The Industrial Research Fund (IOF: Inustrieel Onderzoeksfonds) is an initiative of the Flemish Government. It links to the valorisation policy of Ghent University Association and bridges the gap between strategic basic research, technological innovation and industrial cooperation.
In addition to funding industrial proof of concept oriented research, the IOF provides a supportive framework for cooperation between industry and Ghent University Association. This is achieved through more than 20 multidisciplinary IOF business development centres, which are clusters of complementary cross-faculty research groups brought together around a specific application area or domain of expertise. This Industrial Liaison Network is supported by the central technology transfer department, UGent TechTransfer.
DBm is one of the business development centres and focusses on the construction sector.
