Today, The Nucleus officially opens its doors at Campus Eiland in Zwijnaarde. In this new building, scientists from UGent are collaborating with companies on new medicines and on smarter, more sustainable ways to develop and produce them.
Finding an active substance is just the beginning. This substance must then be developed into a safe, effective, and user-friendly medicine for the patient. This requires knowledge from various fields, from developing the right form and dosage to testing and sustainably producing the medicine. Universities and companies are essential in this process: researchers lay the foundation for new knowledge and technology, while companies contribute their expertise and infrastructure to further develop medicines, produce them on a larger scale, and ultimately bring them to the patient.
The Nucleus facilitates the collaboration between these worlds by bringing together specialized labs such as cleanrooms, research and business spaces, and shared facilities in one location. "A strong science park brings together not only infrastructure, knowledge, and business activity, but above all people. The Nucleus creates a place at Tech Lane where researchers and entrepreneurs can meet more easily and new collaborations can arise. Because innovation often starts simply with the right people finding each other," says Johan Bil, head of Science Parks.
The strategic choice of location at Tech Lane Ghent Science Park is significant, as Ghent has grown into an important technology city in recent years, where the university, research centers, start-ups, and technology companies are located close to each other and collaborate. On and around Tech Lane, you will find, among others, the VIB Bio-incubator and companies like Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech, which produce advanced cell therapies for cancer there. The Nucleus adds a new space where academic knowledge advances companies, and the expertise of companies fuels new research.
"The Nucleus at Eiland Zwijnaarde literally brings research, unique infrastructure, and entrepreneurship under one roof. For companies looking to grow in proximity to UGent expertise, this is currently a prime location within Tech Lane Ghent Science Park. Those wishing to establish themselves here can still sign up for available lab and business spaces and become part of this growing ecosystem," states Christoph Portier, Business Developer Science Parks.
Within UGent, this collaboration already takes place through CESPE (Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Pharmaceutical Engineering & Manufacturing). CESPE brings together researchers with diverse expertise around the entire trajectory of drug development and production, focusing on more efficient, flexible, and sustainable production processes. The Nucleus now provides a physical base, close to companies in the sector, creating additional opportunities for researchers from the faculties of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bioscience Engineering to collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines and with industry partners.
"Discovering an active substance is only the beginning. To turn a promising molecule into a medicine, we must also understand how to optimally formulate and administer it, and how to produce the final drug reliably, efficiently, and sustainably. Within CESPE, we combine expertise in drug development and innovative production technologies. The Nucleus offers us the unique environment and infrastructure to connect these different disciplines even more strongly, both physically and intellectually, thereby translating scientific innovations more quickly into applications in drug development and production," explains prof. Thomas De Beer, lead researcher CESPE.
Sustainability was also given significant attention in the design of The Nucleus. The building is designed circularly, uses bio-ecological materials, and features an innovative energy system, aiming for the BREEAM label ‘Outstanding’. The Nucleus is a joint initiative of Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV), Ghent University, POM Oost-Vlaanderen, and Sogent. With this project, UGent is not only investing in new research infrastructure but also concretely shaping ‘UGent Verbeeldt’ at Campus Eiland Zwijnaarde.
