The universities of Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels have contributed to a $45m fund that will back spinouts from these institutions.

Ghent University, research organisation Vito and the universities of Antwerp and Brussels today joined forces to establish Qbic II, a €40m ($45m) university venturing fund that will support the institutions’ spinouts.

The seed-stage fund has also received the backing of Arkimedes Fund II, a vehicle established by Flemish government-owned investment firm ParticipatieMaatschappij Vlaanderen and the Region of Flanders, and Belgian government-owned investment firm SFPI-FPIM.

Financial services firms BNP Paribas Fortis, KBC and ING, who previously backed Qbic I, returned to…