“Our focus is on creating a unique universe filled with wonder and fantasy, grounded in strong storytelling and featuring authentic characters, meaningful for a broad audience,” says Tim Verschure, Chief Commercial Officer of Fabrique Fantastique. Founded in 2014 and based in Lier, in the Flemish part of Belgium, Fabrique Fantastique develops, produces, licenses, and operates high-quality intellectual properties (IP) and brands globally. In practice, that means that they do everything from the writing of a story, through to its production, creation (e.g. animation) and then also bringing it to life in an inclusive way. “We take a 360-view on creating intellectual property (IP),” he explains, “and I think that’s our key differentiator.”  Not only does Fabrique Fantastique produce IP, but they also introduce additional products closely linked to the stories it tells. These include live shows, podcasts, clothing, colouring books, comics, and other forms of merchandise. Fabrique Fantastique has produced successful animation series such as Sir Mouse and Interstellar Ella, addressing meaningful educational themes such as inclusion, ecology, and respect. Sir Mouse challenges traditional gender norms, while Interstellar Ella emphasises STEM education and exploration for children.

“There’s a lot of pressure on farmers these days,” says Isabel Vercauteren, CEO and co-founder of Aphea.Bio. “From both regulators and the authorities, but also from the consumer. Consumers play an important role. Everyone wants the perfectly straight carrot, no spots on the leeks, surreal demands… And we all generate way too much waste. We need to think more in terms of the circular economy, to be more realistic about what we are asking for as consumers. And agriculture needs to be more sustainable.”

Founded in 2017, Aphea.Bio develops new and superior agro-biologicals that use micro-organisms rather than chemicals to improve crop health and fitness. A spin-off from research projects at the Universities of Ghent and Leuven, Aphea.Bio has two main projects: one focussing on bio-stimulants, that increase yields; and another on crop-health, ridding crops of diseases and pests. In both cases, the ‘weapon of choice’ is naturally occurring micro-organisms.

“We have to invest more in the discovery of drugs targeting dangerous and emerging viruses, and already start working now to counter the next pandemic.” explains Patrick Chaltin, Managing Director of CD3. “We actually have a list of multiple dangerous viruses for which we need to be more prepared, and that list included coronavirus.”

CD3, the Centre for Drug Design and Discovery, is an investment fund and drug discovery centre that aims to turn innovative biomedical research into drugs that can be further developed by pharmaceutical industry to treat all kinds of diseases. Using its drug discovery expertise, infrastructure and financial resources, CD3 works to bridge the gap between academic research and the pharmaceutical industry. "People talk a lot about finding a vaccine. But a drug is equally important. I think that in 2-3 years we could have a highly potent coronavirus drug in clinical development that could make the difference between life and death.”