Sponsors

We couldn’t be more proud to present to you all our sponsors, thanks to them we were able to start and finish this amazing project. From the first meeting on every one of them were so enthusiastic about our project idea and really believed in us. This gave us a tremendous amount of confidence and support, we knew if they believed in us, we could do this. They followed our journey from the beginning and helped where necessary, their support, expertise and knowledge helped us through some difficult moments. We wouldn’t be at the same point in our project now if they wouldn’t stepped in and helped us. For this we want to express our deepest gratitude to every sponsor, especially VIB and our own university KU Leuven. Their input and support got our project rolling, who knows where this will stop?

Within this page we would like to thank our sponsors, who were kind enough to aid us with our project. Whether they supported us financially or with the necessary supplies, we are very grateful for their aid and the faith they put into us. If you want to learn more about the companies who backed us, you can read their company description below.

VIB

VIB is a research institute located in Flanders, Belgium. VIB was founded by the Flemish government in 1995, and became a full-fledged institute on the 1st of 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.

LCIE

The ‘Leuven Community for Innovation driven Entrepreneurship’ (Lcie) wants to stimulate, encourage and support entrepreneurship among students, researchers and professors. Within this entrepreneurial community, Lcie plays a coordinating and facilitating role by bringing together the right people, matching initiatives, sharing documents and best practices, and providing support and coaching tailored to your needs. Lcie helps professors, researchers and students to convert their innovative ideas into successfull business models, and wants to guide starting entrepreneurs in the growth of their new venture.

MERCK

Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company.

EWI

The ideal mix between economy, science and innovation to bring Flanders to the top of European regions: that’s what we're looking for. In the first place, the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI Department) seeks to achieve this through the preparation, monitoring and evaluation of policy. The established policy is carried out by the agencies, while the advisory councils provide competent advice. The EWI Department prepares, monitors and evaluates policy in the Economy, Science and Innovation policy area.

Janssens

Janssen develops treatments for some of the most devastating disorders and complex medical challenges of our times, including cancer, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, arthritis, dementia, and mental disorders. We focus our research on five strategic pathological areas: oncology, neurosciences, infectious diseases and vaccines, immunology, and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.

Glasatelier Saillart

Custom made glassware and specialties for your lab.

ThermoFisher scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more than $20 billion and approximately 65,000 employees globally. Their mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. They help the customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. Through premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services – they offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive services.

SnapGene

SnapGene was born of frustration. Ben Glick, a cell biologist and experienced cloner, realized that a huge amount of effort is wasted because researchers make avoidable mistakes when planning their cloning procedures, and because records of cloning procedures are incomplete. In the 21st century, many molecular biologists still don't know the full properties of the DNA molecules they are using. This problem has a solution: good software. If molecular biology software were easier to use than pen and paper, researchers would naturally plan their cloning procedures with computers, and electronic records could be automatically produced. To achieve this goal, a group of scientists, software engineers, usability experts, and product developers assembled to form GSL Biotech.

Leuven MindGate

Leuven MindGate was founded in 2016 when 29 leading knowledge institutions, companies and the city of Leuven joined forces. These three parties represent the Leuven ecosystem in a so-called Triple Helix model.

Companies: Cooperate with the government and knowledge institutions and create economic development, growth and jobs.

Government: Invests in education to create a knowledgeable workforce, in infrastructure to create an ideal entrepreneurial climate and simplifies laws so local business can grow.

Knowledge institutions: Develop talent and knowledge for the future and encourage innovation through cooperation and the creation of spin-off companies.

When Leuven MindGate was created, two clear goals were determined for the benefit of the whole region of Leuven.

1) Position the Leuven region internationally as a top destination in Health, High-Tech and Creativity: Leuven MindGate participates in national and international projects, missions, trade fairs and constantly aims to make Leuven MindGate worldwide top of mind when it comes to health, high-tech and creativity.

2) Strengthen the region's eco(n)system for the benefit of local companies: Leuven MindGate improves cross-pollination between these sectors by letting them interact, cooperate and co-create. This creates a unique ecosystem and perfect breeding ground for companies, entrepreneurs, investors and international talent.

Eppendorf

Eppendorf is a leading life science company that develops and sells instruments, consumables, and services for liquid-, sample-, and cell handling in laboratories worldwide. Its product range includes pipettes and automated pipetting systems, dispensers, centrifuges, mixers, spectrometers, and DNA amplification equipment as well as ultra-low temperature freezers, fermentors, bioreactors, CO2 incubators, shakers, and cell manipulation systems. Consumables such as pipette tips, test tubes, microtiter plates, and single-use bioreactor vessels complement the range of highest-quality premium products.

Agilent

Agilent is a leader in life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company provides laboratories worldwide with instruments, services, consumables, applications and expertise, enabling customers to gain the insights they seek. Agilent’s expertise and trusted collaboration give them the highest confidence in our solutions.

FilterService

FilterService is a supply company, active in western Europe. Their range of products goes from chemical products to lab equipment and huge analyzing tools. This Belgian company doesn’t produce consumables but gets their stock from other companies throughout Europe. They then sell these products to their own customers, thanks to their extensive and diversified stock they can meet all wishes from many companies coming from different sectors.

Team:KU Leuven/Sponsors