A dozen innovative Belgian companies were recently honored in Taiwan at the end of July. Each was awarded a first-ever "Belgian Taiwan Business Award" in its respective field. These awards were presented by the Belgian Office in Taipei, in collaboration with the Walloon Export Agency (AWEX) and its Flemish counterpart, FIT.
Among the winners was IBA, based in Louvain-la-Neuve. The company was recognized for its efforts to adapt to the Taiwanese market, “but also for the quality of its innovations as well as the sustainability and circularity of its approach,” noted Matthieu Branders, Director of the Belgian Office in Taipei.
In less than five years, this proton therapy specialist has sold three of its cancer-treatment machines to Taiwanese hospitals. Proton therapy is a technology that enables tumors to be targeted with high precision while minimizing side effects. The technology developed by IBA originated in Wallonia, from scientific research at UCLouvain. Since then, the former university spin-off has become a global leader in the field.
“We’re present in Taiwan not only with our Proteus One systems but also with other technologies stemming from our expertise in particle accelerators,” explained Florian Vanlangendonck, an engineer at IBA who has been based in Taiwan for several years. “For example, our Rhodotrons, sterilization machines used in sectors ranging from food and medical instrumentation to electronics.”
The company also recently sold a radioisotope production system to a local partner — producing isotopes such as germanium-68, iodine-123, thallium-201, zirconium-89, and copper-64 — used in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Clearly, IBA has far more than just a foothold on the island.
A Healthcare Innovation Hub
The example of IBA clearly illustrates Taiwan’s ambition to position itself as a regional hub for innovation in healthcare, biotechnology, and medical devices. AWEX intends to leverage this momentum to strengthen the presence of Walloon companies on the ground — particularly its start-ups ready to launch into the Asian market from Taiwan.
“Our mission is to foster the economic development of our region through various international initiatives supporting our businesses,” said Dr. Philippe Lachapelle, Director of Technology Partnerships and Innovation at AWEX. This week, a dozen Walloon players — large and small — are taking part in meetings and activities in Taipei.
Researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs active in biotech and medical devices are exploring market opportunities, collaborations, product development, and commercialization possibilities. Some were even invited to give lectures at Taiwanese scientific institutions.
Academic Lectures
One such example is Professor Benoît Moreau, from CeRef — the research and training center at the Louvain en Hainaut University College, specialized in sustainable agriculture. His trip, supported by Wallonia-Brussels International and AWEX, was made possible to promote local applications of his work on green chemistry and enzyme-based biosurfactant synthesis.
His visit was supported by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and Yulin University of Science and Technology, where he gave a lecture this week. He also spoke at National Chung Hsing University.
Supporting Tech Companies
Like the rest of the Walloon delegation, Benoît Moreau received support from Fabrizzio Giannota, MedTech expert at Ignity (formerly WSL, the Walloon incubator for engineering science-based projects).
Ignity supports ambitious project leaders in Wallonia in the creation and development of new technology companies.
Is targeting Taiwan a strategic move for Walloon entrepreneurs? “It allows Wallonia’s strategic innovation initiatives to gain visibility in Asia,” says Giannota. “It also helps shine a spotlight on our MedTech sector. We’re even collaborating with a biotech accelerator at Taiwan Medical University (TMU) in Taipei. The goal is to help launch some of our health sector companies there while facilitating their access to a local investment fund.”
A Warm Welcome from the Local Ecosystem
“The local economic and political ecosystem is very receptive,” confirms Philippe Tzou (AWEX Taiwan). A sentiment shared by Florian Vanlangendonck (IBA): “Taiwan is positioning itself as a cutting-edge health hub in Asia.”
Participants in this week’s AWEX-organized mission have seen this firsthand. In addition to numerous meetings and interactive sessions with Taiwanese counterparts, they took part in Bio-Asia 2025, a major biotechnology trade fair. The mission offered a unique opportunity to bring even closer together two regions that are particularly dynamic in this sector.
This article was written by Christian Du Brulle for the Daily Science platform.