IIMCB Researchers at VIB Innovation & Business Summer School: From Science to Real-World Impact

Five days of interactive workshops, debates, a pitching competition, and brilliant minds willing to turn science into impact. The VIB Innovation & Business Summer School took place in Ghent between 25–29 August 2025, and thanks to the RACE project, implemented as part of the Horizon Europe “Teaming for Excellence” program, four of our staff members – Olga Gewartowska (Technology Development Unit), Vanessa Linke (Mass Spectrometry Facility), Raghunandan Mahadeva (Laboratory of Iron Homeostasis), and Ryhor Nikalayeu (Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering) – participated in this event.

It was a unique opportunity to step outside the lab and gain a deeper understanding of how scientific ideas can be transformed into real-world products and ventures. Among the highlights, Olga Gewartowska, Head of the Technology Development Unit, was one of the winners of the Pitching Competition. Reflecting on her experience, she said:

“(…)I was impressed by the cross-disciplinary insights and practical takeaways, and how collaboration with experts from different fields and my peers enriched every session.”

Participation in the VIB Innovation & Business Summer School supports the objectives of the RACE project (WP2 – Researcher training).