Author: Mark Gontsarik

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News

Join us and make an impact as our CESPE Manager (job opening)

This is a unique opportunity to play a key role in shaping CESPE’s vision for sustainable, agile manufacturing of the medicines of the future. We are looking for a manager to join our team and drive forward the vision of our platform uniting 20 research groups and numerous industry partners.

Do you know someone that might be a good fit for this role, with industry and team management experience? Please feel free to forward this role to them!

To see the job description and submit your application, please follow the instructions on the official website of UGent: https://jobs.ugent.be/job/Ghent-WP-CESPE-Manager-9000/1348292657/



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News

CESPE Conference pictures and aftermovie out now!


Last month’s 𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐄 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 was a great success, and we want to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed -whether by presenting, attending, or supporting the event. We were delighted by the high-quality presentations and the range of inspiring, forward-looking topics that sparked meaningful discussions throughout the day.

We are happy to share that the 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬 are now available!

You can also relive the highlights through our 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞!

Another heartfelt thank you to our sponsors Miltenyi Biotec, Pharma Technology, Syntegon, Coperion, and Secoya Technologies for their generous support!
Thank you once again for being part of the CESPE network!
We look ahead to planning our next edition!

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News

Thank you for CESPE Conference 2025!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗘 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆!
We brought together brilliant minds from academia, industry, and regulatory fields to explore the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing, personalized medicine, and sustainability.

We extend our sincere thanks to all speakers, partners, and participants for their valuable contributions to an inspiring and forward-looking conference.
The 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 on 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘐 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 stood out as particularly engaging!

We also gratefully acknowledge our sponsors Miltenyi Biotec, Pharma Technology, Syntegon, Coperion, and Secoya Technologies for their generous support, which made this event possible and contributed to its success.

Looking forward to seeing you at our next year’s event, this time at our new 𝗡𝘂𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘂𝘀 building!

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CESPE Conference 2025 Sessions

Panel Discussion

Topic: ‘ Regulatory Hurdles Regarding the Use of AI in Pharmaceutical Production Setting

We look forward to a thought-provoking exchange of perspectives from industry leaders, technology experts, and regulatory professionals. Join us for an insightful session addressing both the challenges and opportunities AI brings to the pharmaceutical industry.

Panel Members:

Noor Al-Rifai
Scientific Sr. Principal Engineer at Johnson & Johnson

Jonathan Bral
Sector Lead for Digital Transformation in Pharma at Axians Belgium

Matthias Feys
CTO & Co-founder at ML6

Barbara Stubbe
GMDP Inspecteur-Expert at FAGG &
Expert Quality Innovation Group (QIG) at EMA

Host:

Tineke Van Hooland
Founder and CEO at Epic 10

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CESPE Academy Courses

Modern Tableting: Continuous Manufacturing and ePAT

Register here

Course takes place on 25th and 26th of February 2026 at Fette Compacting Belgium BV site (Schaliënhoevedreef 1B, 2800 Mechelen, BE).

COURSE OVERVIEW

This training module provides a comprehensive journey through the principles and practical aspects of modern tableting, with a strong focus on optimizing performance and addressing product-specific issues. The program is structured to build foundational knowledge, deepen process understanding, and explore advanced technologies such as continuous manufacturing (FE CPS) and Process Analytical Technology (ePAT).
The first day is all about the tablet press. In the morning session, we will cover the fundamentals of tableting, laying the groundwork for a deeper understanding of the process. In the afternoon, the focus shifts to product-specific challenges—such as weight variation, hardness issues, and sticking—and how these can be effectively identified and resolved through process optimization and practical solutions.
On the second day, the focus shifts to Continuous Manufacturing and Process Analytical Technology (ePAT). Participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of both concepts, including a detailed explanation of the functional principles and key components involved in each process. Additionally, the day includes hands-on sessions, where participants will have the opportunity to observe the system, gaining practical understanding of how continuous processes and real-time analytics work together to ensure consistent product quality.

