All collaborations with industry are supported by our business developer Dr. Ilse CHRISTIAENS and the valorization consortium "Composites".

Ghent University counts about 20 valorization consortia, that are bringing together a multidisciplinary team of professors and researchers around a specific topic. Those valorization consortia each have their own full-time business developer who is the interface person to the industry. Our research group Mechanics of Materials and Structures is coordinator of the valorization consortium on composite materials. This consortium groups 15 professors and more than 60 researchers in the field of composite materials. The valorization consortium on composites offers services, contract research and long-term research in all domains represented by the circle at the right. From design, over manufacturing and testing till monitoring and ageing, we can offer specialist advice. More information can be found on http://www.compositesconsortium.ugent.be/.

In their second (and last) Master year, all engineering students have to do their master thesis. The master thesis is rated for 24 credits, which is a bit less than half a year. Typically, 15 to 20 master students do their master thesis in our research group every year.

Every company is invited to suggest master thesis topics for the engineering students (timing: every year in January for the academic year starting in September) (contact person Wim VAN PAEPEGEM).

Spin-off companies

The research group counts four spin-off companies:

• Com&Sens - Composites & Sensing (http://www.com-sens.eu/)

• MadSis - MAterials, Design, SImulations, Software (http://www.madsis.eu/)

• BikeLabs International - Bicycle testing & consultancy (http://www.bikelabsinternational.com/)

• TechSpert - Mechanical testing (http://www.techspert.be/)