Hugo Van Heuverswyn

Hugo Van Heuverswyn (born 1948) is a Belgian molecular biologist, biotech pioneer, entrepreneur and businessman. He has been the chairman of the VIB, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, since its inception in 1995.

He obtained a chemistry degree at University of Ghent in 1971, and he obtained a Ph.D. at the Department of Molecular Biology, under Prof. Walter Fiers, where together with his colleagues, he determined for the first time the structure and regulatory mechanisms of a complete viral DNA genome: the virus SV40.

In 1979 he created, together with Dr. Carlos Morel, the first molecular biology laboratory in Brazil, at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro. After his return to Belgium in 1981, he continued to apply recombinant DNA research in the field of immunology at the university of Ghent.

In 1982 he founded the biotech company Biogent and managed it during the first years of its existence, after which he founded Innogenetics NV in 1985 together with Erik Tambuyzer and Rudy Marien, who became the major private investor. In 2001 he founded BioMaric, a Belgian biotech start-up, together with Dr. Maan Zrein and Eric Saman, and in 2002 he founded Biotech Incubation Partners. In 2003 he initiated together with Rudy Dekeyser the creation of FlandersBio, the association of biotechnology companies in Flanders.