Belgium
January 15, 2016
On 15 January 2016, the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) and the Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries Research (ILVO) signed a strategic collaboration agreement. This unique alliance brings together two partners with complementary expertise, thereby creating a strong bridge between the research laboratory and the field. The VIB will be responsible for basic research and the ILVO will use applied research and field work to study the results in more depth. This combination of forces will mean that scientific discoveries can be translated more rapidly into tangible added value for farmers, society and the environment. The agreement was signed at the ILVO campus in Melle in the presence of Philippe Muyters, Flemish Minister for Work, Economy, Innovation and Sport.
By 2050, it is estimated that there will be between 9.2 and 10 billion mouths to feed, in circumstances that the acceleration of climate change has rendered increasingly uncertain. Research into better agricultural crops and soils is essential, in order to enable the production of sustainable and healthy food without losing sight of the balance between agriculture and nature in the process.
Vital research clustering
Philippe Muyters, Flemish Minister for Work, Economy, Innovation and Sport: “As the production of sustainable and healthy food is such a huge challenge, we can only applaud this initiative. Shared expertise and infrastructures, efficiency gains and agricultural research that is more directly linked to specific needs will undoubtedly lead more rapidly to tangible results.”
An alliance from which everyone benefits
Joris Relaes, CEO of the ILVO: “To extract value from the results of basic scientific research faster, we look forward to further collaboration with the VIB. Indeed, in the field of plant research, the VIB is one of the leading research centers in the world. Over time, the scientific and technological synergy between our institutions will create added value not only for Flemish farmers and the Flemish food industry, but also for society, the environment and the Flemish economy.”
A logical and promising step
Johan Cardoen, Managing Director of the VIB: “Translating basic research into applications for medicine and agriculture is an integral part of our role. Thanks to the expertise in applied agriculture and field experiment capacity that the ILVO possesses, this strategic alliance will give the VIB the opportunity to test and extract value from our research results in a practical setting. A strategic collaboration with the ILVO is therefore both promising and highly logical for VIB.”
Dirk Inzé, Director of the Plant Systems Biology Department (VIB/UGent): “We are greatly looking forward to collaborating with the ILVO. Indeed, we are convinced that this will be a case of one plus one making three, and that it will lead to further cementing the international position of both institutions. By offering the entire process, from basic research to practical evaluation, we will become even stronger players both in Europe and globally.”
Five specific cases underline the added value provided by this collaboration:
- In search of climate-resilient crops, to guarantee harvest security and optimal quality. Nathalie Wuyts (VIB/UGent)
Peter Lootens (ILVO)
- High quality, health promoting nutritional components in plant-based food, both fresh and prepared.
Alain Goossens (VIB/UGent)
Bart Van Droogenbroeck (ILVO)
- In, around and from the root! Which soil organisms are beneficial to agricultural crops and how?
Sofie Goormachtig (VIB/UGent)
Tine Maes (ILVO)
- Two-way traffic in the improvement of crops: from the lab to the field and back!
Sofie Goormachtig (VIB/UGent)
Tine Maes (ILVO)
Isabel Roldán-Ruiz (ILVO)
- Allergenic food: towards more accurate detection. And how do the proteins responsible behave during the cooking process?
Kris Gevaert (VIB/UGent)
Christof Van Poucke (ILVO)
VIB
Basic research in life sciences is VIB’s raison d’être. On the one hand, we are pushing the boundaries of what we know about molecular mechanisms and how they rule living organisms such as human beings, animals, plants and microorganisms. On the other, we are creating tangible results for the benefit of society. Based on a close partnership with five Flemish universities – Ghent University, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Hasselt University – and supported by a solid funding program, VIB unites the expertise of 75 research groups in a single institute. VIB’s technology transfer activities translate research results into new economic ventures which, in time, lead to new products that can be used in medicine, agriculture and other applications. VIB also engages actively in the public debate on biotechnology by developing and disseminating a wide range of science-based information about all aspects of biotechnology.
More information: www.vib.be.
ILVO
The Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries Research (ILVO) is a public scientific institute of the Flemish Government that focuses on sustainable agriculture, fisheries and food. Its 600 staff undertake applied research and provide highly specialized services for all stakeholders in the broader Flanders Agrofood Valley. With its continual accumulation of basic and applied knowledge, the ILVO aims to improve primary products (both plant and animal-based), develop smarter economic and ecological production methods, ensure the most advanced safeguarding of the quality and safety of end products (food and other), and create powerful policy instruments as a foundation for sector development and agricultural policy for rural areas.
More information: www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be.
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