INNOVATING FOR IMPACT

Applied research at universities has become increasingly important as a means to create practical solutions for real-world problems and impact society in meaningful ways. We are proud to have been at the forefront of applied research, developing innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges facing society today such as AI, climate change, mobility and health, taking into account ethical and moral issues.

Despite the disruptions still caused by the pandemic, we continued to make significant progress towards our mission of fostering innovative technologies and transferring them to the industry for the benefit of society. VUB’s researchers and TechTransfer team have shown exceptional resilience and dedication, adapting to new circumstances and continuing to drive progress in their respective fields.

We were again able to support more project applications and obtain more funding from Flanders, Brussels and the EU for applied research than in previous years. Also the Industrial Research Fund of the university has been a vital source of support, enabling us to continue developing cutting-edge technologies that have the potential to transform various sectors.

In conclusion, we are confident that the achievements highlighted in this report will inspire us to continue our efforts in the years to come. And together with our partners at the Vice-rectorate Innovation & Industry Relations, the philanthropic fundraising team VUB Foundation and VUB’s transdisciplinary exchange platform Crosstalks, together with our researchers, together with our industrial partners and stakeholders, we continue to work towards a better future.

We are very happy to present to you the Annual Report for the year 2022 from the Vicerectorate Innovation & Industry Relations and wish you a lot of reading pleasure.

Sincerely,

Hugo Thienpont, Vice-rector Innovation & Industry Relations

Sonja Haesen, Director VUB TechTransfer