Vangeneugden Dirk
Dr. Dirk Vangeneugden holds a Masters degree in Chemistry (University of Leuven, 1995) and a PhD in Polymer Science (University of Hasselt, 1999). In 2000, he joined VITO, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research. He has been involved in various industrial and EU-funded research projects as researcher and project manager. Beginning of 2009, he was appointed as business development manager of VITO’s Materials Department.
"Nanotechnology in food packaging: starting to address consumer’s perception at the R&D stage"
Development of sustainable packaging solutions using renewable bio-based materials and nanotechnologies is one of the key topics in the NMP program. Life cycle analysis and risk assessment are often used to address the environmental and safety aspects. However, special attention should also go out consumer’s perception about nanotechnology since this could be a road block for future commercial success.