Target Audience

This training is designed for professionals and students from the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and nutrition sectors.
No prior knowledge is required — making it ideal for anyone with an interest in tableting, continuous manufacturing, and ePAT.

Course has a 2-day programme:

Day 1: Optimization of Tableting

Morning session: Introductory

  • System Overview
  • Functional Principle, incl. Filling Device, Dosing Station, Compression Station etc.
  • Compression Layouts FE Series

Afternoon session: Product-Specific Issues

  • Weight Variation
  • Hardness Issues
  • Sticking & Picking
  • Practical Hands-on Session
    • Tableting equipment visit and operational demonstration
    • Problem solving and process optimization on-the-go with audience participation

Day 2: Continuous Manufacturing meets ePAT

Morning session: FE CPS

  • General Information
  • System Overview
  • Functional Principle, incl. ARS, Feeder Unit, Blend Conveyor etc.
  • Equipment Demonstration
    • Optimization of feeding and adjusting powder behavior

Afternoon session: ePAT

  • System Overview
  • ePAT Basic
  • Functional Principle, incl. Blend and Tablet Uniformity Measuring Head, Spectrometer etc.
  • Hands-on Session: Showcasing of BU and TU probes: In-line measurements and collected spectra

COURSE PROGRAMME

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

Modern Tabletting One PagerDownload

Registrations are open for this course, please follow the ‘REGISTER HERE‘ link above. If you have any questions please email Mark Gontsarik (mark.gontsarik@ugent.be).

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News

CESPE Conference Programme is Now Online!

The programme for CESPE Conference is now complete and the schedule is online! Check out the event’s programme and don’t miss the talks by speakers from industry and academia, including representatives from UCB, J&J, SimAbs, Gericke, Legend Biotech, Antleron, and UGent. Our event will take place on 22nd of October at RodeBol Events venue in Ghent!

We also proudly announce that the topic of our Panel Discussion this year will be on ‘Regulatory Hurdles Regarding the Use of AI in Pharmaceutical Production Setting‘! Be ready to dive into the challenges of regulating AI in pharmaceutical manufacturing and listen in on the opinions of expert AI solutions providers, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory bodies!

Join us for an exiting day of talks, discussions, and networking! Secure your ticket today!

We sincerely thank Miltenyi Biotec BV, Pharma Technology, Syntegon, Coperion, and Secoya Technologies for their generous sponsorship!

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CESPE Academy Courses

Automated Synthesis and Chromatography Workshop

Register here

Course takes place on 3rd and 4th of March 2026 at the BRS BV site (Bergensesteenweg 79, 1651 Beersel, Belgium).

COURSE OVERVIEW

This two-day training module provides valuable insights into the automation of both chemical synthesis and chromatographic purification.

Day 1 focuses on automated chemical synthesis, showcasing how the Atlas HD Automated Reactor System and Atlas Syringe Pump can be seamlessly controlled via a single software interface. Participants will learn how automation improves reproducibility, efficiency, and safety while gaining practical insight into setting up and monitoring automated reactions.

Day 2 provides comprehensive training in flash, preparative, and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). The morning session covers key chromatography principles, including sample loading, column selection, and practical guidelines to optimize your purification processes. In the afternoon, participants will gain hands-on experience using the CombiFlash® NextGen 300+ and ACCQPrep HP150 systems for automated purification.

Target Audience

This course is ideal for researchers, chemists, and laboratory professionals looking to enhance their expertise in automation and chromatographic techniques through a combination of theory and practical experience.

Course has a 2-day programme:

Day 1. Automated Synthesis

The following will be addressed:

Introduction to synthesis automation

Atlas HD & syringe pump

Automated Synthesis of N-benzylbenzamide
(reaction setup and work-up)

Day 2. Automated Purification

The following will be addressed:

Basic principles chromatography

Method selection & Guidelines

Purification of N-benzylbenzamide
(Automated flash & preparative chromatography)


COURSE PROGRAMME

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

Automated Synthesis and Purification BRS one-pagerDownload

Registrations are open for this course, please follow the ‘REGISTER HERE’ link above. If you have any questions please email Mark Gontsarik (mark.gontsarik@ugent.be).

