About FIBEr
WHAT WE DO
Scientific Excellence in Biomechanic Testing
“We quantify the mechanical properties of both body tissues and prostheses and implants,” says Professor Nele Famaey, coordinator of FIBEr. “This data can be used to see to what extent a prosthesis succeeds in mimicking the body's own tissue. We can also use it to assess the effects of a specific treatment.” The data can also serve as input for in silico experiments, computer simulations that calculate the effects of, for example, mechanical stresses on the body. “These simulations complement clinical studies, possibly reducing the amount of animal testing."
“KU Leuven Core Facilities put research infrastructure on the map”
Luc Sels, Rector KU Leuven
Our Journey
FIBEr is a KU Leuven 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. Core facilities are open to KU Leuven researchers, external researchers and thirds parties.
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 currently has twelve core facilities that provide top scientific research infrastructure including databases and archives.
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.
FIBEr’s vision is: 1. 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. 2. 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.
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 FIBEr won first place. 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. 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.
