Lucy is our February 2025 Pet of the Month This adorable pup enjoyed a trip to Belgium In the photo she is enjoying her time at the Domaine du Château de Seneffe This 18th century estate castle now hosts the Silversmith’s Museum and beautifully manicured gardens Avesta Battery & Energy Engineering (ABEE) announced on the 10th of November the location of its battery recycling facility to establish the ‘BE-VOLT Battery Recycling plant’ Once fully operational the plant will have a 20,000 tonnes per year capacity ABEE said the facility would focus on the recycling of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries ABEE aims to complete the government approval process by early 2024 and start construction before the end of 2024 Little information was disclosed regarding recycling technology and feedstock suppliers founder and president of the ABEE Group said “this will be the largest and most important LFP recycling plant The city of Dour offers a strategic location for ABEE Dour is well connected to important European infrastructure supply routes The construction of the BE-VOLT Battery System gigafactory is expected to commence Q2 2024 no announcements have been made regarding a timeline it will have an annual production capacity of 3GWh agreed plans to build a EUR1.4 billion (USD1.5 billion) battery cell factory in Romania  is expected to have a 22GWh annual production capacity It will supply batteries to customers such as Renault and Ford The company also plans to establish a co-located battery recycling plant with a 50,000 tonnes per annum capacity The locality of the BE-VOLT Battery System gigafactory and the… __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Sources: ABEE, ABEE The tension on the market surrounding the lack of fill & finish capabilities is ‘visible,’ says Novasep as it pumps US$12 million into a site in Belgium The investment at Novasep’s site in Seneffe Belgium will support the fill & finish for viral vectors a spokesperson from the French life sciences services firm the €10 million (US$11.8 million) spend supports the “one-stop-shop approach for our monoclonal antibodies and our viral-vectors bulk offer,” and is not specific to a customer Saloin told BioProcess Insider the facility responds to the market demand for orphan and targeted biopharmaceuticals as clinical pipelines mature and will help alleviate a lack of fill & finish capabilities both in Europe and globally “The tension on the market is visible and we believe it is not limited to Europe.” She continued: “The trend towards targeted therapies has created a growing need for specialized capacities.” In response Novasep has launched a series of projects to boost its biomanufacturing services for selected types of drug substances and fill & finish activities with the Seneffe expansion being the latest will have the capacity to deliver up to 10,000 vials per session “We consider this to match commercial requirements for gene therapy or small volumes mabs serving small populations of patients,” Saloin said Last December the firm announced a €17 million investment at its Pompey France cGMP monoclonal antibody manufacturing facility offering small volume Mab production for targeted therapies And in February 2017 the contract manufacturing organization (CMO) invested €33 million in a new commercial viral vector production facility in Seneffe set to be fully qualified by the first quarter 2019 Ins & Outs: Biopharma players shuffle c-suite ranks American made: Companies continue to emphasize US manufacturing Transforming Protein Production: Lonza’s Comprehensive Solutions for Therapeutic Innovation Registered in England & Wales with number 01835199 BRUSSELS (AP) — There was little effort to mask the gloating just one month after Britain's full — and tempestuous — divorce from the European Union the vaccination table produced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative party showed that the U.K had administered more jabs than the EU's four biggest countries combined The implication was clear: Britain had been right to make the momentous decision of leaving the bloc the humanitarian needs and the personal pain felt across the continent the pandemic is also an intense political fight It's not just the age-old acrimony between the European mainland and the United Kingdom. Germany has by far the most important election on the continent coming up in September, and there too COVID-19 is already showing its corrosive impact One guiding principle runs through most of the debate that's already killed well over half a million Europeans are such that nations say: We need to take care of our own people first there's the view that the sooner people are vaccinated the faster the continent's faltering economies can be revved up again “This is obviously sort of what’s being called vaccine nationalism And you know — this is big politics," said Robert Yates director of the global health program at the Chatham House think tank in London Compounding the political implications is the power play between strong governments and the giants of industry poor nations can only watch as rich nations go for each other's throats “What’s much worse is that these squabbles between rich countries .. potentially deny vaccines to people in the rest of the world," Yates said Much of that political bile pools together in the small Belgian industrial town of Seneffe south of Brussels. That's where Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said