Sofie Bekaert

Currently, Sofie Bekaert is Head of Program Health within the King Baudouin Foundation. In Belgium and Europe, the Foundation is an agent of change and innovation in the service of the general interest and social cohesion. It seeks to maximize its impact by strengthening the capacities of organizations and individuals. It encourages effective philanthropy by individuals and businesses.

Between 2018 and 2023, she was Manager Translational Program within VIB, the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology, coordinating the Grand Challenges Program to increase the research excellence's societal impact footprint.

She is part-time senior lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences from Ghent University – department of public health and primary care - and was trained as a doctor in Biological Engineering. After 10 y of research, setting up a research platform on biological aging, next generation sequencing and biomarkers, she became business developer and innovation manager at Ghent University.

In 2010 she initiated the Clinical Research Center at Ghent University Hospital, where she had the responsibility over a dedicated team in the daily management of the central point of contact for facilitation of translational biomedical R&D (ethical-legal aspects, data management and monitoring of clinical trials, R&I management within the hospital, biobanking, big data). Prof. Bekaert is liaising to strategic translational initiatives, both at the regional and (inter)national level. She is member of the Advisory Board of the BBMRI.be, the Belgian node within the European biobank infrastructure network and she was involved in multiple societal valorization projects concerning stakeholder involvement in research.