
Euregional collaboration results in unique Life Sciences Community
Aachen, March 17, 2010 – www.vividlinks.eu is the new information portal for students, professionals and companies in the Life Sciences sector in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion. This cross-border collaboration is co-financed by the European Commission, Interreg, the Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Mittelstand und Energie NRW, the provincial authorities of Limburg (both in the Netherlands and in Belgium) and the regional authorities of Flanders and Wallonia.
The Life Sciences sector is one of the region’s strong points, not only because of the strength of the sector and the opportunities for economic growth, but also because of its impact on society. In the framework of the Skills Interreg IVA project, funding was requested in order to strengthen the Euregional labour market for the Life Sciences Sector. “Attracting international talent is essential for strengthening the creative and innovative potential of TiGenix” says Rebekka Declercq, Tigenix HR Director.
Meeting Point
The funding has been used to set up www.vividlinks.eu, among other things. The information portal connects companies, students and professionals from the Life Sciences sector. And the portal is more than just a job board. Jean-Louis Delforge, project coordinator: “It is a meeting point – a community – where you can find relevant information, such as the latest news and an events calendar for the sector, as well as information about what it is like to move to another country for your job, for example."
1,000 Visitors a Week
Rebekka Declercq of TiGenix: “Vividlinks is an ideal platform for networking and recruitment, and offers the possibility of increasing our profile in a Euregional context.” The statistics also show that the demand for Vividlinks is great. The web portal went live at the end of 2009. In less than three months, more than 172 companies have registered with the portal. In addition, there are over 100 vacancies and student and professional profiles posted on the portal and it is visited by more than 1,000 visitors a week. As a result of this, Vividlinks has fast become an essential player in the Life Sciences sector. Vividlinks will of course be present at the Biomedica trade fair in Aachen on 17 and 18 March.
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About the Life Sciences sector in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine:
The Euregio Meuse-Rhine (EMR) has a population of around 3.9 million. This Euregion comprises the areas around Hasselt, Liège, Maastricht and Aachen. It is rich of many centres of excellence in technology and in particular in the area of Life Sciences. For example, the sector has been providing breakthroughs in the medical field; e.g. in the development of cancer therapies, in the treatment of heart and vascular diseases and in the development of products that can take over bodily functions. The Life Sciences companies work closely together with the five Universities in the region.
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For more information, visit the Vividlinks booth
Vividlinks invites you to the official launch of the Life Sciences Career Community at the Biomedica Summit, on March 17, 15.00 hrs.