Spin-off companies are intended to guarantee the economic benefits of the skills and findings gained from research, and embody the desire to use ULB’s scientific activity to create added value and launch new business ventures. Spin-offs make a firm contribution to both the job market and the economy, and are all the more promising when they have the potential to maintain or develop advanced technical skills while preserving close ties to the University and its cutting edge research.

There are different kinds of entrepreneur. In general an entrepreneur is a self-starter, someone who is able to identify and seize opportunities, is persuasive, and able to plan for or manage the risks inherent to their project. The list of personality traits for entrepreneurs is long: flexibility, creativity, self-confidence, leadership, conscientiousness, solution-focused, decisive, a team player... the list goes on.

In addition to these qualities, it is essential that an entrepreneur be 100% committed to their project, and is willing and able to persevere in order to achieve the desired results. Inevitably, there will be peaks and troughs throughout the life of the business, making it imperative that their motivation is solid. And where does this motivation come from? Personal accomplishment, freedom, the desire to set out alone, social recognition... and the financial rewards of success.

For researchers who decide to create a spin-off, it is important to decide early on exactly what role they wish to play in the new company. Will they leave the university? Or act as an occasional consultant? Will they be the boss (e.g. CEO)? Or occupy a more technical post (e.g. CFO)?

When creating a spin-off, a licensing agreement is signed between the company and the ULB. Under the terms of the licence, the university grants the spin-off commercial rights over the resulting intellectual property, meaning that the intellectual property remains under ULB ownership.

The licensing contract specifies what exactly is licensed (technology, skills, software, database, etc.), sets the financial conditions and defines operating conditions (exclusivity, applications covered, sub-licensing conditions, responsibility for maintaining IP protection, methods of analysis, exit clauses, etc.).

Governments and university management, especially in Europe, tend to favour the creation of high-tech companies rather over strategies based on licensing. This is in part explained by the increase in venture capital put forward by governments to promote the creation of new companies. The main issue, however, remains knowing which is the best channel for transferring your technology to the market. The answer to this depends on the technology in question, the market, the skill-set of the personnel and researchers responsible for the invention, the availability of venture capital and, last but not least, the institution’s strategy.

Description : Mobile positionning

Site Internet : amoobi.com

Unité de recherche : OPERA - Wireless Communications Group

Date de création : 2011

Description : asbestos analysis

Site Internet :

Unité de recherche : service de pneumologie de l’Hôpital Erasme

Date de création : 2012

Description : Production of devices for the diagnosis and treatment of immune diseases

Site Internet : biotech.be

Unité de recherche :

Date de création : 1997

Description : Immunology

Site Internet : recherche-technologie.wallonie.be/projets/...

Unité de recherche : parasitologie moléculaire

Date de création : 2010

Description : Cellular therapy

Site Internet : bonetherapeutics.com

Unité de recherche :Service de Rhumatologie et unité de thérapie cellulaire et moléculaire

Date de création : 2006

Description : Development of computer applications on data visualization resources ICT optimization

Site Internet : decis.be

Unité de recherche : Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Biologie Humaine et Moléculaire

Date de création : 1992

Description : Support to multicriteria decision aid

Site Internet : d-sight.com

Unité de recherche : laboratoire CoDE

Date de création : 2010

Description : DNA engineering

Site Internet : delphigenetics.com/

Unité de recherche :

Date de création : 2001

Description : Molecular biology

Site Internet : dnavision.com/

Unité de recherche :

Date de création : 2004

Description :provides a web-based genomic database management system: InSilico DB

Site Internet : insilico.ulb.ac.be/

Unité de recherche : Business Intelligence

Date de création : 2012

Description : Breast cancer prognosis

Site Internet : ulb.ac.be/rech/spin-off/epsynomics.html

Unité de recherche :

Date de création : 2008

Description : Endoscopic devices

Site Internet : endotools.be

Unité de recherche : BEAMS-Biomécanique et Instrumentation

Date de création : 2009

Description :Thermal regulation of spatial devices

Site Internet : ehp.be

Unité de recherche : Micro Gravity Research Center

Date de création : 2001

Description : Biopharmacy

Site Internet : euroscreen.be

Unité de recherche :

Date de création : 1994

Description : Experimental allergology

Site Internet : novasep.com

Unité de recherche : Laboratoire d'Allergologie Expérimentale

Date de création : 2000

Description : services and products in the field of neurotechnology

Site Internet : humanwaves.be

Unité de recherche : Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics (LNMB)

Date de création : 2012

Description : Archaeological sites management

Site Internet : hms-archeology.com

Unité de recherche : Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres

Date de création : 2006

Description : space optics and optics methodology

Site Internet : lambda-x.com

Unité de recherche : Micro Gravity Research Center

Date de création : 1996

Description : Development of a production system of therapeutic activity cells

Site Internet : masthercell.com

Unité de recherche :

Date de création : 2011

Description : Anesthaesia and physical therapy devices

Site Internet : ulb.ac.be/rech/spin-off/mdb.html

Unité de recherche : BEAMS-Biomécanique et Instrumentation

Date de création : 2009

Description : Artificial Intelligence

Site Internet : mentis-consulting.be

Unité de recherche : CoDe - IRIDIA - Business Intelligence

Date de création : 2005

Description : Sea cucumber aquaculture

Site Internet :

Unité de recherche :

Date de création : 2008

Description : Vibration deadening system

Site Internet : micromega-dynamics.com

Unité de recherche : Active Structures Laboratory

Date de création : 1999

Description : Mobile telephony

Site Internet :

Unité de recherche :

Date de création : 2008

Description : MSoftware applications for logistics

Site Internet : optimaldesign.com

Unité de recherche : Mécanique Analytique et CFAO

Date de création : 1997

Description : Water quality assessment through holographic microscopy

Site Internet : ovizio.com

Unité de recherche : Micro Gravity Research Center

Date de création : 2009

Description : Computer services based on quantum technologies

Site Internet : sqrtech.com

Unité de recherche : Centre for Quantum Information and Communication (QuIC)

Date de création : 2010

Description : Cancer diagnosis

Site Internet : unibioscreen.com

Unité de recherche : Institut de Pharmacie

Date de création : 1999