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SUMMARY:IBA: the short\, biased story of a university spin-off in the fiel
 d of particle accelerators
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:19991213T100000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:19991213T130000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20130525T020148Z
UID:indico-event-a033939@cern.ch
DESCRIPTION:In 1985\, the author\, then director of the cyclotron research
  centre at the University of Louvain\, developed with colleagues an innova
 tive cyclotron design for the production of medical radio-isotopes. While 
 looking for money to build a prototype\, the idea of forming an industrial
  company resistance within the laboratory. In 1986\, Ion Beam Applications
  was incorporated\, with a capital of 0.6 Million Euro\, 5 employees and t
 he hope to reach at equilibrium a size of 15 people. The growth of the new
  company was tumultuous\, with some great successes and a few near disaste
 rs. The range of accelerators offered was enlarged to make IBA less depend
 ant of the variations of a single small market. From the radioisotopes cyc
 lotrons market\, IBA entered into the market of proton therapy\, then in t
 he industrial application of electron beams with the Rhodotron. Twice over
  the years the \ncompany had to restructure to face heavy losses.\n\nIn 19
 97\, in response to an attempt of hostile take-over\, the employees formed
  a co-operative holding company\, and took a majority in the company capit
 al. The company got large orders in proton therapy and became quite profit
 able. Last year\, IBA entered on the Brussels stock exchange and\, thanks 
 to the money raised this way\, started to grow \nrapidly by acquisitions.\
 n\nToday\, IBA is a 1100 employee multi-national group\, with 44 factories
  over the world. It has absorbed other accelerator companies such as Scand
 itronix or Radiation Dynamics Inc.(Dynamitrons). The annual turnover is 15
 0 million Euro\, and the market capitalisation \n1.2 billion Euro. But it 
 remains to be seen if the new larger company will keep the warm relations\
 , the enthusiasm and the entrepreneurial spirit it had during the early ye
 ars.\n\nhttp://indico.cern.ch/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=a033939
LOCATION:CERN 40-S2-B01
URL:http://indico.cern.ch/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=a033939
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