LIFETECHLIMBURG.BE
[BIZ/LIFE-SCI/GOV: Hasselt, May 25] Those represented at the meeting in the Governor’s official residence were: the Province of Limburg, the University of Hasselt, the Limburg development company LRM and various other players in life sciences. Limburg currently has ten rapidly growing companies, which include Silicos, Medinvents, Helvoet Pharma and PharmaNeuroBoost. The plan of action, which is to smooth the way for life science development, was developed by Professor Piet Stinissen of the University of Hasselt and it intends to develop a platform, LifeTechLimburg.be, which will collect expertise from Limburg’s knowledge institutions, hospitals, the LRM, the Flemish Business Agency and the Provincial Development Company. The target is to put the Limburg life sciences sector on the world map and to work closely with Flemish and Euroregional partners. LRM’s director general let it be known that the Limburg development company had set up a life sciences fund of EUR 10m and this will be used to support spin-off activities and the construction of a new incubator center at the science park in Diepenbeek. LRM is currently dealing with nine cases within the life sciences sector including two spin-offs from the University of Hasselt.
Those responsible for the life sciences sector in Limburg want it to become the driving power in the Limburg economy, providing for sustainable economic growth. To do this they set up a plan of action at the Biomedical Research Institute of the University of Hasselt. The Flemish government provided a subsidy of EUR 500,000 as a stake in the capital of the project company for the incubator center that is to be established and for the further development of the life sciences sector in the province, said Limburg Economics Deputy Marc Vandeput at the Life Sciences Round Table.
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