Partner Profile: Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie

Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) is a life sciences research institute in Flanders, Belgium and is an international partner of NC State. 

With more than 1,400 scientists from over 60 countries, VIB performs basic research into the molecular foundations of life. VIB is an excellence-based entrepreneurial institute that focuses on translating basic scientific results into pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial applications. 

NC State signed an agreement with the institute in early 2016 to promote research collaboration and faculty exchange. Since the start of our partnership with VIB, there has been an increase in faculty traveling to Belgium for research, and our joint publications with all institutions in Belgium has grown. Faculty have collaborated on nearly 400 publications with Belgian researchers across disciplines.

Dirk Wouters, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, visited Raleigh and NC State this week to meet with senior leadership and learn about our collaborations, including strategic initiatives within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Together with VIB, researchers in CALS received a Seeding Solutions Grant from the Foundations for Food and Agriculture Research earlier this year to improve soybean crop resiliency in response to climate change.

Learn more about Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie and NC State’s other partners in our Global Partners Database.