MBALabs

The Open Cititzen Science Center is a “hackable” building that brings together people with ideas to make things. Students, researchers, inventors, hobbyists, businessmen, … all are welcome to try to make their ideas reality. The center follows the Open Science, Open Innovation and open to the world philosophy of Europe. Here you can find some current examples/competition. Explore the Lab by hovering over the floorplan.

Here you can read how it all started…

9FTE
Starting Budget
Estimated cost: 1M Euro
30.000 visitors

Fablab+

Description
  • Add capabilities to metal workshop. New machines : Watercutter, plasma cutter, mills and lathes, welding, …
  • Expand woodworking with panel saw, bigger lasercutters, vacuum table (wood bending), …
  • Make small batch production possible, so that TRL 6 can be achieved internally
Budget
  • Lab space: 500m2
  • Budget: 400.000€

Drones & Robotics

Description
  • 2-3 industrial sized robots for research groups purposes (robotics in architecture, Faculty of industrial engineering, …)
  • Educational robots for learning how to work with robots
    DIY robots
  • UAV’s and drone cage for multipurpose use (research, education, hobby, business)
Budget
  • Lab space: 450m2
  • Budget: 250.000€

DIY Bio

Description
  • Biotech- and Chemlab for DIY Bio and Chemistry
  • Traditional lab setup with fume cabinets, enough lab desks to host a class (25 persons)
  • Microscopes, PCR-equipment, pippets, DNA and RNA extraction, incubators, laminar flow, …
  • Glasswear, bunsen burners, scales, mixers, vacuum destilation, titration, …
Budget
  • Lab space: 200m2
  • Budget: 150.000€

Electronics Lab

Description
  • Pick&place machine, reflow oven, soldering stations, PCB design, …
  • Hackerspace with capability to reach TRL6 so small batch production of PCB’s etc should be possible
  • IOT systems, wearables, personal healthcare, biometrics sensing systems …
Budget
  • Lab space: 100m2
  • Budget: 100.000€

STEM University

Description
  • Showcase and shop for all kits developed in the science center in respect to STEM
  • Interested teachers should be able to pick the kits they want and test them
  • All kits come with a complete handbook
Budget
  • Lab space: 100m2
  • Budget: 5.000€

Media Lab

Description
  • VR, AR, MR, XR
  • Headsets for VR, Hololens,
  • Full body tracking, optiTrack, Kinect, …
  • Lab space: 85m2
  • Budget: 25.000
Budget
  • Lab space: 85m2
  • Budget: 25.000

Fashion & Textile lab

Description
  • Embroidering machine, sowing machines, irons, tables, 3D printers
  • Wearables, fashion, new textiles, …
Budget
  • Lab space: 100m2
  • Budget: 15.000€

Smart Gastronomy Lab

Description
  • Professional kitchen equipment for 5 persons
  • The science and creativity behind cooking, 3D & 4D printing of food, personalized morphing food
Budget
  • Lab space: 100m2
  • Budget: 100.000€

Material library

Description
  • Library of hundreds of different kind of materials so people can feel, interact, study the material
  • Being tactile with the materials can change the design/build/creation
Budget
  • Lab space: 75m2
  • Budget: 15.000€

Nano-brewery

Description
  • Brewing up to 50l at the time, nano brewery is a perfect way to test recipes
  • Lets starters brew their first tries and keeps cost low
Budget
  • Lab space: 25m2
  • Budget: 20.000€

Project space

Description
  • Formula electra, … teams can leave their projects for longer amounts of time
Budget
  • Lab space:
  • Budget: 2.500€

Growroom

Description
  • Space to cultivate and grow plants
  • Combined with glass house outside
  • Gives people the opportunity to test their green fingers and introduce them to urban farming
Budget
  • Lab space: 50m2
  • Budget: 25.000€

Material science

Description
  • Casting, gluing , stretching
  • Sputtering systems, laminating, vacuum forming
Budget
  • Lab space:
  • Budget: 25.000€

Co working spaces

Description
  • To make sure everybody is welcome, a co working space is added to create a diverse public in the center
Budget
  • Lab space:
  • Budget: 5.000€

Artist in residence

Description
  • 2 artists in residence will get the chance to work in the center for a period of 6 months
  • Mixing arts and science and technology
Budget
  • Lab space:
  • Budget: 10.000€

Incubator

Description
  • For startups within the center
  • Small private desks and access to the meeting rooms
Budget
  • Lab Space:
  • Budget: 5.000€

Ceramics

Description
  • Ceramics lab, not only for traditional ceramics, but also for ceramics 3D printing
  • Contains ovens, turning tables, …
Budget
  • Lab space:
  • Budget: 20.000€

Staff

Description
  • Manager                                                                         
  • Administrative assistant             
  • FabLab+ & Medialab        
  • FabLab+ & Fashion                                                
  • FabLab+ & Robotics                                                                                             
  • DIY Biotech & Growroom                   
  • Smart gastronomy & Nano brewery
  • Materials library & science                   
  • PR-website-social media
Budget
  • Annual cost of staff: 650.000€

Start-up budget

Description
  • 1.250.000€ to start all labs 1 go
  • The entire FabLab will move as well
  • No building cost
Budget
  • Maintenance for the machine in the labs, 350.000€ annually

Budget

Description
  • Total annual budget 1.000.000€, divided over the main partners:
  • KU Leuven 500.000€ (current budget FabLab Leuven is 200.000€)
  • Flanders Make 100.000€
  • VIB 100.000€
  • Imec 100.000€
  • Companies 100.000€
  • City of Leuven ? Flemish government?
  • Own revenue 100.000€ on average (this part will rise during time, this is for first 2 years only…
  • These numbers can be in kind
Budget
  • 650.000 for 9 FTE
  • 350.000 for maintenance of the machines

Users

Description
  • We expect after 2 years to reach about 30.000 users/year
  • Students and KU Leuven personel, 22.500
  • Already combined groups have asked for acces: Technovation HUB, all the drone-research groups KU Leuven, HCI Kuleuven, …
Budget