3 biotech incubators from Flanders in European top 25

Over the past few decades, Flanders, the northern region of Belgium, has become a major life sciences and biotech innovation hub – complete with life sciences research parks, top-ranking universities and university hospitals, a sector-dedicated strategic research center (VIB), Europe’s fastest clinical approval procedure, and more. 

VIB, one of Flanders’ four strategic research centers, focuses on delivering innovative breakthroughs in life sciences and biotechnology. The institute operates two incubators – one in Ghent and one in Leuven – intended for R&D-intensive biotech companies. Ranging from start-ups to established firms, tenant companies are offered office and laboratory space as well as general, technical and logistics support.

Located on the research campus of Janssen Pharmaceutica (a subsidiary of American pharma giant Johnson & Johnson) in Beerse, JLABS@BE is the first of a large network of life sciences incubators to be run by Johnson & Johnson in Europe. Businesses and organizations at the incubator can work without strings attached in terms of intellectual property (IP) and are granted access to a variety of facilities, experts and funding options.

Situated at the Diepenbeek campus of the Hasselt University, Bioville is home to numerous healthcare companies both in early and late-stage development phases, including Apitope, Beta-Cell and Complix. These and other tennant companies are offered custom services that adapt to their needs.