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CESPE Academy Courses

GAMP Training

Register here

Course takes place on 10th and 11th of March 2026 at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ottergemsesteenweg 460, B-9000, Ghent).

COURSE OVERVIEW

Interested in expanding your knowledge of Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP), Computerized System Validation, Regulations, and more? Experts from QbD Group will be instructing a 2-day training that will do exactly that. Check the information on the course below to decide if it suits your needs!

Production systems for the pharmaceutical and food industries have to comply with ever-stricter legislation. This training not only offers you theoretical knowledge of the basic aspects of GAMP – with a focus on the detailed life cycle – but also offers multiple practical exercises.

Additionally, a test will be provided so that you can check if you can apply your gained knowledge.The course begins with an introduction to GAMP principles and gradually builds to more complex examples and exercises.

Target Audience

The target audience are professionals or students in chemical, pharmaceutical & healthcare sciences and engineering.

  • No prior knowledge needed
  • Practical learning approach
  • Ideal for more in-depth practitioners, who want to get more examples and use cases included as part of the training

Course has a 2-day programme:

Day 1

The following will be addressed:

Introduction to GAMP

Detailed Lifecycle

Regulations (21 Cfr part 11; Annex 11)

Extended Exercises on Validation, Specifications, Risk Assessment

Day 2

The following will be addressed:

Detailed Lifecycle and Verification Reporting

Operational Phase

Extended Exercises on Test Execution and Report, Validation, Requirements Matrix


COURSE PROGRAMME

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

GAMP5 2026 one-pagerDownload

Registrations are open for this course, please follow the ‘REGISTER HERE’ link above. If you have any questions please email Mark Gontsarik (mark.gontsarik@ugent.be).

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News

Don’t miss the Early Bird deadline for CESPE Conference 2025 and secure your tickets!

Our annual CESPE Conference on the 22nd of October is approaching fast and we are looking forward to gathering with the members of our community for this event! The event’s programme is full of exciting speakers from industry and academia, including UCB, SimAbs, Gericke, Legend Biotech, Antleron, and UGent, with more announcements on the way.

Don’t miss out on the Early Bird discount for the conference admission tickets – the deadline to register (15th of September) is already next week. Register with the favourable price before its too late!

We sincerely thank Miltenyi Biotec BV for their generous sponsorship of CESPE Conference 2025!

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News

CESPE Conference 2025 Programme is now online!

The preliminary programme for our yearly CESPE Conference has now been published on our website. The event is filled with engaging talks from industrial as well as academic speakers and provides ample networking opportunities. Don’t miss your chance to catch speakers from UCB, Legend Biotech, simAbs, Gericke, Antleron, and UGent, as they discuss the current developments and challenges in sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Browse the three conference sessions below and stay tuned for future announcements as we are working to confirm the last few speakers to complete our programme.

View the full programme by following the link.

We sincerely thank Miltenyi Biotec BV for their generous sponsorship!

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Programme

CESPE Conference 2025 Programme

We sincerely thank Miltenyi Biotec BV and Pharma Technology for their generous sponsorship!

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CESPE Conference 2025 Sessions

Session 3: Sustainability in Pharma

14:40 – 15:00 Talk by Christian Stevens
Professor at Synthesis, Bioresources and Bioorganic Chemistry Research Group (SynBioC), Ghent University

Title: ‘TransPharm – Facilitating the Transition to more Sustainable API’s’

15:00 – 15:20 Talk by Wouter De Soete
Senior Manager in Sustainability & LCA
at Johnson & Johnson

Title: ‘Standardization of Life Cycle Assessment in the Pharmaceutical Industry: from Theory to Practice’

