BELGIAN RESEARCH 2018 by 5rXobdlLrFp

Belgian Research in Europe

1st Quarter 2018

R&D Te c h n o l o g y

Innovation

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R &D, Technology, Innovation

Summary

Belgian Research in Europe

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- 1st Quarter 2018 -

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Support market-creating innovation An interview with Mr Carlos MOEDAS, European Commissionner for Research, Science and Innovation ...............6-7 The new challenges for the European Research Area An interview with Mr Philippe BUSQUIN, Former European Research Commissioner ..............................................8-9 European Space Agency: United space in Europe .......................................10 FED-tWIN: a highly stimulating initiative for research in Belgium An interview with Mr Andreas DE LEENHEER, Chairman of the Federal Council for Science Policy (CFPS-FRWB), Honorary Rector at Ghent University (UGent) ..........................................11 n Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy – BIRA-IASB

Cutting-edge research about Earth, planetary and cometary atmospheres...................................................................12-13 Belgium is one of the countries where foreign trade has the largest influence on the economy By Ms Fabienne L’HOOST, Director General of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency (BFTA) ...................14 Sirris: driving industry by technology An interview with Mr Herman DERACHE, Managing Director of Sirris ...................................................................15 n Belnet

Operational Excellence at the Service of Researchers .........................16-17 Increased regional assistance for R&D and innovation An interview with Ms Fadila LAANAN, State Secretary of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Scientific Research, Minister-President of the Board of the French Community Commission ........20-21 Research and innovation in the Brussels Capital Region: Priority given to health, the environment and ICT ................................22-23 n INNOVIRIS

Supporting research and innovation in the Brussels Region An interview with Mrs Katrien MONDT, Managing Director Innoviris .........................................................24-25 Brussels Aeronautical Group: Offering increased value in terms of technology and quality An interview with Mr Marc DUBOIS, Chairman Brussels Aeronautical Group (BAG), Commercial Director of SABCA Group ..................................................26

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Listening to the needs of foreign investors and Brussels companies An interview with Mrs Bénédicte WILDERS, Chief Executive Director of Brussels Invest & Export .................................27 ULB: one of the most innovative Universities in Belgium An interview with Prof. Serge SCHIFFMANN, Vice-Rector for Research and Valorisation at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) ............................................28-31 Ecole polytechnique de Bruxelles Creating excellence in the capital of Europe .............................................32 © B. Fahy

n Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital – HUDERF

Ensuring optimal development of young children ..................................33 n Department of Gastroenterology, Hepato-pancreatology and Digestive

Oncology – Erasme Hospital Leading-edge research for optimal healthcare .......................................34 n Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics – LNMB

An expert in the field of EEG, evoked potentials and movement analysis ......................................................................35 n Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis, Drug Discovery

A specialist in natural products serving drug discovery ..........................36 A widely recognized expertise in interdisciplinarity An interview with Prof. Pierre JADOUL, Rector of Université Saint-Louis - Bruxelles (USL-B) .....................................37 Innovation through multidisciplinary collaboration An interview with Mr Philippe MUYTERS, Flemish minister of Work, Economy, Innovation and Sport ....................40-41 © Erasme Hospital

EWI: Excellence is the keyword in scientific research An interview with Mr Johan HANSSENS, Secretary-General of EWI .................................................................42-43 VARIO: Independent advice for the Flemish Government .......................................44 Vlaio: support for research projects in large and small companies ........................45 n SCK•CEN

Pioneer in nuclear applications ......................................................46-47 VITO: the right tools and expertise for accurate guidance at every stage of growth ........................................................................48 © VITO

FLAG: support of the development of aviation and related technologies.......49

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n Vlerick Healthcare Management Centre:

relevant research for the health sector ............................................50-51 n Howest Industrial Design Center:

where industry, research and education in product design meet to co-create ..............................................................................53 VOKA promotes, supports and creates collaboration between business and academic research institutes An interview with Mr Hans MAERTENS, Managing Director of VOKA ............................................................54-55 © Vlerick Business School

UAS4EUROPE: a crucial role for Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in research and innovation ................................................................56-57 Corda Campus : a leading international campus for technology, high-tech, ICT and media .......................................................................59 n JABIL HASSELT:

We partner across the entire value chain..............................................60 n JABIL HASSELT: An Experienced Partner for Designing, Validating,

Testing and Prototyping your Electronic Products ...................................61 n Becetel: © DGO6

Technological and scientific materials testing for industry, public and private sector....................................................................63 For the exploitation and operationalisation of research An interview with Mr Willy BORSUS, Minister-President of Wallonia ...........................................................66-67 Increasing technology transfers from academic institutions to the Walloon companies An interview with Mr Pierre-Yves JEHOLET, Vice-President of the Walloon Government, Minister of Economy, Industry, Research, Innovation, Digital Technology, Employment and Training .................................................................68-69 Encouraging commercialisation of new internationally-focused products An interview with Mr Pierre VILLERS, Public Service of Wallonia, Directorate General for Economy, Employment and Research (DGO6), Department of Research Programs .....................................................70-71

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Universities: key institutes for training, innovation and economic development An interview with Mr Yvon ENGLERT, Rector of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Chairperson of the FNRS, Former Chairperson of the Council of Rectors of the Universities of the Walloon-Brussels Federation (CReF) ...............................................74 Improving the exploitation of research results An interview with Mr Yvan HAYEZ, Chairman of the Walloon Region Economic and Social Council (CESW)........75

For strong globally-oriented companies................................................77 Taking advantage of Horizon 2020 An interview with Mr Pierre FIASSE, European Project Developer at NCP Wallonie .........................................78 Agoria Wallonia Bring the technology industry into the 4.0 era .........................................79 SynHERA, the effectiveness of a network.............................................80-81 Skywin: Collaborative innovation and operational excellence An interview with Mr Etienne POURBAIX, Director of the Skywin competitiveness cluster .....................................82-85 n Thales Alenia Space Belgium

Innovative space solutions to enhance people’s lives and extend our reach beyond EAI....................................................86-87 © Thales Alenia Space Belgium

BioWin: Providing growth for SMEs in the health sector in Wallonia An interview with Mrs Sylvie PONCHAUT, Managing Director of the BioWin competitiveness cluster.....................88-91 Logistics in Wallonia: A strong relationship between companies and universities has become part of our DNA An interview with Mr Bernard PIETTE, Director of the Logistics in Wallonia competitiveness cluster ..................92-95 MecaTech: Hybridization of Technologies and Innovations to Mechanical Engineering An interview with Mr Jacques GERMAY, MecaTech Cluster...................96-99

Consolidating the Research status of the “Université catholique de Louvain” An interview with Prof. Vincent BLONDEL, Rector of the “Université catholique de Louvain” (UCL) .....................100-101

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n The Walloon Public Service Science Institute (ISSeP)

A Unique Expertise in the Service of Environment and Public Health ...102-103 n Liège Space Centre – CSL

Developing space technologies..........................................................104 n Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules – CERM

Polymers to serve coatings, biomaterials and energy............................105 n The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines – CIRM

New therapeutic targets, nanomedicine, bio-pharmaceuticals................106 and personalised medicine © ISSeP

n Laboratory for the Analysis of Medicines – LAM

For tighter quality control and better monitoring of medicines .............107 n Antioxidant Nutrition and Health Platform (NAS),

expertise devoted to the effects of antioxidants on health ...................108 n Centre Terre et Pierre – CTP

