Construction of multifunctional Park building commences on Tech Lane Ghent Science Park

It will, therefore, offer not only office space and infrastructure for laboratories but also event, catering, and meeting facilities. The Park Building – now known as "The Nucleus" – is a collaboration between the Flemish investment company PMV, the POM East Flanders, Ghent University, and urban development company sogent. The consortium ABM Cegelec – ITB, with evr-architecten and VINCI Facilities, was chosen for the design, construction, and maintenance (DBM). If everything goes according to plan, the building will open in 2026.

With the presence of Ghent University campuses, leading research centres like imec and VIB, and a diverse range of companies, the Ghent region has blossomed into a magnet for innovative tech companies and R&D departments of renowned companies. Tech Lane Ghent Science Park, a collaborative effort between PMV , Ghent University, and the City of Ghent, is not just meeting the growing demand for infrastructure but also creating an ecosystem that fosters strong interaction between startups, knowledge institutions, and research departments of multinationals. The business park is a beacon of progress, with various R&D facilities realised by major national and international companies and a landscape park.

Community

The Nucleus will become a central meeting place in the park of the business park and is intended to create a real community. The 28-meter-high building will, therefore, contain a restaurant in addition to office and laboratory space, as well as event and meeting rooms. They should enable cross-fertilisation between researchers and entrepreneurs, thus leading to more innovation. The Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Pharmaceutical Engineering & Manufacturing (CESPE) will already rent a substantial portion of the space in the Park Building. CESPE is an innovation platform for the development of tomorrow's medicines. The presence of CESPE supports the ambition and role of the Park Building and the science park to further develop the Ghent region into an international hub for pharma, biotech, cleantech and healthtech companies or R&D activities.

Future-proof & sustainable

The Nucleus is being realised by POM East Flanders, PMV, Ghent University, and urban development company sogent, all gathered under the NV TechLane Parkgebouw. The construction works are carried out by the consortium Algemene Bouw Maes, evr-architecten, Cegelec, ITB, VINCI Facilities, and VK Architects and Engineers. It will be a striking structure with a double-height public plinth and a pastel-green circular facade. The designers have ensured that the building can adapt quickly to changing needs and regulations. Besides being future-proof, it will also be built sustainably. The total gross floor area of the project is almost 12,000 m², with around 1,500 m² of general facilities for all users of the site, such as meeting rooms.

"With state-of-the-art infrastructure at a unique location, we can realise our ambition of becoming the leading innovation centre for the sustainable manufacturing of (bio-)pharmaceutical medicines. The proximity of many different stakeholders at the science park will also boost the ecosystem greatly," says Christoph Portier, CESPE manager.

"The building will be a special melting pot and meeting place. It will be the beating heart of our community. It is both a supporting facility building, a business incubator, and a research building for CESPE... An example of sustainability too, and therefore a reference for other business parks," says Dieter Geenens, chairman of NV TechLane Parkgebouw.

Erwin Vrijens, Head of Real Estate at the Flemish investment company PMV: “PMV is not only a major financier of (start-up) biotech companies in Ghent, we have also been involved in the realisation of the Parkgebouw on Tech Lane Ghent Science Park from the outset, a science park that PMV is developing together with Ghent University and the City of Ghent. We set up a project company with our partners to realise and operate the building. Cross-fertilisation is becoming increasingly important: collaboration across company boundaries leads to innovation, and we want to stimulate that with the new building.”

Sami Souguir, chairman of Sogent: "Tech Lane Ghent is growing incredibly fast, creating additional needs. This central Park building addresses the wishes of the many different users of the site. It will become the central meeting point with a restaurant, meeting rooms, a conference room, and it's also located in a green setting where everyone working on the site can find some peace and quiet."

About PMV

The Flemish investment company PMV is a can-do company that shapes the future of the Flemish economy. PMV finances promising companies from start-up to growth and internationalisation. PMV offers tailor-made financial solutions to all entrepreneurs with a sound business plan and a strong management team. It does this with capital, loans, and guarantees. In addition, it realises projects with and for the government and other partners that are important for prosperity and well-being in Flanders. PMV manages a portfolio of €1.7 billion.

About POM East Flanders

POM East Flanders is a pioneer for a sustainable, innovative, future-oriented, and climate-healthy East Flanders. POM fulfils the province's economic policy by participating, developing, and motivating. This is achieved concretely by creating sustainable economic projects. As a proactive partner, we are committed to collaboration, identifying economic needs and opportunities, taking on challenges, and bringing them to groundbreaking achievements. In this way, we create high-quality business space and strengthen the province's economic spearhead sectors.

About Ghent University

Ghent University presents itself as an open, socially engaged and pluralistic university with a broad international perspective. With 86 departments across 11 faculties, it offers high-quality, research-driven education in almost every scientific discipline. Regarding research and scientific services, Ghent University boasts numerous research centres and laboratories active across all domains. Annually, UGent allocates over 300 million euros in research funding for both the public and private sectors. Founded in 1817, Ghent University is today one of the leading university institutions in the Dutch-speaking region.

About sogent

Sogent is responsible for urban development in Ghent. Together with our partners, we work every day to build a renewed and innovative city with one goal in mind: to make it pleasant to live, meet, and work for everyone. We implement the city's urban development and real estate management policy as part of the Ghent Group.

Contact

Primary

Dieter Geenens
Chairman of the Board of Directors, NV TechLane Parkgebouw
dieter.geenens@pomov.be - +32 498 177 448 

Other

Christoph Portier
Manager CESPE
Christoph.Portier@UGent.be - +32 9 264 81 18

 Arjan De Ruyck
Communication Officer, UGent TechTransfer
+32 9 264 99 83 

Piet Baeke
Communication Officer, POM Oost-Vlaanderen
piet.baeke@pomov.be - +32 495 448 546 

Frank Kindt 
Spokesperson PMV
frank.kindt@pmv.eu – +32 472 420 790 

Julie Verbruggen 
Communication Manager sogent
julie.verbruggen@sogent.be – +32 472 901 186