last week there had been problems in the complicated process of making mass quantities of the vaccine which the EU is expected to approve for use Friday from a first batch of 80 million doses only 31 million would be delivered It was a sucker punch for the 27-nation EU which has staked its credibility on a massive quick and smooth rollout of the vaccines for its population of 450 million Despite billions of euros in EU pre-funding the operation has so far missed many of its targets Quickly eyes turned to recently-departed Britain which has two AstraZeneca plants that are also included in the EU's delivery contract EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides insisted late Wednesday that “the UK factories are part of our advance purchase agreements It's a political standoff in which London is not about to blink “The really important thing is making sure that our own vaccination program proceeds precisely as planned,” said senior cabinet minister Michael Gove It's indicative of the tension and suspicion that Belgium said Thursday it has sent inspectors to the Seneffe plant to look into the reported production problems and possible suspect movements “No company should be under any illusion that we don't have the means to understand what is happening," warned Kyriakides In the standoff with AstraZeneca there is one thing that the EU refuses to do: ask for the help of UK authorities the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the divorce proved that “the EU is not a prison," but warned that “those who want to get out have to face the consequences." But at least on the vaccine front that rings hollow population has been served at least one shot — compared to the EU average of little more than 2% 8 months away from a general election that will pick a successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel a prominent figure in Merkel’s center-right party has faced criticism over the vaccination strategy from the center-left junior party in Germany’s coalition government There have been signs of vaccine nationalism here too with some media and the far-right Alternative for Germany party questioning the ordering of doses through the EU instead of doing it independently as a wealthy nation much better off than the EU average Which would make it all the more important for Berlin to ensure the EU gets all the vaccines it can "It’s about Europe’s fair share,” Spahn said Geir Moulson in Berlin and Sam Petrequin in Brussels contributed Keeping in line with demand and becoming competitive once moreThe new investment of € 22 million will make it possible to produce fire-resistant glass in large dimensions more in keeping with current architectural demand.This fully automated unit will incorporate the latest technological advances and will benefit from the experience already gained at the sister plant in Olovi (CZ) As such it will increase the competitiveness of the Seneffe plant which is now threatened by the arrival of new entrants on the market and the resulting strong pressure on prices "We welcome the improvement in the climate of industrial relations as a determining factor in the choice of Seneffe for the location of the new plant," says Arthur Ulens CEO of Glaverbel.Start-up planned for the end of 2006The shutdown of the old unit is being carried out in stages until the start-up of the new plant which should be operational by the end of 2006 This will be accompanied by an innovative social programme under which the workforce will be reduced by 99 people over this same three-year period The programme has been negotiated with the trade unions and so far all the personnel made redundant have found other work through a re-employment unit.Once the new plant is operational Glaverbel Seneffe will employ about 170 people for all its activities (fire-resistant glass and glass for shipbuilding and railway carriages) MORE... Log in or register to post comments MORE... Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information An employee performs an air quality test at the Thermo Fisher plant in Seneffe.  Photographer: Eric Lalmand/AFP/Getty Images  a provider of clinical and research services to the pharma and biotech industries is “all about speed” in getting medicines to market That’s the message from Thermo Fisher Chief Executive Officer Marc Casper in outlining the company’s goals for the deal. Thermo Fisher will pay $47.50 a share for PPD, according to a statementBloomberg Terminal Thursday and will assume about $3.5 billion of net debt The price represents a premium of about 24% to PPD’s closing price Tuesday Warning of ‘legal commitment’ and concern that doses might have been diverted from the EU to the UK France and Germany have raised the threat of legal action against AstraZeneca over a shortage of deliveries of coronavirus vaccines even as an inspection of a plant in Belgium confirmed the company’s claims of production problems EU officials in Brussels have spoken of their suspicions that a shortfall in deliveries of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine may have been due to doses being diverted from plants in Belgium and the Netherlands to the UK The European commission is demanding that AstraZeneca provide the EU doses from its two plants in Oxford and Staffordshire warning that the company was contractually obliged to fulfil its advanced purchase agreement said an initial inspection at AstraZeneca’s plant in Seneffe had found evidence to back