About us
Our mission
The business development centre Metals is your access point to know-how and technology related to metal research and development at Ghent University. The activities range from fundamental material research to application-driven design of large structures.
We offer in-depth academic expertise, research capacity and dedicated infrastructure to bring added value in the domain of metal innovation. We help to develop new generation of metal alloys, process techniques and products, together with advanced characterisation tools making your design safe and durable in real conditions.
Our multidisciplinary team
The Ghent University team currently consists of 21 professors and their research groups, each with their own specialization.
A total of over 120 researchers and over 10 technicians is involved. The expertise ranges from fundamental material research to application-driven design of large structures. The majority of the groups are affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of Ghent University.
Our expertise tracks and team leads are:
Tribology
- Prof. Patrick De Baets - main expertise in experimental tribology, specifically the study of friction and wear in materials and mechanical systems.
- Prof. Dieter Fauconnier - main expertise in computational tribology, specifically the study of lubricated mechanical components.
- Prof. Florian Konig
Fracture & Fatigue
- Prof. Wim De Waele
- Prof. Fuhui Shen
- Prof. Kris Hectors
Physical Metal Science
- Prof. Leo Kestens
- Prof. Hossein Beladi
- Prof. Stefaan Cottenier
- Prof. Patricia Verleysen
Sustainable Materials Science
- Prof. Kim Verbeken
- Prof. Inge Bellemans
- Prof. Tom Depover
Magnetic Materials
Prof. Luc Dupré
Vibrational Control & Dynamics
Prof. Mia Loccufier
Geotechnical engineering
- Prof. Bruno Stuyts
- Prof. Mahya Roustaei
Sustainable Systems Engineering
Prof. Jo Dewulf
Nuclear energy engineering and integration
Prof. Riccardo Rossa
Geotechnical engineering
Metal Constructions
Bridges, roads & tunnels
Industrial Research Fund
The Metals consortium is one of the 27 business development clusters supported by the Industrial Research Fund (IRF or Industrieel Onderzoeksfonds (IOF)) of Ghent University. These business development clusters are the first liaison with industry and cover a broad spectrum of technology fields.
Each cluster is coordinated by a business developer and form together with the central Technology Transfer Office a large unit of about 50 people responsible for valorisation activities at Ghent University. The overall goal is to create societal impact through transfer or exchange of knowledge and technology.
More information about funding
Affiliated partners
In view of long-lasting collaborations with other R&D organisations active in the domain of material research, 5 industrial partners are affiliated with the Metals consortium.
| Partner | Core business | Logo |
| Belgian Welding Institute - BIL |
Welding techniques Joining techniques |
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| CLUSTA | Metal processing |  |
| CRM |
Steel processing New alloys |
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| OCAS | Metal applications and solutions |  |
| SIRRIS |
Metal technology Casting technology |
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