Apart from infrastructure, they also offer cooperation opportunities through the LifeTechLimburg network, as well as administrative support, so starting companies can concentrate fully on their research. We are located on the university campus at Diepenbeek to inspire students and researchers – with seminars, for example. Furthermore, recruiting businesses are also present at the incubator. In total, 16 enterprises and organisations active in the life sciences sector are working at the incubator, among them four foreign ones.
What developments has BioVille made possible? One of BioVille’s success stories is the company Amakem, which originated only two years ago on the initiative of three people who had the idea of developing new types of medicines focused on eye diseases. Today, they have gained an investment of €18 million and employ 15 researchers. The enterprise TheraSolve has invented an adhesive plaster, the MemoPatch, with a built-in microprocessor that sends out a tactile signal to discreetly remind patients to take their medication. One company, EMC Medical Instruments, is already producing their cold therapy products, which reduce the pain and swelling after injury or surgery.
What are the plans for the near future? As we have an almost full house after two years, we need to expand earlier than expected. We have already inaugurated a new wing at the beginning of the month, but, after a second building phase – an investment of about €3.5 million – we should have doubled our size to almost 4,000 square metres by the beginning of 2014. A few enterprises from the United States have already shown an interest in joining us.
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