Belgian specialist in mineral processing.............................................109 n EPHEC Institute of Higher Education

Innovative applied research projects in the technical field.......................................................................110 n HELMo Gramme © CSL

Recognizing the Capacity in Technological Research of Industrial Engineers An interview with Mr Juan HERRERA, Director of HELMo Gramme .............................................................111 n Haute École de Namur-Liège-Luxembourg – HENALLUX

Continuous Training, Applied Research and Development of Services ............................................................113 Does academic research impact our regional economy? An interview with Dr Michel MORANT, President of the LIEU Network, Vice-President ASTP-Proton ............................................................114-115 UMONS and Digital Technology .......................................................116-117 Promoting interdisciplinarity in research An interview with Ms Carine MICHIELS, Vice-Rector for Research Policy and International Positioning of the University of Namur (UNamur) ...................................................118 n Electron Spectroscopy Interdisciplinary Laboratory – LISE

Specialist in material surfaces and interfaces .....................................119 © LISE

Index of Company Profiles and Advertisers .............................................120

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Support market-creating innovation An interview with Mr Carlos MOEDAS, European Commissionner for Research, Science and Innovation

hat mid-term assessment can you make about the research funding programme Horizon 2020? In May 2017, we published the results of the interim evaluation1 of Horizon 2020. It clearly shows that Horizon 2020 is helping to create jobs and economic growth, to tackle our biggest societal challenges and to improve people’s lives. It has a clear EU added value – it produces tangible benefits compared to national or regionallevel support. It has also been successful in attracting the best researchers and innovators. But we also concluded that we would need a much bigger budget just to finance the excellent projects we are receiving.

How does the Commission promote the international excellence of the EU’s research and science? I have set three goals for EU research and innovation policy, referred to as the “Three O’s”, and Openness to the World is one of them. Europe is a global leader in science, and this should translate into a leading voice in global debates. To remain relevant and competitive, we need to engage in science diplomacy and global scientific collaboration. That’s why Horizon 2020 is fully open to participants from across the world, and has had many topics specifically targeting international cooperation. The new Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2018-202 further boosts this work. It will invest over €1 billion in 30 flagship initiatives in areas of mutual benefit. Examples include working with Canada on personalised medicine, with the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Australia on road transport automation, with India on water challenges and with African countries on food security and renewable energies. The Commission is also leading the way in many global research partnerships in areas such as health, food, energy and water. We also promote free circulation of researchers and knowledge by concluding science and technology agreements with countries and regions across the globe. © European Commission

Belgian participants have been very successful in winning Horizon 2020 funding: by October 2017, they were involved in over 1900 signed grant agreements and on track to receive almost €1.3 billion in EU contribution. Their applicant success rate is the best of EU-28! How does Horizon 2020 already contribute to the Commission’s jobs, growth and investment package? According to the interim evaluation, every euro invested under Horizon 2020 brings an estimated GDP increase of 6 to 8.5 euros (€400 to €600 billion by 2030). Compared to its predecessor, the Seventh framework programme, Horizon 2020 is more successful in involving the private sector (33.2% of participations against 30.4% in FP7), which is necessary to achieve innovation and economic impact. It attracts more SMEs, the backbone of the European economy. It also creates networks between businesses as well as between the private sector, universities and research institutions, which is key to bringing knowledge quickly to market. Furthermore, it generates commercially valuable patents and other intellectual property rights: in the first three years, there were 153 patent applications (39 awarded) and 24 trademarks awarded.

What actions do you undertake in order to strengthen research capacities and innovation across all Member States? Research and innovation are key for economic growth, job creation and prosperity. This is why the Commission has, since the start of the crisis, advocated the principle of smart fiscal consolidation, i.e. working towards healthy public finances while continuing to invest in growth inducing areas such as research, innovation and education. The Juncker Commission committed to boosting private investment as its number one priority through the Investment Plan for Europe. As part of this Plan, the European Fund for Strategic Investment was set up, through which, as of October 2017, the EIB has invested €47 billion, set to trigger a total of €241 billion in investments, many of which support research and innovation. Another important aim of the Investment Plan is to remove regulatory barriers for business investment. To foster quality investments in Europe, you need good public policy to improve the quality of public science, to enhance the interaction between the public research base and the business sector, and to put in place the necessary incentives for business to innovate. But in addition Europe needs more public financial instruments that lower the risk of private investment in important but high-risk projects. This is why together with the European Investment Fund we are setting up a Venture Capital Fund of Funds.

However, it is also clear that there is more potential for supporting breakthrough innovation that is required to turn our best ideas into new opportunities, businesses and jobs. That’s why in the last three years of Horizon 2020, we are launching a European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot that will harness and add value to the ideas of Europe’s innovators, and complement the great support Horizon 2020 already offers. The aim is to enable Europe to embrace the opportunities of digitalisation and other disrupting technologies through market-creating innovation. With a budget of €2.7 billion, the EIC pilot brings together existing instruments: the SME Instrument, inducement prizes, FET-Open and Fast Track to Innovation.

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The European Commission invests in world-class ICT research and innovation in order to boost growth and jobs.

SME Instrument, have yielded positive results. But we can do more, particularly through the EIC pilot that revamps our support to SMEs with scale-up potential. Key elements include a fully bottom-up SME instrument, so that innovation projects that cut across sectors/technologies become eligible for support, and making it easier for start-ups to access financial and technical support.

The EIC pilot that I have already mentioned should also help the efforts in this respect. And finally, the Commission set up the Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility that assists Member States in the design, implementation and evaluation of the policy reforms needed to boost investments in research and innovation and their impact. Could you give us some examples of research projects backed by the Commission? I come across great examples every day, but let me mention just one: the NOMORFILM project 3, which is using micro-algae to create prosthetic implants. It is common to get infections after prosthetic surgery, increasing the suffering of patients. The scientists behind the NOMORFILM project are hoping that the new implants will be much more resistant to infections. I mention this project because it demonstrates how ocean research is helping scientists in a completely different field to come up with new, innovative solutions. I think we will see more and more of this kind of projects, as it is the natural and logical way for science to evolve.

Are you already preparing the ninth framework programme for research and innovation? What will be its priorities? A key part of the preparations of the successor programme to Horizon 2020 is the discussion on the future EU Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). The Commission intends to table its proposal for the next MFF before the summer of next year. Sectorial legislative proposals including research and innovation should follow closely. So it’s too early to talk about specific priorities. But let me highlight that as commissioner, I want to make sure that EU funding achieves tangible impacts that boost the European economy and make life easier for citizens. One way of achieving this is to have “missions” in FP9. This would mean focusing most of our resources on a limited number of research areas, which would be defined in close consultation with citizens. This way we can bring in fresh resources to help find solutions to the aching problems our societies are facing today. Another way of achieving impact is to support market-creating innovation, such as we are now doing with the EIC pilot.

