Belgian medical innovation shines at the Osaka World Expo

Three years after Dubai, the Osaka-2025 World Expo will bring together nearly 160 countries on an artificial island in the Japanese city of Osaka. Dozens of national pavilions, including the Belgian pavilion designed by Louvier architect Cyril Rousseaux, will be nestled within the ‘Great Ring’, an immense wooden structure measuring 2 km in circumference and 20 m in height.

Saving Lives has been chosen as the central theme to promote Belgian know-how on the international stage. Among other things, Belgium is seen as a world leader in vaccine production, especially since the health crisis. In Japan in particular, all the vaccines available have been produced in Belgium. Pharmaceutical giants such as Janssen and Janssen, GSK and Pfizer have also set up long-term bases in Belgium, which stands out as a world benchmark for research and distribution in this field.

In the Belgian pavilion, each region will also be showcasing its own specific features in the health sector. Brussels is showcasing advances in medical robotics and artificial intelligence, with Axiles Bionics, for example, a spin-off from the VUB developing futuristic prostheses; Flanders is presenting the Circle of Life exhibition, illustrating how technology supports health at every stage of life; while Wallonia is focusing on artificial intelligence that enables treatments to be tailored to each individual patient.

BeluBelu, a playful cell symbolising the building blocks of life, has been chosen as Belgium's mascot for the duration of the World Expo.