Author: Lobke De Vos

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CESPE Academy Courses

Environmental Sustainability Assessment in Pharma: From Theory to Practical Applications

Register here

Registrations open:
Course takes place on 8-10th of September 2026 at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ottergemsesteenweg 460, B-9000, Ghent).

COURSE OVERVIEW

The Sustainable Systems Engineering (STEN) group offers a comprehensive training program in Environmental Sustainability Assessment with a focus on the pharmaceutical industry.The training is divided into a theoretical and practical part. The theoretical module covers principles of the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate environmental impacts of pharmaceutical production systems. The practical module provides hands-on experience with LCA software (OpenLCA). Finally, LCAs for non-classical drug products and methodological advancements in (environmental) sustainability assessment of pharmaceuticals will be discussed.

Through lectures, case studies, and interactive sessions, participants gain essential knowledge and skills to perform sustainability assessments, with an emphasis on practical applications and critical thinking about sustainability in the pharmaceutical field. Moreover, practical expertise in the LCA process empowers decision-makers to fully comprehend the insights derived from the analysis, enabling them to make more informed and sustainable choices.

Target Audience

This training is ideal for professionals, researchers, and PhD students in pharma, as well as for environmental sciences, engineering, and related fields who wish to enhance their understanding and application of sustainability assessment methodologies.

Pricing (for 3-day course)

  • Industry (non CESPE member): 1600.- EUR
  • Industry (CESPE member): 1125.- EUR
  • Academic (non-UGent): 800.- EUR
  • Academic (UGent postdoc or professor): 650.- EUR
  • Academic (UGent PhD student): 0.- EUR (free of charge).

COURSE PROGRAMME

An overview of the course can be found in the following document.

LCA one pager 2026Download
Register Here

Registrations are open for this course, please follow the ‘REGISTER HERE‘ link above for further details, including registration fees. UGent PhD students can attend this course for free! If you have any questions please email CESPE@UGent.be.

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Team

Sarah Braet

Head of Business Development, MBA, QP

Ghent University
Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Pharmaceutical Engineering & Manufacturing
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Campus Heymans
Ottergemsesteenweg 460
B-9000 Gent, Belgium

Sarah.Braet@UGent.be

Sarah Braet is heading the CESPE steering committee. The CESPE manager is reporting to her. As Business Developer for the Drug Discovery research consortium at Ghent University and through the CRIG, GATE and CESPE platforms, she facilitates the translation of early-stage research into therapeutic and commercial outcomes. She serves as a strategic link between academic research groups and external stakeholders, including industry, investors, and clinical partners. Her work spans key domains such as Medicinal Chemistry, Biological Screening, Pharmacokinetics, Toxicology, Structural Biology, Molecular Medicine, Biomolecular Modelling & Design, Advanced Therapies, and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing.

Sarah’s expertise includes research and innovation management, technology transfer, regulatory strategy (including FDA submissions), CMO coordination, digital transformation, change management, and commercialisation support. She actively engages with pharma, biotech, and venture capital partners to accelerate the impact of oncology-focused research.
Holding two MSc degrees in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, and certified as a Qualified Person (QP) by FAGG/AFMPS, Sarah brings extensive experience from Baxter/Baxalta/Shire/Takeda in manufacturing sciences, regulatory planning, and commercialisation. She previously served on Takeda’s GMAB advisory board to the CEO and executive team.

Sarah has both a very technical background (Master of Drug Development, Advanced Master in Industrial Pharmacy), and 12+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to back it up. Her experience ranges from Manufacturing Science Specialist (pilot scale), to crisis management, CMO management, Tech Transfer management and Regulatory Submission strategy at Baxter/Baxalta/Shire/Takeda. After acquiring her company-sponsored executive MBA (Vlerick Business School), she moved to Los Angeles and took on the Head of Digital Transformation position. As a qualified person, she is responsible for translating innovative research in a quality-by-design manner towards tangible business outcomes and a patient-centric asset.

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Team

Dr. Lobke De Vos

Operational Officer

Ghent University
Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Pharmaceutical Engineering & Manufacturing
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Campus Heymans
Ottergemsesteenweg 460
B-9000 Gent, Belgium

Lobke.DeVos@UGent.be

+32 9 264 81 18

Lobke De Vos joined CESPE as an Operational Officer in 2026. She is responsible for the communication and organization of the CESPE events and courses of the CESPE academy. She obtained a Master of Science in Chemistry from Ghent University in 2020. Subsequently, she got the opportunity to start working as a PhD researcher in the Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials group at that same university and soon after, she was granted an FWO-SB fellowship. In 2026, she successfully graduated with a PhD in Chemistry. Her interest include polymer synthesis, processing and characterization.