up the company’s claims of production issues at the site that the investigation was continuing to ensure that the problems were not a result of AstraZeneca allegedly favouring the UK’s order for 100m doses De Croo said: “AstraZeneca pointed to production issues at Seneffe The federal medicines and health products agency has together with its European partners carried out checks at the site “It appears that there is a shortage of the raw materials needed to make the vaccines The analysis of the situation there is still ongoing “Is it a typical production problem caused by having to very greatly increase production in a short time or is the problem due to others having been given precedence?” De Croo said the commission’s new export authorisation system for vaccine suppliers gave the government a means to hit back but that he did not expect it to happen and I don’t think that it is necessary,” De Croo added “I presume that everyone is working with the best of intentions if it becomes evident that the contract is not being respected AstraZeneca recently informed the commission that it would be able to deliver only 25% of the 100m doses expected in the first quarter of this year The continued assurance to the UK government that its doses would be delivered on time infuriated officials in Brussels who insisted that the sites in Britain should be used to meet the EU’s order the Anglo-Swedish company’s chief executive said last week that this was not in the advance purchase agreement He insisted the company was obliged only to make “best efforts” to deliver doses “more or less at the same time as the UK” as the EU contract had been signed three months later said on Saturday that the EU was investigating but that the company could face “penalties or sanctions” if found to have given priority to British orders of the vaccine I am not saying that there is a problem but if there is a problem and that [they] have favoured other destinations other countries – for example the UK over us – then we will defend our interests Respecting contracts are not moral commitments Penalties or sanctions can be triggered in every contract.” In a sign that Brussels wants to dial down the rhetoric in the row emphasised that the EU was not in dispute with the UK “Our contractual issues are with the vaccine producers Britain is an ally of ours in the fight against Covid.” said on Sunday AstraZeneca will deliver 9m additional Covid-19 vaccine doses in the first quarter AstraZeneca will start deliveries one week earlier than scheduled “The company will also expand its manufacturing capacity in Europe,” she said Speaking on German television later that evening she rejected suggestions that Europe was in a race to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus faster than other countries saying that it was important to cooperate at this stage of the pandemic “I think the only race we are in is with the virus and against time,” Von der Leyen said adding that she had enjoyed “a very good conversation with Boris Johnson” the previous night in which she and the prime minister had agreed that factories in both the UK and EU would deliver doses to each region The EU has been criticised for investing too little in scaling up manufacturing in the early months of the pandemic According to the data analytics company Airfinity the EU spent just €1.78bn (£1.58bn) in “risk money” cash handed to pharmaceutical companies without any guarantee of a return compared with €1.9bn by the UK and €9bn by the US The EU has a €336m advance purchase agreement with AstraZeneca to provide 400m doses of which a quarter was due before the end of the March EU officials involved in the contract said that not all of the money had been paid to the company describing the amount held back as “not pennies Given the company disputes the commission’s reading of the contract such a move would probably end up in the courts with officials insisting they are sure of their case Asked if the EU could refuse to make the final payment to AstraZeneca for example … by not ordering supplementary doses or the penalties all which have been foreseen by the contract that results in a reduction in deliveries for Europe and not for the others there is an investigation that is in the process of being finalised to see precisely what was delivered in Europe and to the UK from factories that produce in Europe If there has been a preference granted to the British The EU has introduced an export authorisation scheme to force vaccine suppliers to seek agreement on any doses leaving the bloc It has also demanded disclosure of the last three months of exports The EU has been hit by a lack of supply after Pfizer also reported production problems in its plant in Belgium The latest figures show that the UK has vaccinated 13.1% of its adult population The EU has given a vaccine shot to 2.69% of its adult population with the rollout of first jabs suspended in Paris and Madrid The European Medicines Agency on Friday approved the use in the EU of AstraZeneca’s vaccine for people over 18 without an age limit The vaccine’s developers and regulators in the UK have strongly defended its efficacy in all groups. ​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishINNOVATIONABEE invests 27 million euros in battery research centre1 December 2023 On Thursday chemical company Avesta Battery & Energy Engineering (ABEE) inaugurated a battery technology research centre in East Flanders The company is