Biotechnologies - Hasselt University students pay visit to Luxembourg RTO

On 18 October 2018, in the context of its activities in environmental research, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) welcomed at its premises in Belvaux 37 students from the Hasselt University (BE). As part of the course “Biological Research Techniques”, students from the third bachelor in biology visited LIST and attended a theoretical course on biological research given by LIST researcher Kjell Sergeant.

The objective was to discover LIST activities and facilities, as well as the research instruments that are daily used by the researchers. Visitors could discover the daily work of LIST’s researchers in the domain of plant biotechnologies and also what they are doing within the Green Tech platform. The focus of the visit was proteomics and the aim was to give an in-depth explanation of the main methods used in current proteome research. As Kjell Sergeant explains: "The three techniques on which we focused can be combined resulting in an enormous application range. This was illustrated by examples stemming from innovation-oriented projects on different plant species but also on the use of plant cells as cell factories for the production of economically relevant compounds." Sergeant concludes: "The idea being to raise the awareness of the students of molecular research as a motor for biotechnological innovation, as fostered by the Environmental and Industrial Biotechnologies team at LIST". 

In the afternoon four groups were formed and practical courses were given by Sébastien Planchon and Céline Leclercq, engineers of the Green Tech platform, illustrating the methodologies. From theory to practice, students could get an overview of the job of a researcher and his/her daily challenges. This was a day of awareness-raising on the job of researcher in the framework of a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) and also, a great opportunity for the students to make the link between applied research and technology transfer.

> For any question on this topic, contact Jenny Renaut or Kjell Sergeant via email.