# European Commission Biotech Act regulatory sandbox

Source: https://en.bioecon.ru/companies/eu-biotech-act-sandbox/
Updated: 2026-07-05

- Country: Belgium

## Verifiable facts

| Fact | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Affiliation | The European Commission's European Biotech Act proposal, which includes regulatory sandboxes, is a legislative initiative for the EU. Belgium is a prominent stakeholder in this process. | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC1022, https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/ec1475b7-e3f9-409e-b927-fc7e69306a8c_en?filename=biotech_reg-com2025-1022_act_en.pdf, https://www.eversheds-sutherland.com/en/belgium/insights/proposal-for-an-eu-regulation-introducing-measures-to-strengthen-the-biotechnology-sector |
| Research focus | Health biotechnology, including advanced therapies, biologics, vaccines, diagnostics, AI-based biotechnology, and industrial/agricultural applications. | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC1022, https://health.ec.europa.eu/biotechnology/biotech-act-10-things-know_en, https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/ec1475b7-e3f9-409e-b927-fc7e69306a8c_en?filename=biotech_reg-com2025-1022_act_en.pdf, https://www.raps.org/resource/european-commission-touts-proposed-biotech-act-in-new-staff-report.html |
| Facility | VIB.AI research labs (Leuven and Ghent), VIB Flow Cores (Ghent and Leuven), Bio-Incubator (Leuven). | https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/ec1475b7-e3f9-409e-b927-fc7e69306a8c_en?filename=biotech_reg-com2025-1022_act_en.pdf, https://oxurion.com/documents/Oxurion-CR-Conso-31-12-2024-ENG.pdf, https://vib.ai, https://vib.ai/en/mission-leadership/two-hubs, https://vib.ai/en/vibai-labs, https://vib.be/sites/vib.sites.vib.be/files/2024-04/JaarverslagEN_VIBA0002_20240410_KV_final-evdv-spread_0.pdf |
| Grant | The EU proposes a Health Biotechnology Investment Pilot (linked to EIB Group) and an EU Late-Stage Capital Booster Pilot; funding under the European Competitiveness Fund (EUR 20.4 billion for 2028-2034). VIB receives competitive funding and base grants from the Flemish government. | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC1022, https://health.ec.europa.eu/biotechnology/biotech-act-10-things-know_en, https://vib.be/sites/vib.sites.vib.be/files/2024-04/JaarverslagEN_VIBA0002_20240410_KV_final-evdv-spread_0.pdf, https://www.iqvia.com/locations/emea/blogs/2026/04/the-eus-biotech-act-proposal-a-summary-and-review-of-its-incentives |
| Publications | VIB reported 728 publications (2023). VIB.AI has 87 works. | https://vib.ai, https://vib.be/sites/vib.sites.vib.be/files/2024-04/JaarverslagEN_VIBA0002_20240410_KV_final-evdv-spread_0.pdf |
| Principal staff | VIB Science directors include Diether Lambrechts and Bart Lambrecht. | https://vib.be/sites/vib.sites.vib.be/files/2024-04/JaarverslagEN_VIBA0002_20240410_KV_final-evdv-spread_0.pdf, https://vib.be/sites/vib.sites.vib.be/files/2025-04/JaarverslagENG_web_compressed.pdf, https://www.eu-openscreen.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/EU-OPENSCREEN_Annual_Report_2019.pdf |
| Headcount | VIB hosts over 1,900 scientists; VIB.AI has approximately 66 researchers; Oxurion has engaged 17 members of personnel as of December 2024. | https://oxurion.com/documents/Oxurion-CR-Conso-31-12-2024-ENG.pdf, https://vib.ai, https://vib.be/sites/vib.sites.vib.be/files/2024-04/JaarverslagEN_VIBA0002_20240410_KV_final-evdv-spread_0.pdf |

Independent sources: eu-openscreen.eu, eur-lex.europa.eu, eversheds-sutherland.com, health.ec.europa.eu, iqvia.com, oxurion.com, raps.org, vib.ai, vib.be

## Technologies

- [Regulatory sandboxes for biotech](https://en.bioecon.ru/technology/regulatory-sandboxes-biotech/)