A focus on the essential brings ideas to lives 

VILS was founded in 2014 by Veerle Soetewey and Ief Leroy in Belgium, beginning its journey in the living room of one of its founders. The mission was clear: to design and deliver next-level facilities for emerging companies, quickly and efficiently. This essential focus has driven VILS's rapid growth, geographical expansion, and innovation in the life science sector.

VILS quickly gained recognition by initiating work on one of the world's first GMP mRNA facilities in 2014, laying the groundwork for the life science landscape ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic. The establishment of a corporate presence in Switzerland in 2016 further solidified our position at the heart of European life science innovation.

We achieved notable milestones, such as designing a large-scale cGMP viral vector production unit in 2017 and founding our own construction company, BILS, in 2018. BILS was founded to construct facilities with the same efficient, streamlined, and pragmatic approach applied during the design phase. By maintaining integrated teams throughout the entire project lifecycle - from concept through to construction and commissioning - we minimize delays and prevent loss of knowledge during handovers.

As demand for sustainable protein sources has grown, VILS has expanded into the novel food industry, collaborating with pioneering firms on next-generation production platforms.

To support continued growth and cross-border collaboration, VILS opened a new office in the Netherlands in 2021, further strengthening our presence in Western Europe.

In 2022, VILS joined Masco Group to enable further strategic expansion. Masco Group’s acquisition of a majority stake in XILS, the holding company for VILS and XILS, brought us into a family of life science companies with complementary know-how.

Notably, in 2023, VILS completed the world’s first purpose-built iPSC facility , marking yet another significant step in regenerative medicine. As the world went into Covid lockdown, our integrated teams were delivering the full GMP Scope of Operations, including BSL2-level facilities, R&D support areas, and QC labs in just 18 months from initial design to EMA inspection pre-approval. 

In the years following our founding, we moved to our first office in Mechelen. In 2023, we relocated to the Wetenschapspark in Niel, a modern facility symbolizing our ongoing growth.

VILS' success is driven by deep process knowledge, a clear focus on the essential, the design and delivery of solutions that align with growth plans, and a culture of intellectual honesty and collaborative problem-solving. These attributes ensure that client needs are always met with speed, precision, and business logic.