Celebrating into 2026: UGent-Flanders Make key highlights from 2025
(06-01-2026) Proud to share a snapshot of what 2025 brought for the collaboration between Universiteit Gent - UGent M&F and Flanders Make as a Strategic Research Centre.
In 2025, the collaboration between Universiteit Gent and Flanders Make as a Strategic Research Centre continued to grow in scale, impact and industrial relevance. The figures below highlight key developments across people, projects, innovation output and funding.
In 2025, 285 researchers were active within UGent and affiliated with Flanders Make, reflecting the strong and growing collaboration between both partners. During the year, one spin-off, Drive13, was successfully incorporated, and two new patents were filed, reinforcing the translation of research results into innovation. Furthermore, two IOF projects were granted, targeting the creation of a new spin-off and/or licensing opportunities, while two additional IOF proposals are already in preparation. The industrial relevance of the research was further demonstrated by two officially reported technology uptakes, indicating the effective adoption of our technologies by industry. In terms of funding, the collaboration had access to approximately €15 million in industrially relevant income, including around €2.5 million directly funded by industry and approximately €5 million obtained through European project funding. In addition, five Flanders Make SBO projects and five Flanders Make IRVA projects were granted to UGent, further strengthening the research portfolio.
Going forward in 2026, we remain focused on increasing the productivity of smart machines and factories. We continue to translate our research into Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 concepts, building on our strong expertise in industrial systems, electromechanical engineering and business engineering.
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In 2025, 285 researchers were active within UGent and affiliated with Flanders Make, reflecting the strong and growing collaboration between both partners. During the year, one spin-off, Drive13, was successfully incorporated, and two new patents were filed, reinforcing the translation of research results into innovation. Furthermore, two IOF projects were granted, targeting the creation of a new spin-off and/or licensing opportunities, while two additional IOF proposals are already in preparation. The industrial relevance of the research was further demonstrated by two officially reported technology uptakes, indicating the effective adoption of our technologies by industry. In terms of funding, the collaboration had access to approximately €15 million in industrially relevant income, including around €2.5 million directly funded by industry and approximately €5 million obtained through European project funding. In addition, five Flanders Make SBO projects and five Flanders Make IRVA projects were granted to UGent, further strengthening the research portfolio.
Going forward in 2026, we remain focused on increasing the productivity of smart machines and factories. We continue to translate our research into Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 concepts, building on our strong expertise in industrial systems, electromechanical engineering and business engineering.
Want to get involved on this topic? Well, you can! Join us on the LinkedIn conversation.