From lab to field
From lab to field
One of VIB’s core missions is to translate basic research to benefits for society. VIB’s plant research related to sustainability and climate change holds promise to deliver both environmental and production benefits.
Accelerate the innovation cycle between lab and field
Many of VIB’s scientific findings are developed further and transferred to the field. To make this possible, VIB relies on its dedicated Innovation & Business team. A team of life sciences professionals exclusively concerned with VIB technology transfer. The team drafts, files, and prosecutes patents, establishes research collaborations with industrial partners, outlicenses intellectual property, and creates spin-off companies. The profits are immediately ploughed back into research.
The translation of research results from the bench to the field is a lengthy and risky process and involves different organizations: from research centers to seed and crop protection companies to agricultural suppliers and farmers' associations.
A long road from the lab to the field
New discoveries
Basic research in the lab and greenhouse leads to breakthrough insights and technologies
Field trials
New materials or techniques are tested in field trials in a variety of environments to understand and evaluate their performance.
The market
A company will bring the new product or application to the market. As a research institute, VIB is not equipped to fully translate discoveries into the market. By creating spin-off companies and collaborating with existing companies, the academic finding can be developed into a commercial product.
Open field trials across Europe
VIB is part of ECOFE, the European Consortium for Open Field Experimentation. This network of field stations across Europe works together in a coordinated and highly standardized way. This platform allows not only the choice of the most suitable locations for individual experiments, but also provides European scientists with the worldwide unique opportunity to systematically tackle fundamental problems like the mitigation of climate change effects and the biological limits to crop productivity across a wide range of environments.
From idea to spin-off
Starting from ideas or discoveries conceived in the VIB labs, the New Ventures team builds new biotech ventures. First off, the team will build a solid data package, obtain proof of concept (PoC) and define a solid IP strategy. The idea’s value is determined by proprietary knowhow, PoC data and intellectual property. Together with the scientists and supported by the IP colleagues, the New Ventures managers aim to de-risk and make the invention commercially relevant and applicable – and thus more marketable.
Next, the entrepreneurial team will draft a tangible business plan. This is where targets, timings, and cost estimates come in. Involving entrepreneurs early on in this process is a preferred route. They can help make the plan and eventually become part of the start-up’s management team. These ‘entrepreneurs in residence’ are usually seasoned professionals in biotech or pharma, who are ready to take a leap into a new adventure.
When the project is sufficiently derisked, the team starts looking for funding. In 2021, VIB created its 30th spin-off company.