In which ways do you encourage private companies, and in particular SMEs, to apply research to meet societal challenges? The Commission has committed to awarding at least 20% of funding under the Horizon 2020 “Societal Challenges” and “Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies’ parts to SMEs, and we are comfortably over that target. As of October 2017, Horizon 2020 has in total awarded almost €3.79 billion to SMEs. The programme has also provided companies, in particular SMEs, with access to risk finance worth over €17 million under the “InnovFin - EU finance for innovators” scheme. The figures also show that the efforts to simplify and mainstream SME support, in particular through the

https://ec.europa.eu/research/evaluations/index_en.cfm?pg=h2020 evaluation

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-4122_en.htm http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/193300_en.html

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The new challenges for the European Research Area An interview with Mr Philippe BUSQUIN, Former European Research Commissioner member states, intensifying the synergies with the EU’s external policies (science diplomacy) and refining the communication strategy.

hat is your mid-course assessment of the Horizon 2020 programme? The objectives of the H2020 programme have been reached as shown in the mid-term assessment of the European Commission: the European Research Area (ERC), which celebrated ten years in 2017, is a success. As the European Commissioner of Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, outlined in his speech on 21 March 2017, the ERC has been recognised worldwide for the way it supports basic research. And some of the simplifications that the ERC introduced, such as the use of lump sums for overhead costs, have now been mainstreamed across all parts of Horizon 2020.

As far as I am concerned, Article 185 is important as it enables the member states to associate with non-EU countries which contribute funding matched by the EU. This is the case of the PRIMA project which has just been launched; with a budget of €490 M it brings together 11 member states and seven Mediterranean countries on a research project about food and water challenges in the Mediterranean.

What measures could reinforce the capacities for research and innovation in all the member states? There is no miracle solution: it is essential that the member states devote 3% of their GDP to research and innovation. It is also important to encourage initiatives such as the Night of Sciences in order to increase the number of students studying the sciences and therefore the number of future researchers. The golden triangle of education – research – innovation still needs to be strengthened.

Let’s not forget that ERC-funded projects are responsible for six Nobel Prizes, five Wolf Prizes and four Field Medals. Moreover, ERC-funded projects have resulted in 100,000 articles being published in scientific journals, including over 5,500 in the top 1% of most cited scientific journals. Since the creation of the ERC, eight member states have set up their own national research councils inspired by the ERC model and 11 member states have launched funding mechanisms based on ERC funding.

How can you encourage private companies, especially SMEs, to get involved in research projects that tackle the major societal challenges? In this area it seems to me that it is important to develop competitiveness clusters. In Wallonia, the Marshall Plan of the Walloon Government has given rise to six clusters bringing together the strong points of the region in sectors that are strategic for its economic development. All the same, we have to improve the operation of these clusters, and especially, to integrate them into European networks.

Seeing this success, in 2017 the Commission decided to increase the budget for the ERC by 50 million euros for the remaining years of Horizon 2020. How should the Commission encourage the international excellence of European research? The facts speak for themselves: research and innovation are becoming increasingly competitive in the world. This is mainly due to the rise of China and South Korea which are now providing funding to researchers in the Mediterranean region in particular. There is no more European pre-square! More than ever, the European Union has a duty to be open to the world.

Elsewhere, I see interesting initiatives in Europe: Italy has set up thematic networks with China and Iran, which are funded by the three countries. These networks enable exchanges between researchers and seem to be very dynamic. We should all draw inspiration from this strategy: in a context of global research it is crucial to optimise our relations and move beyond the European borders.

Expressed since 2001, this willingness to be open to the world was confirmed in the Commission’s report of 13 October 2016 entitled “Implementation of the strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation”. In a context where the European Union represents only 7% of the world’s population but 24% of research expenditure, 32% of high-level publications and 32% of patents registered, this report defines the areas which need to be prioritised as health, food, energy, water, climate change and the circular economy. It also proposes reinforcing the international dimension of Horizon 2020, improving framework conditions for engaging in international cooperation, leading multilateral initiatives and working with international organisations to tackle global societal challenges, reinforcing the partnership with the

What do you think about the Digital Single Market and the Energy Union? The Digital Single Market is essential for the future of the EU. For the moment, it is primarily the US that benefit from digital development thanks to GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple). The EU should not miss the opportunity of the digital age and the arrival of Industry 4.0: it should take its rightful place in the development of products in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence. It will certainly be a priority for the next framework programme.

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As for the Energy Union, it’s a complete disaster! It had already been mooted in the early 2000s but hardly any progress has been made since then. The liberalisation of the energy market has still not happened. Transport of electricity remains an issue and the strategies are still national and differ greatly. The independence of the EU in terms of energy remains very weak. This stagnation is clearly shown in the book Transition(s) électrique(s), Ce que l’Europe et les marchés n’ont pas su vous dire (Electrical Transition(s), What Europe and the markets didn’t know how to tell you) by JeanPierre Hansen and Jacques Percebois, published in August 2017 by Editions Odile Jacob. It is, however, essential to develop a global vision, have European coherence in energy, have more coordination of investment in renewable energy and enable technological progress in storage.

Once again we see that when there is not enough development coming from Europe, this development happens elsewhere. Faced with climate change, China clearly intends to be at the cutting edge in matters related to intelligent and renewable energy. The EU should also be providing a strong impetus in this area. The member states should raise the barriers for the transport of energy (I am thinking in particular of the high voltage cable networks). It’s a huge job! We should begin by setting up shared competence for energy but Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) pills. Set up in the framework of FP7, the IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative) has yielded very positive results.

this idea is not acceptable to the member states that remain attached to their own systems. You have to admit the stakes are high...

What should be the priorities of the next framework programme for research and development. Energy, of course! I refer to the report of the High-level independent group on maximising the impact of EU research and innovation programmes: called LAB – FAB – APP. Investing in the European future we want and presented by Pascal Lamy in June 2017. He makes 12 recommendations, two of which appear to me to be essential: double the research and innovation budget of the next framework programme and look towards (in conjunction with the “Bohemia” report published at the end of 2017) building a true EU innovation policy that creates future markets. This entails fostering ecosystems for researchers, innovators, industries and governments, and also promoting and investing in innovative ideas with rapid scale-up potential through a future European Innovation Council. So, once again we should move away from a vision that is too local or national to ensure a European dimension for supports for innovation such as risk capital. We should also lift the national barriers (especially legislative) to the development of digital start-ups so as to improve member state coordination at the European level. Take the example of the Mont-Saint-Guibert companies in Wallonia: they have developed numerous digital applications for companies and individuals but lack sufficient space, like the US space, for their development. We should certainly raise awareness among young people and the population as a whole of the need to promote an information society at the European level.

Energy transfer diagrammed from nano-thin layers of Sandia-grown quantum wells to the LANL nanocrystals above the nanolayers. Nanotechnology is part of the key enabling technologies the UE is committed to support.

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European Space Agency United space in Europe

An international organisation with 22 Member States, the European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.

Herschel’s view of new stars and molecular clouds

polar orbits, to provide essential information for weather forecasts. Information from these satellites is also used to understand climate change. By the way, ESA has been instrumental in setting up a number of initiatives such as the Climate Change Initiative which makes full use of Europe’s Earth observation space assets to generate long-term datasets on key indicators of climate change. These “essential climate variables” provide Europe with a powerful tool to monitor the climate system and help predict the effects of change.

SA’s job is to draw up the European space programme and carry it through. ESA’s programmes are designed to find out more about Earth, its immediate space environment, our Solar System and the Universe, as well as to develop satellite-based technologies and services, and to promote European industries. ESA also works closely with space organisations outside Europe.

