Opening of KUBES
(24-10-2025) Ghent University has opened a new central building on its UGent Campus Kortrijk site. The facility is named KUBES, short for Kortrijk University Building for Engineering Studies.
Check out the VRT nws national news article.
UGent has invested around €11 million in this new central hub, which provides additional space for research groups within the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering. The new laboratories and offices will support research into sustainable production and consumption methods focused on reuse and recycling.
“We’ve been active in Kortrijk for several years now,” says Rector Petra De Sutter. “But this new investment shows that we truly want to stay here and grow. We share this space with Howest University of Applied Sciences, enabling strong collaboration in research and innovation with the business community in West Flanders. Ultimately, our research should lead to new patents and spin-off companies developing cutting-edge technologies.”
KUBES features an auditorium, an interactive lecture hall, administrative offices, and advanced laboratories and workspaces dedicated to research in bioengineering sciences.
Earlier, UGent also inaugurated the VEG-i-TEC building in Kortrijk a living lab dedicated to vegetable and potato processing.
In recent years, Ghent University has invested a total of €27 million in education and research infrastructure in the city of Kortrijk. KUBES, representing an €11 million investment, is part of a broader master plan to strengthen the university’s presence in the region.
“Gent and West Flanders have always found each other, but UGent’s move toward West Flanders is more recent,” says De Sutter. “We have so much to offer one another.”
With KUBES, UGent creates much-needed space for research and education, housing groups that focus on circular processes and sustainable technologies. The building not only provides state-of-the-art laboratories but also offers a home for students and researchers, featuring flexible workspaces and inspiring learning environments.
“UGent has come to West Flanders and we have come to stay. Not as a visitor, but as a partner.”
Together with Howest, the City of Kortrijk, the Province of West Flanders, TUA West, and numerous industrial partners, UGent continues to build toward a sustainable and innovative future for education, research, and entrepreneurship in the region.
More technical information on what's going on in the KUBES building right here.
Photo credit: Bas De Wilde, VRT nws
UGent has invested around €11 million in this new central hub, which provides additional space for research groups within the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering. The new laboratories and offices will support research into sustainable production and consumption methods focused on reuse and recycling.
“We’ve been active in Kortrijk for several years now,” says Rector Petra De Sutter. “But this new investment shows that we truly want to stay here and grow. We share this space with Howest University of Applied Sciences, enabling strong collaboration in research and innovation with the business community in West Flanders. Ultimately, our research should lead to new patents and spin-off companies developing cutting-edge technologies.”
KUBES features an auditorium, an interactive lecture hall, administrative offices, and advanced laboratories and workspaces dedicated to research in bioengineering sciences.
Earlier, UGent also inaugurated the VEG-i-TEC building in Kortrijk a living lab dedicated to vegetable and potato processing.
In recent years, Ghent University has invested a total of €27 million in education and research infrastructure in the city of Kortrijk. KUBES, representing an €11 million investment, is part of a broader master plan to strengthen the university’s presence in the region.
“Gent and West Flanders have always found each other, but UGent’s move toward West Flanders is more recent,” says De Sutter. “We have so much to offer one another.”
With KUBES, UGent creates much-needed space for research and education, housing groups that focus on circular processes and sustainable technologies. The building not only provides state-of-the-art laboratories but also offers a home for students and researchers, featuring flexible workspaces and inspiring learning environments.
“UGent has come to West Flanders and we have come to stay. Not as a visitor, but as a partner.”
Together with Howest, the City of Kortrijk, the Province of West Flanders, TUA West, and numerous industrial partners, UGent continues to build toward a sustainable and innovative future for education, research, and entrepreneurship in the region.
More technical information on what's going on in the KUBES building right here.
Photo credit: Bas De Wilde, VRT nws