Over the past years, biotechnology has found its way into a variety of industrial sectors. Industrial or “white” biotech not only offers more efficient, less energy-intensive and better-for-the-environment alternatives to traditional processes, it is also a source of new substances and products.
Flanders is perfectly equipped to play a significant international role in this sector, which is bound to drive the knowledge-intensive bio-based economy of the future.
Flanders only comprises 13,500 km2 but houses about 134 companies with biotech activities (118 have R&D activities). In these life sciences companies, over 13,000 employees are active. Almost half of the companies are related to health care (=red biotech), 12% have agricultural (=green biotech) and 20% have industrial biotech activities (=white biotech) and about 20% are biotech R&D service providers.