There are around 2200 staff working for ESA, from all the Member States and include scientists, engineers, information technology specialists and administrative personnel. In addition to its mandatory activities, ESA conducts a number of optional programmes. ESA’s budget for 2017 was €5.75 billion. ESA invests in each Member State, through industrial contracts for space programmes, an amount more or less equivalent to each country’s contribution.

It is also possible, for industry and research institutes, to do business with ESA. These business opportunities include the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme, the European Data Relay System EDRS-SpaceDataHighway, Space Transportation and industry, Earth observation, Partners for Space Exploration, Science and Technology. ESA’s Business Incubation Centres (BICs), initiated by ESA’s Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO), also work to inspire entrepreneurs to turn space-connected business ideas into commercial companies, and provide technical expertise and business-development support. Wider, the benefits for the economy of space knowhow encompass natural resources exploitation, land use efficiency, supporting transport routing and, of course, weather forecasting.

ESA’s activities are manifold: space news, observing the earth, human spaceflight, space transportation, navigation, space science, space engineering & technology, operations, telecommunications and integrated applications, and preparing for the future (including the new launch systems Ariane 6 and Vega-C which strategic planning should be completed by 2019)… All these contribute to European excellence in space expertise. ESA is a world-leader in Earth observation and remains dedicated to developing cutting-edge spaceborne technology to further understand the planet, improve daily lives, support effect policy-making for a more sustainable future, and benefit businesses and the economy. The Earth Explorer missions are designed to improve our understanding of Earth. The Sentinel missions are developed specifically for the European Union’s Copernicus programme – the largest environmental monitoring programme in the world.

ESA is also a key player for sustainable development: Earth observation satellites supply data that, together with computer modelling and in situ measurements, can be used to ensure that economic development does not take place at the expense of the environment’s irreplaceable resources. By detecting tiny subsidence events not perceived from ground level, satellites can also help find new water sources in the shape of subterranean aquifers. Lastly, they are also used to prospect for minerals, identifying geological structures linked with mineral deposits or “seeing” outcrops directly using multi-spectral sensors.

Thanks to the cooperation between ESA and Eumetsat, Europe has a fleet of meteorological satellites, in both geostationary and

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FED-tWIN: a highly stimulating initiative for research in Belgium An interview with Mr Andreas DE LEENHEER, Chairman of the Federal Council for Science Policy (CFPS-FRWB), Honorary Rector at Ghent University (UGent)

the creation of 125 permanent research posts, working 50% for a federal research institute and 50% for a university. Certainly, it is not easy to reconcile two different positions but at UGent some professors already have dual status of public-private or public-hospital. All that is required is willingness and at the same time respect for the protection of these workers. In my opinion, FED-tWIN is an excellent initiative and provides a high level of stimulation for research in Belgium.

hat are the goals of CFPS-FRWB? Legally, the role of CFPS-FRWB is to advise the federal government on the challenges raised by scientific research and innovation. To this end, it formulates opinions and recommendations on federal science policy, either on its own initiative or on request from the federal government.

What is your view of the policy vision of the State Secretary for Science Policy, Zuhal Demir? The state secretary intends to reform science policy based on eight focus areas. Firstly, she wishes to continue the empowerment and restructuring of the federal scientific institutes (ESF) begun by her predecessor Elke Sleurs. The general managers of the institutes were spoken to and, therefore, we are aware of their requirements and their vision for the future operation of their institutes. The process is ongoing. Before giving its opinion the CFPS-FRWB is waiting to see the concrete plan and decisions made by Zuhal Demir’s cabinet.

Another important aspect is taxation. A working group of the CFPS-FRWB studied this for over a year and produced an opinion which was sent to Zuhal Demir’s cabinet and to the cabinet of the Finance Minister, Johan Van Overtveldt. The proposals included in this opinion were taken into consideration in the subsequent coalition agreement of summer 2017. Among the proposals made was the extension of tax exemption to holders of a bachelor’s degree. This proposal would be financially explosive. It is a decision for the Finance Minister.

Moreover, the State Secretary has assigned aerospace policy as second place on her list of priorities. For the moment, the situation seems to be blocked by the Finance Inspectorate which has apparently given an unfavourable opinion. Zuhal Demir’s cabinet has committed itself to finding a solution in order to obtain a favourable opinion that would allow for a new aerospace organisation to be introduced.

Could you please tell us about the internationalisation policy? This policy depends very much on external matters such as the European research programmes. For the CFPS-FRWB, the most important project is MYRRHA (Multi-purpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications) in Mol. However, this is a very expensive priority. Phase I has just been completed but we need to find new partners, particularly German, in order to be able to launch phase II. Therefore, it is a political decision.

The third area of intervention of the State Secretary concerns BELSPO’s restructuring. This is a sensitive issue as it involves the organisation of an administrative body. The coalition agreement had planned BELSPO’s dissolution, only retaining a core group that would integrate the SPF Economy but the issue has been put on hold for now.

Moreover, the Von Karman Institute, a specialist in fluid dynamics, has some management issues and a high financial deficit. Thus, a solution must be found to protect its activities and its excellent scientific reputation. Finally, Zuhal Demir has intervened to resolve the situation of the Princess Elisabeth station, which faced around thirty legal actions. It was also important in this case to protect the reputation of Belgian scientific research in the Antarctic.

What about the science programmes? Over the years many programmes were developed organically within BELSPO. This dynamic was challenged by a new initiative: the launch of the FED-tWIN project. This project will enable

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Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy - BIRA-IASB Cutting-edge research about Earth, planetary and cometary atmospheres A Belgian federal scientific research institute, the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) is dedicated to research and scientific service in space aeronomy, which is the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere of the Earth and other solar system bodies, and of outer space. Its research relies on observations, theoretical and numerical models and laboratory experiments.

IRA-IASB relies on a staff of 160 people, including 97 scientists, and is currently involved in around 130 ongoing research projects. Its annual budget reaches around 13.5 million euros per year.

(Qinetiq and OIP in particular). The launch is planned in the early twenties. BIRA-IASB is also a key actor in the TROPOMI satellite mission. The satellite has been launched on October 13 2017 from the Russian ground station Plesetsk, and has been placed in a sunsynchronous orbit around the Earth at about 800 km altitude. The first results on the good functioning of this instrument were transmitted in November 2017 and they are impressive. TROPOMI looks towards the nadir and focuses on ozone, air quality, and climate. It has a spatial resolution improved by a factor of 10 compared to its predecessor while maintaining the same quality of spectrum. BIRA-IASB has been involved in this mission from the beginning, as member of the Mission Advisory Group; now about 25 scientists from the Institute will be involved in the data production, especially for the ozone, SO2 and formaldehyde products, in the data validation and exploitation.

BIRA-IASB is structured in four scientific divisions: “space physics”, “sources and sinks of atmospheric constituents”, “reactive gases in the atmosphere”, and “solar radiation in atmospheres”. Observations from space are key to the research in all four divisions. BIRA-IASB also hosts the Belgian User Support and Operations Centre (B.USOC) which delivers support to all Belgian scientific institutions that are involved in space projects. Thanks to this hyper specialized expertise, BIRA-IASB is involved in many projects with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission. Current highlights that have reached major milestones in 2017 are ALTIUS and TROPOMI. ALTIUS is a space mission fully conceived in Belgium, under the leadership of BIRA-IASB. Its concept is an innovative limb imaging spectrometer with the aim of monitoring the vertical distribution of ozone and some key constituents in the upper troposphere and stratosphere. In December 2016 the ALTIUS mission has been adopted by ESA as an “Earth watch” mission, and has the full support from the Belgian federal government. The design of the platform and payload are being done together with Belgian space industries

The TROPOMI mission is an element of the series of Sentinel missions that are part of the COPERNICUS program, an important joint initiative of ESA and the European Commission. ESA is responsible for the space segment (preparation and launch) while the European Commission supports the resulting data products and services. The development of the atmospheric Sentinel missions (in which BIRA-IASB is involved) is a long-term effort supported by the Belgian PRODEX program.

