Strategic collaboration elevates healthcare entrepreneurship to a higher level

Imec.istart and POM Limburg join forces to boost healthtech innovation

Imec.istart, the business accelerator of Imec, and five prominent Limburg organizations have made history by forming a strategic partnership to strengthen future entrepreneurship in innovative healthtech. The partnership agreement was signed by Health Campus Limburg DC, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg (ZOL), Jessa Hospital, and Wit-Gele Kruis Limburg, with the crucial support of POM Limburg.

At an engaging interactive kick-off event, visitors had the opportunity to exchange ideas with key stakeholders and inspiring speakers, including Bieke Van Gorp of FibriCheck, Roeland Buckinx, manager of Health Campus Limburg DC, Dr. Yves Breysem, CEO of Jessa Hospital, Erwin Bormans, CEO of ZOL, Peter Borgs, Deputy General Director of Wit-Gele Kruis Limburg, and Maarten Van Gorp, Venture Acceleration Manager at imec.istart. They shared their vision for healthtech and the future of innovation in Limburg. While the collaboration primarily focuses on healthtech, it also provides opportunities for innovations in other sectors.

Strengthening healthtech innovation
“This collaboration is an important step in boosting healthtech innovation in Limburg,” says Erik Vervloet, Business Development Manager at imec.istart. “It fosters cross-pollination between healthcare institutions, entrepreneurs, and promising tech start-ups. By anchoring our ecosystem locally while strategically connecting with other regions and our international hubs in Italy and the Netherlands, we create scalable impact, stimulating cross-border healthcare solutions.”

Faster access to innovation
Arne Janssen, Innovation Manager at ZOL, and Hilde Kelchtermans, Research Coordinator at Jessa Hospital, highlight the benefits: “This partnership allows us to connect with promising start-ups at an early stage, providing targeted advice on technology development within a hospital setting. In the next phase, we can validate the solutions and, if successful, directly integrate them into the patient care pathway, with essential involvement from primary care. This collaboration brings together the ideal partners to improve healthcare for Limburg patients through innovation.”

Involving primary care from the start
Peter Borgs, Deputy Director at Wit-Gele Kruis Limburg, emphasizes the importance of early involvement: “As a primary care organization, we are now part of the development process from the very beginning, allowing us to share our practical experience directly. This offers a valuable opportunity to discover new ways of working that help us deliver high-quality care despite limited resources—particularly in light of future challenges. Together with our partners, we aim to contribute to a sustainable healthcare model that prepares us for tomorrow’s challenges.”

Support from POM Limburg
Tom Vandeput, Chairman of POM Limburg, underscores the initiative’s significance: “With this collaboration, we are giving entrepreneurship a strong push to improve the healthcare of tomorrow. Entrepreneurs from across Flanders can leverage Limburg’s ecosystem to strengthen their ideas, while Limburg’s healthtech start-ups can flourish through the imec.istart network, both in Flanders and beyond. Innovation in healthcare thrives on collaboration, and that is why POM Limburg and the Health Campus are proud to support this remarkable initiative.”