15:50 – 16:10 Talk by Lieselot Boone
Postdoctoral Researcher at Sustainable Systems Engineering (STEN) Group, Ghent University

Title: ‘Sustainability Assessment using a Healthcare Perspective’

16:10 – 16:20 Short Pitch Presentations:

Maarten Dobbelaere
Postdoctoral Researcher at Laboratory for Chemical Technology (LCT) Group at Ghent University

Title: ‘Greener Pharmaceutical Production with a Digital Chemist’

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CESPE Conference 2025 Sessions

Session 2: Patient-Centred & Personalized Medicine

11:50 – 12:10 Talk by Jan Schrooten
CEO and Co-Founder at Antleron

Title: ‘Decentralized Manufacturing by Smart Bioprocessing: a First Step Toward Patient-Centred ATMP’

12:10 – 12:30 Talk by Pieter Jacobs
Head of Manufacturing Science & Technology (MSAT) at Legend Biotech

Title: ‘Ramping Up Personalized Cell Therapy Production To Global Commercial Scale’

14:10 – 14:30 Talk by Valérie Vanhoorne
Professor at Lab of Pharmaceutical Technology at Ghent University

Title: ‘Tailored Treatment for Every Body: The Rise of Personalized (oral solid) Dosage Forms’

.

14:30 – 14:40 Short Pitch Presentations:

Bora Ayvaz
PhD Researcher at Dynamical Systems and Control (DySC) Group at Ghent University

Title: ‘Enhancing Pain Level Assessment in Post-Surgery Patients Using AI Algorithms’

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CESPE Conference 2025 Sessions

Session 1: Up-Scaling Sustainable Solutions

10:00 – 10:20 Talk by Koen Dierckx
CEO and Co-Founder at simAbs

Title: ‘Continuous Biomanufacturing: The Tipping Point’

10:20 – 10:40 Talk by Bernhard Meir
Head of Continuous Manufacturing at Gericke AG

Title: ‘Mini Blend: Unlocking Continuous Manufacturing – A Scalable Solution for Clinical and Commercial Supply’

11:10 – 11:30 Talk by Jan-Sebastiaan Uyttersprot
Head of Oral Dosage Form Development
& Tuur Vandeputte
PAT & Modelling Subject Matter Expert at UCB

Title: ‘Sustainable Pharmaceutical Scale-Up Using HME/HMG and PAT Integration’

.

11:30 – 11:50 Short Pitch Presentations:

Catherine Cazin
Professor at Department of Chemistry, UGent

Title: ‘Sustainable Synthesis: Access to Catalysts and Catalytic Applications’

Alexander Ryckaert
Co-Founder at Elegent

Title: ‘Facilitating Scale-up in Direct Compression via Transfer Learning’

András Retzler
Postdoc Researcher at Dynamic Design Lab at Ghent University, in collaboration with Fette Compacting

Title: ‘Leveraging Bayesian Optimization for the 

Automatic Tuning of Loss-in-weight Feeding‘

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Sponsorships

CESPE Conference 2025 Sponsorship Packages

As a sponsor of our event you will have the chance to:

  • Create visibility for your company through on-site advertisement as well as pre- and post- event promotions
  • Network and discuss with some of the leading experts in the field
  • Showcase your products
  • Get introduced to the scientific community of Ghent active within the field of sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing.
  • Interact with ~150 participants with equal representation from industry and academia

A number of sponsor packages are shown below. If the available packages do not provide a perfect match for your needs, please reach out to us for a customized offer.

Contact Mark.Gontsarik@UGent.be for further questions or to discuss your sponsorship package.