The TROPOMI satellite instrument that will play an essential role in providing data for forecasting and monitoring air quality around the world.

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Another key activity for BIRA-IASB is research on ozone. The Montreal Protocol celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017 and we can certainly say that it is a great success. Without its entry into force the ozone layer would probably have disappeared - with all the risks to human health that such a disappearance entails. From the beginning, BIRA-IASB was involved in determining ozone trends from satellite measurements and ground reference data long term series. It was able to confirm that the ozone layer has begun to recover in the upper stratosphere.

Today it is up to the ALTIUS project to provide researchers with future data to enable continued research on the evolution of the ozone layer. Indeed surveillance of ozone must be maintained because of the uncertainties caused mainly by climate change. It is necessary to rely on a succession of satellites to trace a trend over 20 years and more. Yet the combination of several short series to make a long series does not necessarily ensure sufficient reliability. “To remedy this, comparisons with high-quality data from reference ground-based network observations are key to success” Martine De Mazière, ad interim general director of BIRA-IASB, stresses. BIRA-IASB is also a key contributer to the ROSETTA project: the ESA’s Rosetta comet probe met comet 67P / ChuryumovGerasimenko from 2014 to 2016. On board was a mass spectrometer (ROSINA-DFMS) that could determine the isotopic ratios. BIRA-IASB contributed to the development and construction of this instrument and remains involved in the in-depth analysis of measurements. ROSINA-DFMS has established the amounts of stable isotopes of xenon in the cometary atmosphere. The mixture of xenon isotopes seems to be very particular. This particular mixture should already be present in the material from which the solar system was formed. By continuing their reflections on observed xenon isotope ratios, researchers are now convinced that comets have brought about a quarter of the xenon to Earth. Whereas it was previously thought that the Earth’s original atmosphere was formed during the 100 million years that followed the formation of the Earth (4.5 billion years ago), it is now believed that this period lasted longer. In addition, at the end of 2017, the ROSINA-DFMS team published the results of a study on the isotopes of hydrogen. Here too, the ratio of isotope abundances corresponds to an origin that precedes the birth of the solar system.

Annual mean ozone anomalies near 42 km altitude, as recorded by merged satellite data sets and ground-based stations. Anomalies are referenced to the 1998 to 2008 climatological annual cycle of each individual data set, and are averaged over the indicated zonal bands. Grey lines show mean ozone anomalies from multimodel simulations with the grey shading giving the uncertainty envelope.

coming months, research will be conducted to extract the most relevant information from the SO2 measurements under various conditions and observation geometries. The ultimate objective is to build a high-quality SO2 flux dataset for the whole campaign duration, from a combination of data from satellite instruments on the one hand and the UV camera deployed on the ground on the other hand. The campaign benefited from the RESIST STEREO project: funded by BELSPO, it contributes to the understanding of the source mechanisms driving volcanic eruptions and landslides in the Kivu Basin region.

Other instruments bear proof of BIRA-IASB’s long-standing experience in instrumentation. This is the case of SOLSPEC. Between 2008 and 2017 this scientific apparatus observed continuously the sun from the International Space Station (ISS). It measured almost the entire power of the radiation emitted by the solar star across the electromagnetic spectrum. “Thanks to its observations we gained a better knowledge of the sun and scientists were able to create very accurate computer models and predict its behavior. This is an important step towards a better understanding of the influences of man and the sun on the climate of the Earth” Martine De Mazière states.

Four years after its celebrating its 50th anniversary, BIRA-IASB’s excellence is fully recognized. “The Baron Nicolet Prize 20142015, named after the first director of the Royal Belgian Institute of Space Aeronomy, was awarded to our colleague Arnaud Mahieux for his research in planetary aeronomy” Martine De Mazière rejoices. This prize, which rewards young scientists under 40, is awarded by the Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts. A dazzling proof of the importance of research in aeronomy.

From the sun to volcanic observations in Congo there is only one step that BIRA-IASB crossed briskly. In June 2017, scientists from BIRA-IASB participated in a 12 day scientific measurement campaign in and around the main crater of the Nyiragongo volcano (in the Virunga Volcanic Province, Democratic Republic of Congo). The aim of the campaign was to collect scientific data with different types of instruments in order to better understand the physical mechanisms that drive volcanic processes in the region. ”BIRA-IASB was part of the team and contributed with several instruments for quantifying the amount of sulphur dioxide (SO2) emitted by the volcano” Martine De Mazière explains. In the

Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy BIRA-IASB Avenue Circulaire, 3 B-1180 Bruxelles Tel: +32 (0)2 373 04 04 Fax: +32 (0)2 374 84 23 http://www.aeronomie.be/en/contact/form.php 13

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Belgium is one of the countries where foreign trade has the largest influence on the economy By Ms Fabienne L’HOOST, Director General of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency (BFTA)

For an ever increasing amount of companies that are improving their exports by competing in public tenders and international business projects, Trade4U turned out to be a great solution. It is a mobile application for tablets and smartphones (iOS and Android) which was developed to send international opportunities to targeted subscribing businesses. Global sources are consulted every day to unearth the most interesting opportunities. In addition, subscribing companies receive the most up-to-date economic and legal information on foreign trade.

elgium was the 11th exporter and 13th importer of goods worldwide in 2016. Within the European Union, our country took 6th place in both rankings. Belgium’s merchandise exchanges (exports + imports) represented 170% of GDP in 2016, which puts us among one of the countries in the world where foreign trade has the largest influence on the economy. Our country was able to increase the value of its exports for the seventh straight year in a row. In 2016, Belgian exports of goods amounted to 359.5 billion EUR, which is 0.5% more than the previous year. Belgium’s fifteen main clients represented 80% of its total exports, even though Belgian products were dispatched to no less than 230 countries and overseas territories. The significance of these amounts varied from 60 billion EUR to Germany to 1,300 EUR to Norfolk Island.

Trade4U also offers the possibility of forming consortia; indeed, with the Belgian economy consisting mainly of SMEs, they are not always large enough to respond alone to business opportunities from large international institutions. In addition, subscribers can attend free of charge the 2 annual seminars organized by the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency. The Trade4U package also provides the opportunity for Belgian companies to order specifications (countries outside the EU) through the BFTA, which reduces their administrative expenses and saves time. These orders are done in collaboration with the diplomatic posts or the regional economic and trade attachés. Access to this package is available to Belgian companies at an annual fee of 150 EUR.

