From research to impact: how technology transfer works at Ghent University

Ghent University not only attracts researchers and students, businesses also like to establish a presence near the university. Excellent research, know-how and highly trained professionals constitute the ideal breeding ground for innovation.

Construction cranes and trucks shuttle back and forth in Tech Lane Ghent Science Park. In the shadow of the new bio-accelerator, the AA Tower and the iGent Tower, construction sites keep springing up like so many mushrooms. Same story fifty kilometres down the road, in Ostend Science Park. Embedded in the green polders, the blue economy grows.

Especially in recent years, construction activity in both science parks has accelerated. The companies that set down roots there are literally building the future because they are all innovative players. Far from a random event, this evolution is the result of ambitious policy of Ghent University.

This policy can be summarised in one clear ambition: creating impact through research. The knowledge and expertise our researchers are building day after day are not just shared among colleagues but with society as a whole so we can all benefit. We do this for instance by advising policymakers, working with stakeholders, participating in the public debate, ... or by using the knowledge to bring new products and services to market: technology transfer.

The latter step is something a university cannot achieve alone. “A good relationship with the business world is essential to innovation. Together, we translate pure know-how into something that is useful to society”, says Kristof Beuren, general manager of Ghent University TechTransfer. Ghent University has partnerships with a number of international players in various industries. Examples include CNH (agricultural machinery), Johnson & Johnson (pharma), Daikin (climatisation) and ArcelorMittal (steel industry).

Some of those partnerships originate with the companies themselves. They call on Ghent University to supply the knowledge they themselves lack, for instance to identify areas for improvement in their processes, to solve technological issues or explore new avenues. In some cases this is very specific expertise in areas where Ghent University is a world leader and that is not available anywhere else. But Ghent University itself also initiates and fosters such collaborations, as do Flanders and the EC. “For example, Ghent University researchers can request funding from the Industrial Research Fund (IOF) for the development of a technical and industrial proof of concept to persuade investors of the potential of a certain technology. Now we are also adding acceleration projects, where a selection of projects is pitched to a network of business angels. The projects that strike a chord receive additional funding from Ghent University.”

At the same time not all research results must be ‘economically valuable’. “On the contrary”, says rector Rik Van de Walle: “Fundamental research - also known as curiosity-driven research - is one of the most important core tasks of a university like ours. ‘Curiosity-driven’ speaks to a crucial aspect of academic freedom: academics who wish to do so must have the opportunity to place maximum focus on research questions they themselves wish to see answered, irrespective of any future potential for valorisation. This type of research is valuable, if only because the creation of new knowledge is intrinsically valuable.”

Scouting for applications

Nevertheless, in keeping with its ‘impact’ mission, the university is always on the lookout for research that can create social and economic value. “Valorisation at Ghent University is a house with many rooms”, Kristof Beuren explains. “On the one hand you have Ghent University TechTransfer but on the other there are also the so-called IOF business developers, the IOF platform staff and the IOF innovation officers. The business developers often combine research and business experience. They are members of different faculties and are embedded into thematic clusters of research groups, such as renewable energy or healthcare, so they can monitor new developments from up close.” Together the IOF actors take industry questions to the researchers. “The collaboration between the different rooms in the ‘valorisation house’ is a powerful model”, Kristof continues. We can pick up on ideas on both sides and, as a result, proactively take the initiative to make further strides.”

The business developers help researchers reflect on potential applications and evaluate the valorisation potential of research results. For example, a method to develop species-specific antibiotics in a very short time, a new way to produce human lactose, or technology for the real-time processing and interpretation of data from different sensors.

Win-win-win

If there is indeed potential for commercialisation, then there are several avenues. The most commonly used option is that of licensing. It means that a company uses technology owned by Ghent University under licence. It’s a win-win-win: the company in question doesn’t have to invest in research and is immediately in business. In turn, society also benefits from the innovation and Ghent University is fairly compensated. Kristof: “It’s actually a kind of leverage: we use every euro of subsidies to generate more funds, which are then reinvested in research in order to create fresh impact.”

Many spin-offs

Ghent University’s research activities can also result in a new business in the form of a spin-off. Sometimes researchers themselves decide to become entrepreneurs; other times a third party decides to found a new company on the basis of research results.

Ghent University deliberately invests considerable resources in these spin-offs. That is why on their path towards a potential spin-off, researchers can embark on the venture track, where they receive intensive guidance in all the steps involved in starting their own company. Moreover, spin-offs can establish themselves in the science parks, which offers a host of practical advantages. “Take lab space, for instance”, Kristof explains. “In a rented building this is expensive and often difficult to configure. Our incubators all come fully equipped and they also benefit from the experience of fellow start-ups located nearby.”

A thriving ecosystem

The reason behind the generous support for spin-offs is their crucial role in the ecosystem that is developing here, says Johan Bil, business developer at Ghent University TechTransfer. “Start-ups are the lubricant that keeps the ecosystem running smoothly. They are the ones taking the risks and turning ideas into reality. Their success generates growth and attracts attention from international players, who acquire the start-ups.” This way the major corporations gain a foothold in the science park, helping the system grow from within. So the impact of spin-offs goes beyond merely transferring technology to society: it also involves job creation and - if the venture is successful - prosperity.

Every year some eight new Ghent University spin-offs spring up, a figure the university would like to increase to at least ten in the years to come. Still, this is not the only criterion that matters. Johan: “The survival rate is at least as important. In the case of Ghent University it’s pretty high: around 90% of our start-ups are still in business after five years.” All in all approximately 80 spin-offs were created in the past decade. Several of those spin-offs have meanwhile been acquired by larger companies. Think of such players as New Relic, NVIDIA, Bruker, Amatsi and BASF. International top firms, in other words.

Meanwhile the environment has become so attractive that major players deliberately insert themselves in the Ghent ecosystem, even in the absence of such a takeover. Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of Janssen Pharmaceutica, is a case in point. In conjunction with Legend Biotech, the pharma giants are currently putting the finishing touches to an innovative 26,000 m² centre for the production of CAR-T, a cancer treatment. Daikin has recently also landed in the science park. “Companies want to come here, precisely because of the favourable ecosystem. They see what we do here and they feel it’s an interesting environment for them to also establish a presence”, says Johan. “The fact that partners such as Johnson & Johnson and Daikin, with building options worldwide, choose to work with us, should be regarded as a direct result of the current successful growth.”