Press Release: EU Biotech Campus and Univercells announce strategic collaboration

Gosselies, Belgium – February 9, 2024 – EU Biotech Campus, a new state-of-the-art and multi-operator training center for the health & biotech sector, and Univercells, a global life sciences player, are delighted to announce a long-term training collaboration. This partnership aims to provide a dynamic learning environment for Belgian and international students and professionals while developing cutting-edge expertise to meet the evolving needs of the fast-growing life sciences industry.

Univercells brings together various biotech affiliates, covering the entire healthcare value chain and working together to make biologics available to all. The company leverages strengths in scaling and industrialization, bioproduction, and bioprocessing to find new ways to support access to medicines and promote sustainability.

Located in the Brussels South Charleroi Biopark (Belgium), the EU Biotech Campus provides specialized courses tailored to industry needs and trains students and professionals in next generation biomanufacturing technologies. The Campus – currently under construction – will soon launch its first pilot training programs focused on 4.0 skills for biomanufacturing, maintenance and supply chains activities.

mRNA Production Reinvented

Under this agreement, Univercells will provide its mRNA manufacturing technology at the EU Biotech Campus, which will serve as a practical training tool, simulating real-world biotech industry scenarios and allowing trainees (collaborators, customers, students, job seekers) hands-on experience.

Developed by Quantoom Biosciences – part of Univercells -, this technology called Ntensify™ is a game-changer for the development and production of mRNA-based medicines. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Quantoom Biosciences has developed a full line of Ntensify™products fitting very-small to very-large scale production capacities to accelerate mRNA vaccine innovation and distributed manufacturing in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The EU Biotech Campus will develop customized training programs for Univercells collaborators, focusing on next generation biomanufacturing processes and advanced 4.0skills, providing trainees with state-of-the-art machinery, tools and technologies used in the biotech sector.

Hugues Bultot, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Univercells, commented: “Seeing the construction of the EU Biotech Campus where Univercells’ activities originally began, in Gosselies, is very stimulating. Wallonia is a renowned biotech Hub. Adding cutting-edge trainings to its offer will bring additional exposure to the Region from a different angle. We know how critical it is to find skilled people and to stay up to date in the life sciences sector. Offering professional trainings to young or unemployed people will increase their hiring potential and serve biotech and pharma companies looking for talented individuals in Belgium and abroad. We are excited to be part of this project and we look forward to seeing the campus opening its doors next year.”

Frédéric Druck, Chairman EU Biotech Campus, commented: « We are very excited to announce this partnership with Univercells which is first in a long series to come and to combine our expertise to offer leading-edge training programs, for both Belgian and international students and professionals. We are extremely proud that the EU Biotech Campus can showcase such technology, invented, developed, and produced in Belgium. Together, we look forward to driving innovation, fostering talent development, and contributing to the continued success and growth of the life sciences sector.”

The French version is available here.

The Dutch version is available here.