GOLD

€ 5000.-
(€ 3500.- for CESPE-members)

✓ 5
EVENT TICKETS
(incl. dinner)

✓ DOUBLE SIZED
EXHIBITION BOOTH INCLUDED*

✓ LOGO ON THE
EVENT WEBSITE

✓ FULL PAGE
AD IN DIGITAL
EVENT BOOKLET

✓ COMPANY LOGO IN
EMAIL ANNOUNCEMENTS

✓ LARGE LOGO PROJECTION
DURING BREAKS &
BEFORE NEXT SPEAKER

✓ INTERVIEW & EXPOSURE
IN THE AFTERMOVIE

SILVER

€ 2500.-
(€ 1750.- for CESPE-members)

✓ 2
EVENT TICKETS
(incl. dinner)

✓ EXHIBITION
BOOTH INCLUDED*

✓ LOGO ON THE
EVENT WEBSITE

✓ FULL PAGE
AD IN DIGITAL
EVENT BOOKLET

✓ COMPANY LOGO IN
EMAIL ANNOUNCEMENTS

✓ SMALL LOGO PROJECTION
DURING BREAKS &
BEFORE NEXT SPEAKER

✓ INTERVIEW & EXPOSURE
IN THE AFTERMOVIE

BRONZE

€ 1000.-
(€ 700.- for CESPE-members)

✓ 1
EVENT TICKET
(incl. dinner)

Х NO BOOTH

✓ LOGO ON THE
EVENT WEBSITE

✓ 1/2 PAGE
AD IN DIGITAL
EVENT BOOKLET

✓ COMPANY LOGO IN
EMAIL ANNOUNCEMENTS

✓ SMALL LOGO PROJECTION
DURING BREAKS &
BEFORE NEXT SPEAKER

Х INTERVIEW & EXPOSURE
IN THE AFTERMOVIE

* Number of Double Sized exhibition booths is limited to 2 and the total number of booths is limited to 5. The booths are assigned on first-come-first-served basis.

Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your reach in our ecosystem!
Please find photos of exhibition booths from our last year’s event below!

We sincerely thank Miltenyi Biotec BV and Pharma Technology for their generous sponsorship!

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Registration

CESPE Conference 2025 Registration

Conference homepage
Programme
Register
Venue
Abstract submission

Registrations are open for our 4th edition of our yearly conference titled: ‘Scaling Sustainable (Bio)Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: From Innovation to Impact’ that will take place on 22nd October 2025.

Registrations and payments can be made through our Congrezzo platform.

For registrations before September 15th 2025, the Early Bird attendance fees are €300.-/€400.- for industry (CESPE-member/non-member) and €75.-/€125.- for academic (CESPE-member/non-member) participants. The Early Bird fee for participants from governmental or non-profit organizations is €125.-.

For the networking dinner, a supplement of €75.- is charged.

For registrations after September 15th 2025, the normal attendance fees are €400.-/550.- for industry (CESPE-member/non-member) and €125.-/€200.- for academic (CESPE-member/non-member) participants. The normal fee for participants from governmental or non-profit organizations is €200.-.

The deadline for registration is October 20th.

Information on sponsorships and exhibition booths at the event can be found here.

Want to present your research at CESPE Conference 2025? We have opened abstract submissions for posters and oral pitch presentations – please find further information on the Abstract Submission page.

For any further questions relating to the conference and CESPE, please contact Mark Gontsarik (Mark.Gontsarik@UGent.be) or Christoph Portier (Christoph.Portier@UGent.be). We are happy to assist you!

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Team

Dr. Mark Gontsarik

Project Manager

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

mark.gontsarik@ugent.be

+32 9 264 81 18

Mark Gontsarik joined CESPE as a Project Manager in 2024. He is responsible for the establishment of flagship projects & bilateral projects with industrial partners. In addition, he supports the further development of the CESPE Academy as well as the operational development. After obtaining his MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Copenhagen University, he joined the EMPA Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and Technology in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and graduated with a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2019. As a postdoctoral researcher, Mark worked at the Department of Chemistry in Fribourg University, Switzerland, and most recently at the Department of Pharmaceutics in University of Ghent, Belgium. Mark’s research focused on stimuli-responsive lipid nanoparticles for delivery of therapeutic peptides and RNA. His expertise ranges from chemical synthesis of lipid components of nanoparticles to their physico-chemical and biological characterization.