Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele Visits BIO INX to Discuss the Future of Healthcare and Deep-Tech Innovation
Zwijnaarde, Belgium – How can Flanders remain a global leader in healthcare innovation while ensuring that promising MedTech companies have access to the capital needed to scale? These questions were at the heart of a visit by Flemish Minister-President and Flemish Minister for innovation Matthias Diependaele to BIO INX, a Ghent-based pioneer in advanced biomaterials for 3D bioprinting.
During the visit, Minister-President Diependaele met with the BIO INX team to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing deep-tech and MedTech companies. Central to the conversation was the growing importance of bioprinting as a transformative technology that has the potential to revolutionize regenerative medicine, personalized healthcare, and animal-free drug development, while also addressing the funding gap that many innovative healthcare companies encounter when translating scientific breakthroughs into commercial success.
“Tomorrow’s healthcare starts with today’s innovation. Bio INX demonstrates how a Flemish deep-tech spin-off, built on world-class scientific expertise, is developing breakthrough technologies with global impact. Companies like Bio INX create high-quality jobs, drive economic growth, and strengthen Flanders’ position as a leading European hub for biotech and medtech.” Said Matthias Diependaele.
As a Flemish spin-off, BIO INX exemplifies the strength of the region's innovation ecosystem by combining expertise from chemistry, pharmacy, life sciences, and advanced 3D printing—fields in which Flanders has built a strong international reputation. Through its portfolio of advanced biomaterials, the company enables researchers and industry worldwide to develop next-generation biomedical applications, ranging from tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to human-relevant in vitro models for pharmaceutical and cosmetic testing.
"It was a great honor to welcome Minister-President Matthias Diependaele to BIO INX," said Jasper Van Hoorick, CEO and Co-founder of BIO INX. "Innovative healthcare technologies require long-term vision and investment. We greatly appreciated the opportunity to discuss how Flanders can continue to foster an environment where companies developing breakthrough technologies can grow, create economic value, and ultimately improve patient care worldwide."
Following the meeting, the Minister-President toured BIO INX's laboratories, where the team demonstrated several of its cutting-edge light-based bioprinting technologies. As a symbolic tribute to Flemish innovation, BIO INX performed a live print of the Flemish Lion using DEGRES INX, the company's biodegradable, polyester-based shape-memory resin developed for advanced light-based manufacturing.
The visit underscores the importance of close collaboration between policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry to ensure that pioneering healthcare technologies developed in Flanders can successfully reach patients and global markets. With bioprinting rapidly emerging as one of the most promising technologies for the future of medicine, BIO INX is proud to contribute to positioning Flanders at the forefront of this international evolution.
BIO INX sincerely thanks Minister-President Matthias Diependaele for his visit, his interest in the company's mission, and the open dialogue on strengthening the future of healthcare innovation in Flanders.
About BIO INX:
BIO INX is a pioneering developer of materials for 3D bioprinting, committed to advancing the frontiers of healthcare through innovative solutions. As a spin-out from Ghent University and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, BIO INX has established itself as a market leader in bioinks for high resolution bioprinting, focusing on materials for both extrusion- and light-based high-resolution printing technologies and offering a diverse portfolio of bioinks for various 3D bioprinting technologies.
Contact:
Jasper Van Hoorick
CEO, BIO INX
T : +32 499 16 98 94
