EndoQ has been awarded an Innovation Mandate with spin-off finality from from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). This competitive grant provides approximately €300,000 in funding and supports the project over a two-year period, running from August 2024 until August 2026.
The Innovation Mandate is designed to bridge the gap between academic research and economic valorisation. In this case, it supports the final development steps, validation activities, and business preparation required to create a KU Leuven spin-off company around EndoQ’s technology.
What the mandate supports
The funded project focuses on the development of a speech-controlled virtual assistant for endoscopic reporting, complemented by AI-based tools that automatically measure and document key quality indicators during colonoscopy. The core objective is to reduce the administrative burden for physicians while simultaneously improving the completeness, consistency, and quality of endoscopy reports.
Key elements of the mandate include:
- Real-time, structured reporting aligned with international endoscopy guidelines
- Automated measurement of procedure-level quality indicators such as cecal intubation, withdrawal time, and bowel preparation
- Integration of AI-based polyp detection, characterization, and documentation into the reporting workflow
- Preparation of regulatory strategy, technical documentation, and clinical validation required for CE marking
- Concrete steps toward spin-off creation and early investor engagement
From research to impact
The mandate builds on more than a decade of interdisciplinary research in medical imaging and gastroenterology and translates this work into a market-ready solution with clear clinical and economic value. By the end of the project, EndoQ aims to have a fully deployable reporting platform and a solid foundation for commercial rollout, starting in Flanders and scaling internationally.
Receiving this VLAIO Innovation Mandate marks an important milestone for EndoQ and confirms the relevance of structured, AI-supported reporting as a key lever for quality improvement in endoscopic care.