Fleurus, 24 April 2026 – The National Institute of Radioelements, a leading global player in nuclear medicine, is putting Wallonia on the map of industrial excellence. Honoured at the 2026 Maintenance Forum with the Technical Team of the Year Award, IRE sees its expertise- recognised far beyond Belgium’s borders - acknowledged by the Belgian Maintenance Association (BEMAS), as part of a high-profile partnership with I-care, another flagship company from the region.
Founded in 1971 in Fleurus (Hainaut), the National Institute of Radioelements (IRE) is one of the very few players worldwide capable of producing radioisotopes that are essential to nuclear medicine, including Molybdenum\u201199 (Mo\u201199). This isotope plays a central role in nuclear medicine and is involved in around 50 million SPECT scintigraphy scans worldwide each year, representing nearly 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures, particularly for diagnostic examinations in oncology, cardiology and neurology.
Together with its innovation subsidiary IRE ELiT, IRE is also the global leader in Gallium\u201168 generators, which enable highly accurate medical imaging for cancer diagnosis. Every day, IRE contributes to the care of nearly 13 million patients across five continents.
In an environment as demanding as nuclear medicine, the maintenance of technical equipment is a critical component. IRE’s facilities must meet extremely high standards in terms of reliability, risk control and operational continuity. Impeccable maintenance is essential not only to ensure the safety of everyone involved, but also to guarantee timely delivery to healthcare professionals, enabling them to support and care for their patients under the best possible conditions.
In this context, the award presented by BEMAS highlights the fundamental role played by IRE’s technical teams, whose expertise is built on a rare combination of industrial, scientific and technological skills serving patient care and quality of life.
“This distinction is first and foremost a tribute to our technical teams, whose expertise and commitment are essential to the continuity and reliability of our mission. In our activities, operational excellence is never an abstract concept: it has a direct impact on patients through the care they receive using our products”, underlines Erich Kollegger, CEO of the Institute of Radioelements.
This recognition also highlights the close partnership between IRE and I-care, a Walloon unicorn also based in Hainaut. Built on day-to-day collaboration, mutual trust and a deep understanding of the constraints of an ultra-critical site, this alliance has made it possible to improve the organisation of maintenance for the thousands of pieces of equipment required for production and safety, ensuring performance and reliability levels that exceed even the most demanding standards in the sector.
In practical terms, a comprehensive reorganisation of the maintenance function has been implemented, based on a new organisational structure, the deployment of a CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management System), the introduction of performance indicators and a long\u2011term maintenance strategy. This approach integrates obsolescence management, staff skills certification and advanced equipment monitoring.
“As the global leader in predictive maintenance, I\u2011care naturally emerged as a partner of choice for IRE. For the past four years, this collaboration has enabled us to ensure flawless reliability of our infrastructures, in line with the stringent requirements of the nuclear sector, where rigour and risk control leave no room for approximation”, concludes Erich Kollegger.\n
Awarded annually by the Belgian Maintenance Association, the Technical Team of the Year Award recognises company teams that stand out for the quality of their maintenance practices, their professionalism, and their ability to ensure the performance, reliability and safety of complex installations. The award highlights the strategic role of the maintenance function within organisations, particularly in environments where operational continuity is critical.