investing 27 million euros in this market The focus is on applications that could prove helpful for future electric cars or home batteries Starting as a relatively small player in the battery industry ABEE now claims to be the "largest in the Benelux" with this new research facility Flemish minister-president Jan Jambon and US Ambassador Michael Adler attended the centre's opening The company currently employs 60 people in Flanders and plans to build a sizeable 3GWh battery factory in Seneffe Dour will also be the site for recycling 20,000 tonnes of batteries annually ABEE has invested around 130 million euros in the Belgian battery industry ABEE is also actively involved in ten European-funded scientific projects and plans to expand its activities to Northern Macedonia soon The company will focus on research and development (R&D) of battery management systems (BMS) power electronics systems and mass production in the same field #FlandersNewsService | Illustration picture shows an electric car battery at the press opening of the 100th edition of the Brussels Motor Show Copy linkGet updates in your mailboxYour email addressSubscribeBy clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media not to mention entertainment and lifestyle our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language businesses and various organisations that need reliable information Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs www.belganewsagency.eu Dana is a reporter and Travel Tomorrow’s Associate Editor She graduated in Political Science and International Relations She moved to Brussels from Romania for her studies and Mont des Arts made her fall in love with the city and remain here the third edition of the “Family Castle Life” event will take place Organised on the occasion of the Youth and Heritage Week by the Secretariat of the European Heritage Days families will be able to access 32 castles for free in Wallonia in addition to the visits and activities offered by the organizers parents and children will be able to experience heritage in practice through educational games developed by the Walloon Heritage Agency and the non-profit organization Museums and Society in Wallonia through a creative game for children aged 3 to 5 and a treasure hunt for children from 6 to 12 years old Although all the activities are free of charge, reservations need to be made online beforehand for some of the locations. Below, just a few examples of the châteaux that await to be discovered next Monday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Belgian traveler 🧳🗺️ #belgianblogger 🇧🇪 (@belgiantraveler_) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wallonie.be (@walloniebe) As for Raeren Castle, it was originally a residential tower of similar dimensions, the footprint of which almost doubled at the end of the 16th century with the addition of an annex. Numerous alterations in the 18th century transformed it into a romantic-style castle. It has housed the Raeren Pottery Museum since 1960, which presents the history of Raeren stoneware. View this post on Instagram A post shared by belgientourismuswallonie (@belgientourismuswallonie) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Walter (@walter.explorateur) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anthony Beck (@antho_beck) Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website Statistics cookies collect information anonymously This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website Australia-based Telix Pharmaceuticals has opened Telix Manufacturing Solutions the company's radiopharmaceutical production facility located in Brussels South (Seneffe) Located in the heart of Belgium's 'Radiopharma Valley' the 2,800 square metre facility is one of Europe's largest radiopharmaceutical production facilities It will serve as the company's primary manufacturing site for radioisotopes and commercial and clinical products for patients in the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region and beyond According to industry analyst reports the market for radiopharmaceuticals is growing rapidly up 10% year-on-year to $6 billion in global sales in 2021 and forecast to reach $33 billion annual sales by 2031 As demand for these products increases investment in supply chain and manufacturing is vital to ensure patient needs can be met Telix acquired the 35,000 square metre site in April 2020 which included the decommissioning and safe removal of two cyclotrons the facility was granted a renewed licence for the production of an extensive list of radioisotopes required for the company's research The first stage of the buildout – which is now complete – included installation of nine GMP manufacturing lines quality control labs and warehousing space with capacity to support Telix's operations One of the first GMP lines will be dedicated for the use of industry and research partners and collaborators The company is also preparing to install the first of two planned cyclotrons for the site The Wallonia regional government provided grant funding and the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) provided access to financing solutions MM Activ Singapore Pte Ltd 1 North Bridge Road,#08-08 High Street Centre communications@biospectrumasia.com +65 90150305 Copyright 2025 MM Activ Singapore Pte Ltd The file could not be found for a number of reasons such as the file being moved or deleted. 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