Belgium mainly exports chemical products, transport equipment, machinery & equipment and plastics. Together, these four categories represent about half of total exports. If we look in closer detail to the specific products, Belgium appears to be one of the three main exporters in the world for 85 items. For example, no other country exports more vegetables than Belgium. Less well known is the fact that our country is also the main exporter of products like zinc, master alloys of copper and dolomite. The reason that Belgium traditionally displays a trade surplus is that our country exports more goods than it imports. In 2016 the trade surplus amounted to EUR 26.0 billion, which is EUR 6.4 billion more than the year before. This positive balance resulted primarily from the fact that Belgium exports significantly more to the other countries of the EU than it imports from them. Other surpluses, albeit rather small ones, were recorded with Africa and Oceania. The trade balance with both Asia and the Americas, on the other hand, was clearly negative. Companies interested in exporting abroad are encouraged to join trade missions organized by the export promoting agency of their region (Wallonia Export Investment Agency (AWEX), Brussels Invest & Export or Flanders Investment & Trade) or the joint missions of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency in collaboration with the above mentioned organizations as well as the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid headed those joint economic missions as Representative of His Majesty the King to the Republic of Korea in June and Ivory Coast in October. No less than 247 participants took part in the former, while an even bigger delegation joined the latter. In 2018, joint trade missions are foreseen to Argentina and Uruguay from 23 to 30 June and to Morocco from the 26th up to the 30th of November.

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Sirris: driving industry by technology An interview with Mr Herman DERACHE, Managing Director of Sirris

hat are the key figures for Sirris? In 2016, in addition to more than 210 collective research projects, we successfully carried out 1,720 individual industrial projects for 1,330 different companies, which clearly appreciated our approach. Our overall customer satisfaction reached 94%. In addition, we have nearly 70 years of experience.

What are your major fields of expertise? The companies that want to innovate may count on 60 years of expertise that Sirris achieved in 5 main technological domains: Advanced manufacturing, Materials, ICT, Sustainability and Mecatronics. 140 engineers, scientists and technicians are working every day with these companies to develop, test & implement technological innovations. Your company could also benefit from the combination of experts and infrastructure, to test your next innovation.

How would you describe the mission of Sirris? Sirris acts as the collective center for the technological industry. We propose four major assets to Belgian companies that foster innovation: long experience and strong expertise in the most diverse sectors; 140 experts; an extensive network of partners, and high-tech infrastructures spread over 8 sites in Belgium: 3D-printing in Liege, precision manufacturing and smart coatings in Hasselt and cobots (collaborative robots) in Kortrijk, etc. This way, we can help Belgium’s industrial actors, whether they are minor or major players, choose the appropriate technology aimed at creating sustainable wealth and economic stability. Many enterprises have already used our services: Daikin, Niko, Sonaca, Techspace Aero (Safran), Siemens, G, and so on.

What kind of infrastructures and services do you propose? Sirris assists companies in designing, testing and implementing technological innovations. Together with our experts and through making use of our technological infrastructures, enterprises can explore the possibilities offered by new technologies and finally make the right technological choices which will effectively yield marketable products or services. What kind of partnerships did you develop to help you reach your goal? You don’t innovate on your own: this is true both for companies and for Sirris. Therefore, we set up a wide network of universities, research centers, companies, associations and organizations specialized with specific complementary specializations, in Belgium and all over Europe. We exchange collaborators, knowledge and methods with our partners. By building on collective research projects, we actively search for solutions to meet several technological challenges.

Could you cite some examples of technological challenges? Let’s take the case of a company which has developed an idea for a new product, but doesn’t know where to start from. Sirris will help it fund a feasibility study, choose the right production process and the right materials all the way supporting the company to the launch of the finished product on the market. Another company may wish to improve its production process, and reduce at the same time production time or times of delivery. Other issues emerge regularly as well: how can we lighten a given product? How can we make it intelligent?

Demonstration of an operator supported by collaborative robots in Sirris’ Smart Production Lab in Kortrijk

Either way, Sirris supports companies along three complementary directions: the product of the future, the factory of the future and the business of the future. The details are presented and further elaborated in our Masterplan Innovation, a practical framework in which companies can develop new ideas for their future innovations.

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Belnet Operational Excellence at the Service of Researchers

Belnet stands as a national research network in Belgium, designed to meet specific needs of researchers, students and teachers. Its offers follow a twofold purpose: to satisfy its clients and maintain a relation of mutual trust.

and availability, at extremely good prices, thanks to its economies of scale.

s one of the first Internet Service Providers in Belgium, Belnet meets the demands of its clients, to provide large bandwidth and rapidity to evaluate and treat huge amounts of data. Belnet provides an extremely rapid, efficient, and secure network, without interference from the commercial Internet.

Last, but not least, Belnet remains the only Internet network and the only Belgian e-infrastructure connected to the pan-European research backbone GEANT, which allows the interconnection of supercomputing infrastructures. This very high-speed network has been connecting all research networks in Europe since 20 years. It is thus an essential tool for the collaborations of the Belgian research community. Think only to its interaction with the CERN in Geneva : thanks to GEANT, Belgian researchers contribute to the processing of data generated by the accelerator. Besides, the active participation of Belnet, as the Belgian national research & education network (NREN), to GEANT task forces and working groups, enabled the development of some advanced services such as Digital Certificates, FileSender (for file transfer between 600 gigabytes and one terabyte), and eduroam, which offers access to more than half the users of Belnet to the secure and wireless network from their own institutions and other participating universities (in more than 70 countries).

Belnet’s basic services include the possibility of surfing on the highspeed network and thus provide access to the worldwide web, to advanced protocols and to all Belnet’s clients. After having updated in 2014 its optical network of 2,000 kilometers of optic fiber, Belnet renewed its IP network in 2016. Its clients may, therefore, use an ultramodern network with a capacity of 100 gigabits per second: the data access and transmission capabilities on the net have increased tenfold. Not content with this extraordinary technical achievement, Belnet insists on the reliability and performance of its network with an emphasis on increasing operational excellence: this essential research tool for researchers must stay permanently available and functional, without any interruptions or failures. Developing “Security as a service” remains another priority for Belnet. An anti DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) service type has been established to protect its clients from various kinds of cyberattacks. Likewise, Belnet conducted a client survey to form a better picture of their expectations vis-à-vis security services (Security as a Service). The results of this investigation helped to develop the implementation of new services for its academic clientele.

A second significant asset lies in the strength of the number: with 36 NREN the GEANT network is able to speak with one voice and bring proeminent service providers such as Microsoft, Google or Amazon to propose dedicated technologies on favorable conditions. Last september GEANT negociated such an agreement with Microsoft for the benefit of the entire community. No doubt that Belgian researchers will be delighted to enjoy this new advanced service!

Beyond security issues, Belnet decided to offer Cloud services for the one essential reason: trust. In fact, those free offers in this field, provided by private companies lack guaranteed service, and users know not where data are being saved and what happens to them. With Belnet the situation changes completely: its offer, including the services of Cloud Storage and Cloud Computing, bases itself on a physical infrastructure of data centers belonging to its network. Therefore, access to these services proves very quick, and the traffic between the infrastructure and the clients doesn’t leave the Belgian soil. In addition, Belnet arranges storage, maintenance, updates

Belnet Louizalaan 231 Avenue Louise B-1050 Brussels Tel.: + 32 (0)2 790 33 33 Fax: +32 (0)2 790 33 34 Email: info@belnet.be - http://www.belnet.be

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ÂŠ B. Fahy

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Brussels: a laboratory for smart specialization

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Increased regional assistance for R&D and innovation An interview with Ms Fadila LAANAN, State Secretary of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Scientific Research, Minister-President of the Board of the French Community Commission place for sharing, open to the general public with science and technological games and experiments.

