For any start-up or small company, non-dilutive funding can become an essential component of a healthy financing mix. Government and non-government grants are abundantly available, on local, European and global levels. But for a starting business owner, grant management can come on top of all the other responsibilities they're already struggling to fit into their available time. This can result in missing out on obvious grant opportunities, wasting time on unfit grant applications, or even losing money due to non-compliant grant reporting.
In this workshop, we will present some of the main grants available for life science entrepreneurs in Europe, and we will talk about some of the main pitfalls in finding grants, writing applications and managing grant projects, and show you how to avoid them.
11:00 Interactive Presentation on Successful Grant Writing
Moderator: Tom Aelbrecht, Senior Director of Operations, JLABS EMEA
Mieke Martens - Business Advisor, Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Sofie Meerschaut - Senior Grant Consultant, Modis
Zeger De Groote - Grant Project Manager & Consultant, Modis
Ann Belien - CEO, Rejuvenate Biomed
Tom is responsible for JLABS strategy across EMEA, as well as directing operations in JLABS @ BE. Before joining JLABS, Tom was the Head of the Janssen Campus Office Belgium, and continues to be a Member of the Janssen Pharmaceutica NV Management Board and Chair of the Works Council. He represents Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS on the Janssen Benelux R&D Council, and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV in the Board of Flanders.bio, the Flemish trade organization for life science companies.
In October 2017, Ann Beliën established Rejuvenate Biomed, a spin-off from Johnson and Johnson where she currently functions as founder and CEO. Rejuvenate Biomed studies the biology of aging and is repurposing prescription drugs with the aim to delay the onset of multiple age-related diseases. One of the portfolio products is focussing on sarcopenia as an entry into the space of healthy aging. Ann has over 17 years of experience in drug development from bench to market, which she acquired at Johnson and Johnson throughout multiple international assignments from scientist to operational and strategic roles including external and open innovation. She joined J&J in 2000, after a postdoc at ETH, Zürich, Switzerland. She holds a PhD from the University of Irchel, Zürich, Switzerland and a Project Management Professional from PMI.
Sofie Meerschaut is a Senior Grant Consultant at Modis with a deep Life Sciences academic background. She has 10 years of experience in local, national and EU grants for R&D and innovation related activities and the resulting trainings and investments. Aided by her Life Sciences education, Sofie enjoys advising consortia on the soundness of their projects. By pointing out the gaps in a proposal's reasoning and offering solutions to turn weaknesses into strengths, she gives proposals the maximum chance of success.
Zeger De Groote is one of Modis’ Grant Project Managers and Consultants. He has several years of experience working in collaborative research projects, as project manager and as grant consultant. His expertise covers European grants in the fields of R&D, innovation and trainings. Zeger enjoys working with large consortia on strategic management, communication and development; and on processes of innovation. Supporting teams to work in a flexible and adaptive manner, maximizes the chances of applicants to successfully apply for grants and reach its goals and ambitions.
Mieke Martens is a business advisor at VLAIO team Bedrijfstrajecten. Experienced in coaching mainly SME entrepreneurs and managers towards successful innovations and growth. Her expertise covers local and national grants in the field of R&D, innovation, business growth and transformation and fiscal measures in Flanders. With a Msc. in clinical and molecular life sciences and a PhD in human biology she focuses mainly on the life sciences sector.
