“KU Leuven Core Facilities put research infrastructure on the map”
Luc Sels, Rector KU Leuven (2017-2025)
Read full interview
Our story
30/11 1988
First research paper
In 1988, the first research paper produced by the Biomechanics Section of the department of Mechanical Engineering (BMe) at KU Leuven was published. It marks the start of this wonderful journey.
12/09 2016
Hercules Grant for research Infrastructure
In 2016, a Hercules grant was awarded to a large consortium, including medical experts and engineers from multiple Flemish universities, lead by BMe and IORT. This grant enabled the procurement of 4 new testing devices and add-ons, which lead to the installment of a lab focused on the mechanical testing of biological tissues in a controlled environment, minimizing risks of contamination. Click here to know more!
12/09 2017
Foundation of FIBEr
After a long year of planning, procurement and installment, our testing facility FIBEr was born. FIBEr, an acronym for Flanders Institute for Biomechanical Experimentation, was founded in 2017, with an official opening to the broad public.
20/11 2018
First industrial client
In 2018 we successfully performed our first testing service for an industrial customer on the mechanical evaluation of vascular grafts. The customer used our testing report for regulatory submission!
30/06 2019
C3 Grant and first dedicated personnel
We received a KU Leuven grant to develop a biomechanical testing service for industry. With this grant, we were able to hire the first dedicated FIBEr team members: a lab manager and business developer, working closely with PhD researchers, postdocs and professors at BMe. In 2020 and 2021, two project engineers will complete the FIBEr team.
12/09 2020
Group Core facility
In 2020, the group of Biomedical Sciences and the group of Science, Engineering and Technology recognize the value of FIBEr as a core facility for biomechanical testing of In 2020, the group of Biomedical Sciences and the group of Science, Engineering and Technology recognize the value of FIBEr as a core facility for biomechanical testing of biomaterials (including biological tissues) and medical devices.
12/03 2021
KU Leuven Core Facility
At the beginning of 2021, we officially received the title of KU Leuven Core Facility, a recognition of the importance of our research infrastructure and our client-oriented services.
31/03 2022
FWO Medium size infrastructure
We received another grant to purchase extra equipment for our lab! With this grant we will purchase four new devices and different add-ons to further complete our portfolio of testing devices and further improve our support to customers.
28/10 2022
New lab
We moved to a new lab in a new wing of our building. The new lab is tailored to our needs and allows for further growth in the coming years.
28/10 2022
Initiate quality system development
To be able to better serve our customers, we started working to comply with ISO17025, a quality standard for measurement labs. Even if our test reports have been used for regulatory aspects, complying with this standard will further minimize the risk of customers that our data will be accepted by the regulatory instances.
28/10 2024
Grants for (translational) research
FIBEr received two grants: one for translational projects with a focus on fatigue testing, biodegradability and quality certification, and one for applied research on test design optimization and the C4Bio project.
Our Goals
Our Mission
FIBEr’s mission is to promote, provide and innovate high-quality biomechanical testing for industry, academia and policy makers in order to support the development of biomaterials, medical devices, therapies, and digital twins, and thereby contribute to improve tomorrow’s quality of life.
Our Vision
FIBEr’s vision is:- to be an international reference center for biomechanical evaluation of biological tissues and medical materials, devices and therapies with a dedicated team of highly skilled researchers and technicians with state-of-the-art and compliant infrastructure, equipment and workflows.
- to drive science, innovation and education in, and clinical practice of health care by integrating mechanocompatibility as part of medical device development and therapy evaluation by setting the standard for biomechanical evaluation and developing a universal database with mechanical properties for in silico medicine by operating within a broad network of leading academic, clinical, industrial, and regulatory partners.
Our environmental and social commitment
At FIBEr, we care about the environment and society. We participate every year in the Green Impact Challenge (within KU Leuven and internationally through KU Leuven). Green Impact is a change and engagement program to encourage people to take simple actions on socio-economic and environmental issues at work and beyond. In 2020 and 2021 Last year we FIBEr won GOLD. Read more about Green Impact.
As an extra action in 2021, we did a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scan, where we got 83% as a global result. The CSR scan is a self-assessment tool to evaluate our social accountability. The scan contains 7 domains, each of which is further divided into sub-themes. These 7 domains follow the structure of the ISO 26000 guideline for social responsibility. Read more about CSR scan.
At FIBEr, we try to keep an eye on choosing re-usable options where possible. As part of the exam for new researchers to gain access to the lab, we focus for a large part on waste. Right now, we have different plastic containers that we re-use to lower our waste production.
KU Leuven
KU Leuven is an institution for research and education with international appeal. All programs at this university are based on the innovative research of its scientists and professors and KU Leuven ranks among the best 50 universities worldwide!
KU Leuven is based in the Dutch-speaking city of Leuven in Flanders, Belgium and conducts teaching, research, and services in a broad range of disciplines: natural sciences, engineering, humanities, medicine, law, business, and social sciences.
We are a KU Leuven Core Facility
What is a core facility?
A core facility bundles infrastructure, equipment and expertise related to a specific topic, enables its access to a broad group of users, and provides support and services. KU Leuven currently has twelve core facilities that provide top scientific research infrastructure including databases and archives. Core facilities are open to KU Leuven researchers, external researchers and thirds parties.