Nico Callewaert)
  • VIB Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Biology, UGent (Jean-Christophe Marine)

• Katholieke Universiteit Leuven:
  • VIB Department of Transgene Technology and Gene Therapy, K.U.Leuven (Désiré Collen)
  • VIB Center for the Biology of Disease, K.U.Leuven (Bart De Strooper)
  • VIB Department of Molecular Microbiology, K.U.Leuven (Johan Thevelein)
  • VIB Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, K.U.Leuven (Patrick Callaerts)
  • VIB Switch Laboratory, K.U.Leuven (Frederic Rousseau & Joost Schymkowitz)

• University of Antwerp:
  • VIB Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Antwerp (Christine Van Broeckhoven)

• Vrije Universiteit Brussel:
  • VIB Department of Molecular and Cellular Interactions, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Lode Wyns)

Service facilities

VIB has established several core facilities focused on advanced technologies, which make high through-flow technologies available to academic and industrial researchers in Flanders.

• VIB BioInformatics Training and Service facility
• VIB Compound Screening service Facility, UGent
• VIB Genetic Service Facility, University of Antwerp
• VIB Nucleomics Core, KU Leuven
• VIB Nanobody Service Facility, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• VIB Protein Service Facility, UGent
• VIB Proteomics Expertise Center, UGent

Spin-offs

VIB was involved in the creation of spin-offs from academic research groups, such as for Ablynx, DevGen, CropDesign, ActoGeniX, Pronota (formerly Peakadilly), Agrosavfe, Multiplicom, Q-biologicals and SoluCel.

See also

• Science and technology in Flanders
• BIO.be
• Lisbon Strategy
• Institute for the promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT)
• Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen
• Flanders Investment and Trade
• GIMV
• FlandersBio
• Flemish institute for technological research
• BIOMED (University of Hasselt)
• Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Walter Fiers
• Raymond Hamers
• Jozef Schell
• Herman Van Den Berghe
• Marc Van Montagu
• Wellcome Trust
• EMBL

Source

• J. Comijn, P. Raeymaekers, A. Van Gysel, M. Veugelers, Today = Tomorrow : a tribute to life sciences research and innovation : 10 years of VIB, Snoeck, 2006, ISBN 978-90-5349-630-5
• Biotechnology industry in Belgium

External links

• Official websiteB
• History