UGent IOF Business Development Centers (Industrial Liaison Network).

What is this?

The IOF Business Development Centers are thematic clusters within the UGent Association that bring together complementary research groups by application domain. Together with the IOF platforms, they form UGent TechTransfer’s Industrial Liaison Network.

For researchers, these are the first points of contact (business developers / liaisons) to:

• explore a valorisation pathway,
• build collaborations with industry,
• and (where relevant) move toward a spin-off.

When do you use this overview?

• You want to quickly know who to contact within UGent TechTransfer for your domain.
• You are looking for the right business developer for an initial intake regarding valorisation/spin-offs.
• You want to be referred to the right IOF platforms or partners.

How do you find the right liaison?

1. Look for the domain that best matches your research (e.g., Engineering/Energy/Materials, Health Tech & Pharma, Electronics/Photonics/Digital, Agro/Vet/Food, Social Sciences & Humanities).
2. Click through to the relevant center or platform.
3. Contact the listed business developer(s) for an intake.

Some domains listed on the page

The page includes, among others, contact points for:

• Engineering, Energy & Materials (e.g., ChemTech, CleanChem, Composites, Metals, …)
• Health Tech & Pharma (e.g., ACT-T, DISCOVERE, MEDTEG, …)
• Electronics, Photonics & Digital (e.g., i-Know, INDATA, NB-Photonics, …)
• Agro, Vet & Food (e.g., BIOREFINED, BLUEGent, PROVAXS, …)
• Social Sciences & Humanities (e.g., i4S, SHAPE, …)

Tip for spin-offs

If you are considering a spin-off, it is usually efficient to:

• first clarify your valorisation case and potential applications,
• then review with your liaison which route (licensing, collaboration, spin-off) fits best,
• and only then go deeper into conditions/structures.

Source

• https://techtransfer.ugent.be/en/collaborations/iof-business-development-centers

Related articles

• Fast Lane UGent: setting up a spin-off faster (Fast Lane & Fast Lane Mini)
• The Research Track (track for researchers)