This should also be a crossroads of initiatives to raise awareness of science in our Region, especially through a mechanism of projects. Finally, we are launching a new collaborative programme called “Team up”. Its aim is to encourage collaboration between the academic and industrial worlds. The theme chosen for this first edition of the new action is artificial intelligence.

hat are your scientific research priorities? As I announced last year, my priority is to adapt the regional offer of support for Research, Development and Innovation to the special features of the Brussels Region. In recent months, we have spared no efforts and have achieved results that live up to our ambitions in regulatory and budgetary terms.

What are the strong points of Brussels research? Brussels has a special place on the European map of research and innovation. With 20% of national GDP, a fabric of over 100,000 particularly young and dynamic SMEs and the highest rate of company creation in the country, Brussels has 86,000 students and over 16,000 people working in Research and Development. Besides, with its metropolitan atmosphere, Brussels is among the top 10 regions in terms of participation in European research programmes. The Brussels-Capital Region has a large number of Universities and Higher Education Institutes, university hospitals, a competitive scientific workforce thanks to the professional tax deduction and a dense network of innovative SMEs. Thanks to the support for research, development and innovation we harbour the ambition of generating world leaders in cutting edge sectors in the Brussels Region. Within the framework of the Regional Innovation Plan, we have identified three strands of strategic activity: health (personalised medicine), the environment (green economy) and ICTs (digital economy). The Brussels strategy of promoting research also aims to improve wellbeing in the Region. It is for this reason that a large part of the funding for applied research is allocated to research in the multimodal consortia linking

First of all, let’s look at the budget. Since the beginning of 2014 I have managed to achieve an increase of almost 37% of regional credits specifically for research, development and innovation, thereby reaching a budget of €63.1 million in 2017. This is the highest increase among the Belgian entities. The new Brussels Decrees governing support for research were passed last summer. They considerably widen the field of application of regional aid for research, development and innovation.

Now that these structural results have been achieved, we can approach 2018 with serenity and ambition. In less than two years, we will prepare for the installation of a BEL (BroutEnglert-Lemaître) centre of excellence. The purpose of the institute is to bring together highly qualified international researchers from the biggest universities in the world to do research into the theoretical physics of particles and cosmology. The BEL centre will also be the venue for important international conferences on these topics while at the same time offering prospects for young foreign researchers and sabbaticals for experienced researchers. Aside from that, I will continue my investment in raising awareness of scientific and technological careers among young people. For this I will launch a feasibility study on setting up a centre for the promotion of scientific culture. This type of institution is usually called a “science city”. I envisage this place as a new generation cultural space linking scientific culture to social and technological innovation. It will be a

Visit of the premises of the Brussels Medical Device Centre, on the Erasme campus in Anderlecht, on 12 June 2017

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research centres, the non-profit sector and sometimes even public institutions and citizens. This mode of support is emblematic of the new approach to the organisation of research in a collaborative process between the public sector, companies, the academic world and citizens. This general trend worldwide is specially adapted to the special features of the Brussels-Capital Region and to meeting the particular challenges of our Region. This removal of the barriers between programmes and beneficiaries strengthens the economic fabric by contributing practical knowledge and innovation to companies and players in the non-profit sector.

Could you please tell us about the support mechanisms for research centres, companies and the non-profit sector of the BrusselsCapital Region? The Brussels-Capital Region offers a wide range of support mechanisms for players in the sector of research, development and innovation. The aid is granted to a single beneficiary or to a consortium within the framework of the Brussels, interregional or European programmes. Thus, the Rise prize awards the most innovative young Brussels shoot of the year through the granting of a subsidy that could be up to 100% of the cost related to the implementation of its Strategic Innovation Plan. Through the action of Co-create, the Region promotes links between the Brussels people, the world of research and innovation and the business world. The action is based on participative research, rooted in societal innovation to achieve urban resilience. The Region is participating in the European programme Ambiant Assisted Living Europe “Smart Solutions for Ageing Well” which is aiming to develop services, products and methodologies for the benefit of older people. The call for projects, which starts in February 2018, is targeting senior citizen associations, nursing homes, hospitals, research organisations and private companies. In a co-creation process, the operators must propose concrete solutions in terms of work, training, mobility, safety, access to culture and the wellbeing of older people. As for WATS - Women Award in Technology and Science, this aims to strengthen the place of women in the area of scientific research and innovation in the Brussels-Capital Region. Throughout the year, the Region will highlight different profiles of scientific women in order to

Celebration, on 18 October 2017, of the fifth anniversary of BLSI (Brussels Life Science Incubator) on the UCL university campus in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert

motivate young girls to learn more about scientific studies and careers. The full list of assistance mechanisms is available on the Innoviris website: www.innoviris.brussels

What is your assessment of the Regional Plan for Innovation (PRI)? The Policy and Monitoring cell of Innoviris, the Brussels Institute for research and innovation, performs half-yearly follow-up of the progress of the PRI. To date, out of a total of 45 actions, 21 are already up and running. I have chosen three to present to you. In the framework of the PRI we have developed the mechanism of Proof of Concept. This mechanism enables us to validate the feasibility of the results of academic research and confirm the commercial potential, especially through the formation of a spin-off or a licence.

Visit on 7 October 2015, of the Softkinetic Company in Ixelles, which among other things manufactures material enabling machines to perceive three dimensions

We have also set up the Spin-out mechanism. This supports the creation of new economic activities through the exploitation of research projects carried out in existing companies, where there is a need to develop products or services that are sometimes very different to their core business; and these need to be exploited concretely. Finally, to further promote the formation of innovative companies, I have injected €4 million into the pre-seed fund of the limited company “Brustart”. These means will enable the support of young innovative companies, with high growth and development potential, which are in the validation phase of their ideas for products or services. The seed funding will bridge the valley of death gap which characterises funding difficulties between the end of the development work and the beginning of sales of the products or services.

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Research and innovation in the Brussels Capital Region: Priority given to health, the environment and ICT

The ULB, VUB, Brussels campus of UCL, University Hospitals (Erasme, UZB, Saint-Luc University Clinics and Brussels CHU), Federal scientific institutes and higher education institutes with expertise grouped together by the non-profit organisation SynHERA: there is no shortage of strength in Brussels research. The whole region is mobilising to support the researchers and other leaders of ‘idea-to-market’ innovative projects.

Skeletons of iguanodons put on display around 1885. The Museum of Natural Sciences is part of the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium (IRSNB).

The famous Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers was restored at the Royal Institute of Artistic Heritage (IRPA) in 1950 and 2012.

he Government of the Brussels Capital Region approved the new Regional Plan for Innovation (PRI) in July 2016. The PRI is structured around four strategic interdisciplinary axes and three areas of strategic activity, reflecting the strengths of the region. These are personalised medicine, the environment and the green economy, ICT and the digital economy.

Ambient Assisted Living, ECSEL Joint Undertaking (in the area of components and electronic systems) and the joint programme Urban Europe, with its aim of helping European cities meet the many challenges they face by mobilising basic research, applied research and urban innovation.

