Core Task

Valorisation

Valorisation is increasingly becoming a core task at our university. In mid-2023, a new Vice-Chancellor for valorisation took office with the ambition to broaden and improve valorisation and to resolutely opt for valuable, sustainable, long-term impact. We will continue this ambition unabated with the same Vice-Chancellor, building on the foundations and networks already laid down.

The industrial research fund is organised at association level where we cooperate with AP and Karel de Grote colleges and the Antwerp Maritime Academy, and we explicitly want to reach out to them to achieve more joint valorisation projects. We also involve other essential partner organisations in the various steps of the valorisation process, including the Antwerp city government, the Port Authority, the province, the Provincial Development Company (POM), the Antwerp Management School (AMS), the University Hospital Antwerp (UZA), the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITG), VOKA, the Flemish Strategic Research Centres (SOCs), the Flemish Spearhead Clusters, industry and other institutional and societal actors.

Technology transfer includes the essential task of knowledge transfer (with the deployment of Valorisation office). In addition to the well-known tasks concerning intellectual property, licence management and support in the start-up of spin-offs, we also want to focus strongly on coaching interested researchers towards technology transfer. We will add ethical and sustainability screening to increase the societal impact of the numerous innovations developed within the university. We are also developing a conducive environment for students and researchers who want to become entrepreneurs. Our university now has about a hundred student-entrepreneurs, for whom we need to pay attention in order to support them in a more targeted and efficient way and in a coordinated way from valorisation and education. Entrepreneurship can take various forms and we therefore want to encourage, recognise and value entrepreneurship.

We also deploy valorisation teams to create 'innovation partnerships' within focus areas (sustainable chemistry & materials; infectious diseases & environmental health; metropolitanisation & smart city, mobility & logistics). In doing so, we reform AVD (Antwerp Valorisation and Development) into a transparent business unit with targeted support and a clear financial framework. We are working on supported ecosystems within our 'open Innovation Hubs' (BlueApp, The Beacon, Vaccinopolis) and the University of Antwerp science park. Collaboration, trust and connection are key words to achieve knowledge valorisation from (basic) research, together with industrial partners and social actors, while always maintaining our independence. We are therefore happy to support connecting initiatives such as Antwerp Health Harbour and TakeOffAntwerp.