‘The existing labs used to be so full that researchers had to wait a long time before they could get started,’ says Sebastiaan Waanders, head of TechMed Infra. According to Waanders, the lack of space limited UT’s entrepreneurial spirit. The expansion of the BioEngineering Labs’ capacity is now set to change that.
Additional lab capacity
Over the past two years, the BioEngineering Labs have been expanded by 200 square metres. This included converting an existing graduation project room into a laboratory. The existing laboratories have also been upgraded, with new facilities for microscopy and membrane research, among other things. In the renewed labs, researchers can, for example, print living cells and tissue and monitor organ-on-chip models over extended periods. There is also room for new microscopy techniques.
The labs are not only available to UT researchers, companies can also make use of them. ‘This means they can not only carry out better research, but also more often apply for grants in collaboration with a researcher,’ says Waanders. ‘Previously, the lack of space often meant we had to say 'no' to scale-ups and start-ups that approached us with a research question. They can now expand that collaboration.’
‘Among the world’s top three’
‘What makes these labs special is that we can carry out all the necessary steps to develop and study biomaterials and biosensors in one place,’ says Waanders. ‘While many centres have a specialisation, we have the complete package under one roof on campus. This allows us to switch more quickly and broadly between different aspects of ongoing research.’
According to Waanders, UT is ‘the only one in the Netherlands and is among the world’s top three’ in this field. ‘This expansion is therefore also necessary to remain at the forefront of the field. Ultimately, these labs serve the entire national infrastructure.’ Waanders also has a clear idea of what the renewed labs should deliver in the coming years. ‘We are quick to measure success in patents, but the goal is for research to have an impact on society and patients,’ says the department head.
Opening
There is certainly no shortage of interest in today’s official opening. ‘More than a hundred people registered,’ says Waanders. ‘That is more than we expected.’ Visitors will be given a tour of the labs in Carré and the Zuidhorst in groups. The renewed facilities have been funded with a major contribution from the NXTGen Hightech Biomed Growth Fund and NWO Scientific Infrastructure.
