Joost Van Aelst Email & Phone Number

Diepenbeek, Be

Hasselt, Vlaanderen, België

POM Limburg, Regional Economic Development Agency of the Belgian province of Limburg.Together with employee and employer organizations, knowledge institutions, and governments, POM Limburg accelerates the digitalization, sustainability, competitiveness, and inclusivity of the economy in Limburg and the wider Euroregion. To achieve this, it develops new campuses and business parks and accelerates economic innovation within companies.As Strategic Expert Sustainability in the Economic Innovation team, I am responsible for the development of strategies to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable economy. I take care of the related external stakeholder management, and coordinate several innovation programs:- Biobased Materials: development of new scalable value chains based on biobased resources, focused on advanced material applications in the chemical, plastics and construction sector. - 'Boost Bouw Limburg': innovation program to improve circularity and digitalization in the construction sector.- Clean Mobility Valley: accelerating the transition to a sustainable and resilient automotive sector, by strengthening innovation and collaboration in the field of zero emission vehicle development.

Hasselt, Vlaanderen, België

Industrial Research Fund (Iof) - Leuven Research & Development

General & innovation management of BIOCON platformo Strategy & Business development, incl. industrial contract negotiationso Financial management & securing long-term capital (> €10 mio)o Team expansion & organizational/people managemento Project & IP management o PR & NetworkingManagement of Innovation Program “Biorefinery, renewable and safe materials” o Acquisition & management of innovation projects (>10 projects, both industrial & public), incl. coordination of ~10 researcherso Experience with European (Horizon Europe, Interreg, BBI JU), National (Energy Transition Fund) and Flemish (VLAIO O&O/ICON, Catalisti Moonshot, FWO SBO) funding schemesIndustrial Research Fund (IOF) mandate

Center For Sustainable Catalysis & Engineering, Research Group Prof. Bert Sels

Entrepreneurial track to explore feasibility spin-off/internal KU Leuven unit for upscaling of inventive biorefinery technology Co-founder of KU Leuven platform ‘BIOCON’, based on: o Valorization roadmap & business opportunity planso Networking & pitching o Acquisition of CAPEX/OPEX funding & Project managemento Coordination pilot plant engineering studies (external consultancy firms)o Biorefinery research & team management (~10 PhD researchers)o Industrial application development

Faculty Of Bioscience Engineering, Centre For Surface Chemistry And Catalysis

Topic: development of novel hierarchical zeolite catalysts for sustainable biobased chemistry Promotor: Prof. Bert Sels Synthesis, characterization & catalytic application of hierarchical zeolites Lipid biomass characterization and catalytic conversion  Guidance of MSc. students  Collaboration with chemical industry – FISCH projects, start-up and follow-up Project proposal writing  Project coordination

Biocon is a KU Leuven scale-up facility in the field of sustainable chemistry and biorefinery. We bring lab innovations closer to the market through process development and product application testing in collaboration with industry.

Phd, Doctor Of Bioscience Engineering

Executive Mba Courses

• Strategic management • Financial and Cost accounting for decision making • Human capital management

Master Of Science, Bioscience Engineering

Grootste onderscheiding | Summa cum laude Major: Catalytic technology Minor: Industrial microbiology

European Panther Program

Development of business ideas into a fundable and sustainable business plan

Mba Bootcamp

Executive program - Trajectories to foster Ideation & Acceleration

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Bioscience Engineering, Magna Cum Laude

Minor: Catalytic technology

Grieks-Wiskunde