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To boost its biotech sector, Wallonia is banking on the arrival of new companies specializing in AI for healthcare. To achieve this, the region can rely on a new project, Quantum Biospace, a scientific park aimed at boosting a growing sector and poised to play a crucial role in the development of new drugs. During the international real estate exhibition (MIPIM), we had the opportunity to meet Geoffroy Dumonceau, Director of Development at BVI.EU, the promoter of this innovative project, to understand the sector's challenges and discuss the strategic role played by Wallonia in the development of deeptech. Here's the explanation.

Medications enhanced by AI

The biopharma sector is at a turning point. The exponential development of artificial intelligence (AI) offers the opportunity to accelerate the discovery of new drugs. It's no secret that discovering a new drug takes time, costs (a lot of) money, and has a high failure rate. Good news: artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms are revolutionizing the discovery of new drugs and, consequently, entrepreneurship in biotechnologies.

Today, we talk about digital biology, the convergence of biotechs and deeptechs, a new discipline made possible by the availability of massive biological data (big data), advanced machine learning algorithms, and high-performance computing. These advancements are closely monitored by BVI.EU, specializing in the design and development of business parks in the Benelux, France, and Germany. Present at the international real estate professionals' exhibition (MIPIM) to present its Quantum Biospace project (see below), the company estimates that there are currently 400 AI-native biotechs worldwide already developing drugs with an approach based primarily on artificial intelligence. 200 molecules are currently in development, and about twenty of these molecules are in clinical trial phases, thus tested in humans. Most of these biotechs are based in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia, but we see emerging European hubs, among which Belgium and Wallonia are at the forefront.

USA, UK &... Belgium!

Belgium is renowned worldwide for the quality of its universities, which produce top-notch researchers and experts in the biotech/biopharma sector, and for the performance of its local and foreign industrial biopharma companies established on its soil. These benefit from an exceptional ecosystem, notably animated by the presence of renowned university hospitals in clinical trials and research hubs. The Walloon Region exceptionally concentrates universities, academic hospitals, startups, and multinational companies performing in the biotech and deeptech sectors.

In the current context of the 'AI revolution,' Wallonia has several assets to become a key player compared to nations like the United Kingdom or the United States. "In the medical field, the region has very important databases and an ambitious strategy for access to health data for research Real World Data for Belgium RWD4BE, which is part of the European Health Data Space initiative, explains Geoffroy Dumonceau, Chief Development Officer of BVI.EU. Belgium also has excellent assets in deeptech, notably through the presence of the IMEC research center, a global reference in semiconductors and nanoelectronics, as well as its ICT sector, employing 120,000 people." In terms of the AI service sector, Belgium has gained a recognized position thanks to the "Sept Magnifiques": B12 Consulting, Crunch, EuraNova, Kapernikov, ML6, Radix and Robovision. Additionally, in bioinformatics, the AI segment specializing in biology, we note the company DNAlytique, which collaborates with major players including GSK and UCB.

The region's strengths are therefore not only linked to the wealth of the Belgian biopharma and biotech ecosystem, the quality of R&D, but also to the skills available in the fields of coding and AI. More broadly, Belgium has recently seen significant investments in data centers from hyperscalers Google and Microsoft, which are among the top 3 providers of the super computing power in the cloud necessary for AI approaches in drug development.

QUANTUM BIOSPACE, a New Central Piece of the Puzzle

Established about twenty years ago, BVI.EU is a Belgian real estate development company specializing in the development of business parks with a Walloon headquarters located in Wavre. In the five countries where BVI is currently active (France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg), the company builds building parks for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), mixed parks where offices, laboratories, and showrooms are added.

As the capital of Walloon Brabant, the city of Wavre is the center of an extremely dynamic 'biotech valley' in Europe and is home to industry giants in the sector such as Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) and UCB. Therefore, it's in Wavre where BVI.EU is developing its Quantum Biospace project, an innovation village in biotechnologies located a few hundred meters from GSK VACCINES. The project is designed as an innovation village where biotech and deeptech companies will collaborate.

"On the biotech side, we will find companies active directly or indirectly in the biopharma sectors (research, innovation, and discovery of new drugs) or in the production, packaging, and distribution of drugs, says Geoffroy Dumonceau. In this sector, there are also many subcontractors who offer their services for preclinical and clinical research (CRO) and for development and production (CDMO). On the deeptech side, there will be companies specializing in artificial intelligence, data science & engineering, sequencing technologies, nanoelectronics and microfluidics, and robotization and automation that will accompany the aforementioned biotech companies to help accelerate their research for new drugs as well as their production."

Quantum Biospace is thus part of a strategic environment in the heart of Walloon Brabant on a vast site (175,000 m²) located less than 30 km from Brussels, and benefiting from a premium location in terms of access to talent pool and opportunities for university and industrial collaborations. Comprising 25,500 m² of offices and laboratories dedicated to research and development of new drugs as well as 32,500 m² of production spaces for the biopharma industry, Quantum Biospace will be the first Walloon scientific park carried and developed 100% by a private company.

The project's mission is to accelerate the TechBio revolution in the Belgian biopharmaceutical industry by creating a specific ecosystem where the aforementioned biotech and deeptech sectors will be actively invited to collaborate.