Kantify to Present at Flanders Technology & Innovation
Kantify will present at the Health & Human business track during the Flanders Technology & Innovation Festival on 19 October 2026 at TheMerode, Brussels.
The session, organised by VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship), focuses on where health intersects with technology — specifically AI-driven diagnostics, bionic prosthetics, soft robotics, and computational drug discovery. Martin will pitch on the application of machine learning to early-stage drug development, describing how generative models are being used to design novel molecular structures and prioritise compounds for synthesis.
The presentation forms part of a broader programme examining how fundamental research transitions from academic labs into clinical and commercial application. The opening keynote will be delivered by Prof. Jan Steyaert (VUB), a structural biologist who has worked in both academic and commercial contexts. Steyaert will outline where the pathway from lab to market typically stalls, and what mechanisms can keep it moving.
Erik Janssen, VP Innovation Digital Health at UCB, will follow with a second keynote addressing what the integration of digital health tools into biopharmaceutical workflows actually requires.
After the keynotes, five speakers will deliver short-form pitches:
Pierre Cherelle (CEO, Axiles Bionics): bionic limbs designed to replicate natural movement patterns in amputees. Prof. Bram Vanderborght (BruBotics, VUB): collaborative robotics — systems built to work alongside humans rather than independently. Seppe Terryn (VUB/imec): soft robotics and self-healing materials. Dr. An Jacobs (VUB/FARI): how AI systems are designed, and for whom. Ségolène Martin (Kantify): machine learning in drug discovery.
Following a coffee break, attendees choose between two deep-dive sessions.
Session 1, curated by Koen Kas (Healthskouts), examines digital health and AI from data to clinical practice. Gilles Jourquin (CEO, Newpharma) will keynote on operating a digital pharmacy at scale. Vincent Keunen (CEO, Andaman7) will discuss patient control over medical records. A panel including Prof. Sebastiaan Engelborghs (Bru-BRAIN), Prof. Guy Nagels (Translate AD / AI for Health), and Padin Fazelian (Erasmus University College Brussels) will follow.
Session 2, curated by Sofie Bekaert (King Baudouin Foundation) via the 8CTP community, focuses on low-tech, high-touch care. Speakers include Nathalie Lambrechts (We Are), Leo Exter (Hack Healthcare), Prof. Olivier Cartiaux (ECAM Brussels Engineering School), and representatives from Odisee University of Applied Sciences, Huis voor Gezondheid, and Gibbis.