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Discovery and research, Finance and Investment, Industrial application, Technology and digital innovation

Alga-Care Project Explores Microalgae as a One Health Solution for Fatty Liver Disease

What if the next step in preventing fatty liver disease could come from the sea? The Alga-Care project is investigating whether bioactive compounds from microalgae could help protect the liver from fat accumulation, oxidation, and damage. This VLAIO-funded intercluster project is supported by both Biovia and De Blauwe Cluster, uniting biomedical expertise and marine biology for a potential One Health solution.

From Self-Healing Robots to Surgical Phantoms: How Materials Science is Reshaping Medical Training

When Seppe Terryn first appeared in a Biovia article member spotlight in 2024, he was an academic working on self-healing robots. Today, those same materials are being stitched — quite literally — into the future of surgical training, with the new VLAIO-funded project RESSURG.

From Sample Collections to Critical Infrastructure: Experts are Calling for Changes to Belgium’s Biobanks

Belgium has strong biobanks, but many still experience the system as fragmented and hard to navigate when conducting biomedical research. Experts in Belgium are arguing that we need to treat biobanks as shared infrastructure — data-rich platforms with predictable access, sustainable funding, and governance built around patient trust.

From Local Strength to Global Scale: Why Belgium’s Health Innovators Need a United Front

Belgium has the science to compete globally, but its market is too small and fragmented to support companies alone. To help startups scale, the ecosystem needs to act less like a set of competing regions and more like a unified, internationally visible launchpad for health innovation.

Liquid Nitrogen: Cooling in Real-World Conditions

Cooling is often treated as a stable constant in pharmaceutical processes — until its fails. Deviations rarely happen unexpectedly; they develop gradually and often go unnoticed for too long. By the time they are detected, product quality may already be compromised. So how can companies ensure that their cooling systems remain stable in real-world conditions?

Stop Being a Pest About It: How AI Can Help Agriculture

Insect pests are a major cause of quality and economic losses in agriculture. Due to policy constraints that aim for a greener future, the use of general pesticides is being phased out, and a push towards species-specific pesticides and biological control methods is being promoted. But these methods require the pest species to first be identified, which is costly. AI could help speed up this process, thus reducing costs and helping us push towards a greener tomorrow.

Health Innovation Funding: Spearhead Clusters Lead the Way in Flanders

BioVox spoke with Sara Van Overmeire and Annie Renders of Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) about the origin and role of spearhead clusters. VLAIO is the Flemish government’s point of contact for all entrepreneurs in Flanders. It relies on Biovia and other spearhead clusters to bring companies together and support them in setting up innovative projects.

Bioprinting Living Tissues with BIO INX

Belgian startup BIO INX develops bioinks to 3D print cells into living tissues and organ-on-chip technologies. The company is working with academic and industry partners to develop products ranging from artificial corneas to cartilage. The aim: translate academic ideas into to real-world applications with tangible patient impact.

Hospitals and Belgian Companies Unite to Shape the Future of Healthcare

On 29 January 2026, 400 Belgian healthcare stakeholders — hospital executives, policymakers, and innovators — gathered in Brussels to help shape the future of healthcare. The objective was to connect hospital needs with the innovative technologies developed by Belgian companies. Two projects were honored during the event’s Innovation Awards: Baby Detect and SIM BLOOD.

MDR and IVDR Revisions Bode Well for European Medtech Innovation

In December 2025, the European Commission unveiled proposed revisions to the EU’s Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR). The changes aim to accelerate the path to market for medtech and digital health companies by making the rulebook easier to navigate without lowering the bar on patient safety. Innovators have greeted the announcement with cautious optimism.

Celebrating the Pitch Winners of HealthTech Investor Summit 2025

Europe’s healthtech pipeline was on full display at the HealthTech Investor Summit 2025 in Utrecht, with the regions brightest rising stars in the spotlight. From surgical robotics and implantable devices to bioelectronics and next-generation diagnostics, here are the pitching companies that stood out to both the judges and audience.

Nano Crayons: The Atomic Structure of Screens and Solar Panels

Behind the vivid colors of our phone screens and smartwatches lies a world too small for the naked eye to see. But scientists at the University of Antwerp have developed a new method to analyze small changes in the atomic arrangement of the nanomaterials in these kinds of digital displays, which is key to creating stable and efficient materials for solar cells or electronics in the future.

Healthtech Success: An Investor’s Perspective

Europe’s healthtech scene is buzzing, with innovators racing to re-shape how we prevent, diagnose and treat disease. Many of the field’s brightest stars will gather at the HealthTech Investor Summit in December to connect, compare notes and compete for attention. Ahead of the event, we asked one of the participating investors, Vlaamse Investeringsmaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV) what they’re scouting for in Europe’s future healthtech champions.

A Champions League of European Health Innovation Clusters

Recently at the Medicon Valley Alliance Summit in Copenhagen, the spotlight was on European competitiveness. In a keynote, panelists from four of Europe’s leading life sciences hubs shared their intention to establish a “Champions League” of clusters, working as a team to strengthen health innovation for Europe as a whole.

Personalized medicine: Europe’s seeds are sown but not yet grown

To truly improve patients’ lives through personalized medicine, the seeds of innovation must be sown, and its capacity must be grown. Europe undoubtedly excels as an R&D hub, yet we fall behind when transforming ideas into tangible products and services. So how can we create an environment where personalized medicine can flourish and deliver real solutions for patients? That question was the focus of a recent meeting at the European Parliament where the PRECISEU consortium brought together key stakeholders to discuss the future of the field.