Federal aid and interregional programmes European programmes At federal level, SPF Finances offers partial exemption from payroll tax for researchers employed in universities, institutes of higher education, research funds and approved science institutes. Accounting receipts generated by this indirect subsidy must be converted into additional investment in R&D. In the Young Innovative Companies (YIC), the partial exemption from payroll tax may be applied not only to employees that have the qualifying master’s degree but also to technical and support personnel.

Through Horizon 2020, the funding programme for research and innovation for the period 2014-20, the European Union funds interdisciplinary projects likely to meet the great European economic and social challenges. It covers the entire innovation chain, from the idea to the market and increases the support for commercialisation of research results and entrepreneurial creativity.

The Brussels Capital Region collaborates with the Walloon Region by decision of the joint Francophone Regional and Community Government on 21 January 2010, whereby Brussels companies active in RDI may participate in calls for projects issued within the framework of the Walloon competitiveness clusters by the Walloon Government. With regards to its collaboration with the Flemish Region, this takes the form of participation in the Proeftuin Zorginnovatieruimte Vlaanderen programme, a “living lab” that aims to meet the challenge of the ageing population by stimulating innovation in healthcare for the elderly. Another association was developed with Imec (now merged with iMinds), in the framework of the ICON research programme focusing on the development of media and software. In addition, the Brussels Institute for

Horizon 2020 has a budget of €79 billion to support projects by research and innovation players. It is divided into three areas: excellent science, industrial leadership (in ICT, nanotechnologies, advanced materials, biotechnologies, cutting-edge manufacturing and transformation, space, etc.) and societal challenges. In response to the calls for proposals of the European Commission, the NCP Brussels guides regional companies in the choice of programme, the funding scheme, the choice of European partners and looks after the legal and administrative aspects of the project preparation. Alongside Horizon 2020, there are other European programmes that may be of interest to R&D and innovation players: EUREKA,

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Arsenaal Brussel), the incubation centre for information and communication and the Solvay incubator, which houses outsourced companies and startups on its Neder-Over-Heembeek campus. Alongside the incubators are startup accelerators such as the Microsoft Innovation Center Brussels for ICT, SenseCube for social and environmental enterprises, and greenlab.brussels for environmental entrepreneurship and the circular economy.

Research and Innovation Innoviris, DGO6 of the Walloon Public Service and Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen (VLAIO, ex-IWT) developed the BEL-SME programme, which encourages joint R&D projects between Belgian enterprises.

Innoviris: empowering research

Innoviris promotes and supports technological innovation through funding scientific research projects carried out by companies, research centres and players in the non-market sector based in Brussels. Businesses may benefit from programmes such as Evaluate – Proof of Concept, Team Up – Academic Research & Industry, Testit – Living Labs Brussels Retrofit (which aims to stimulate refurbishment in the residential sector), Bridge – Strategic Platforms (the subject of the 2017 edition being personalised medicine and integrated care), Explore – Industrial Research, Shape – Experimental development, Upgrade – Process innovation, Rise – Innovative starters, Protect – Patents, Boost – Innovative vouchers, Co-Create – Urban resilience, Connect – International partnerships (which offers financial help for the preparation of a H2020 project) and Launch – Brussels Spin-Out. Innoviris also provides the use of its guidance instruments, including BRUFOTEC (to establish and monitor standards in food safety and hygiene), CSTC (which steers innovation in the construction sector) and Sirris, the cooperative centre of technological industry. Innoviris supports four regional technological transfer offices (TTO) whose objective is to support scientific research activities, facilitate the exploitation of research results, collaboration between academic research units and their external partners in terms of RDI. Innoviris also networks with NCP Brussels and Brussels Studies Institute (BSI), a contact and coordination platform for university researchers in human sciences.

The Planetarium of the Royal Observatory of Belgium

For its part, the Brussels Enterprise Agency, set up by the Government of the Brussels Capital Region in 2003 and renamed impulse.brussels in 2013, looks after the leaders of innovative projects and companies that are operating in ICT (business intelligence, enterprise resource planning (ERP)/customer relationship management (CRM), security, geographic information system (GIS), eHealth); green technologies (waste and water treatment); eco-construction; and life sciences (telemetry / eHealth and clinical trials). In these sectors, impulse.brussels promotes the emergence of a growth ecosystem, where the entrepreneurs can acquire and share skills and expertise, develop synergies with key partners, etc. In the same spirit, clusters and company networks were created: software.brussels, screen.brussels (audiovisual industries), lifetech.brussels, ecobuild.brussels and greentech.brussels. All these are ways to foster regional and international growth, competitiveness, sustainability and employment.

Services for young innovative companies

Buildings linked to a university or an institute of higher education, the incubators house, at favourable rates, university spin-offs or other innovative start-ups resulting from scientific research. These spin-offs or startups also benefit from in-depth support in all areas of company management. The Brussels Region has six incubators: The Brussels Life Science Incubator (BLSI), the Enterprise and innovation centre of the Brussels Capital Region (EEBIC), the UCL Galien incubator (specialising in human medicine and oncology), Greenbizz.Brussels, the new development cluster for the green and sustainable economic sectors, the ICAB (Incubatiecentrum

Royal Park and Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren

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INNOVIRIS Supporting research and innovation in the Brussels Region An interview with Mrs Katrien MONDT, Managing Director Innoviris Innoviris, the Brussels Institute for Research and Innovation, supports and stimulates science, research and innovation. The Institute does so by financing pioneering projects of Brussels enterprises, research institutions and the non-profit sector. With more budget, more campaigns and more staff, Innoviris is proving to be highly ambitious in 2016. “Brussels is a small region with specific socio-economic challenges, but also with considerable potential. We want to help realising these possibilities.”

Brussels is a small region with specific socio-economic challenges, but also with considerable potential. We want to help realising these possibilities.

Ms Mondt, Innoviris managing director, and Ms Verdonck, Innoviris deputy managing director

What is so specific about the socio-economic situation of the Brussels Capital Region? Brussels is the smallest region in Belgium. On the one hand, the Region hosts a large number of knowledge workers due to the high concentration of universities and colleges. That is extremely advantageous for innovative companies and organisations wishing to set up in Brussels. On the other hand, there is a large group of low-educated people, who have difficulty accessing the job market since the gulf between the business world and education is too great. In order to resolve this issue, Innoviris wants to build bridges. We want to offer answers to specific, current issues, such as mobility, environment, integration of migrants or the ageing population, with which the Brussels Capital Region has to contend.

hat can the Brussels RDI sector expect from Innoviris in 2016? Thanks to our Minister in charge, Fadila Lanaan, we are this year able to count on a 25%-increase on our annual budget of €40 million. This means we are able to support more companies, research institutions and non-profit organisations, with new measures better suited to reality, or which fill certain gaping holes in the innovation chain. We are currently also working on a new Regional Investment Plan, in which the objectives of the Brussels RDI sector of 2016 to 2020 will be defined; while in parallel, Innoviris’ statutory framework is to be adjusted. A great many campaigns will result from these two documents. Our aspirations of course also require additional staff, and Innoviris’ current workforce of 40 is set to increase in 2016.

In which fields is Innoviris active? Innoviris provides various Brussels, inter-regional and European programmes, financial support in RDI projects of enterprises, research institutions and the non-profit sector.

Innoviris is ambitious, although it could be no other way, since the Brussels Capital Region is faced with a number of specific, major challenges in the future. New technologies and innovation will be able to provide a significant response to this.

For instance, thanks to our own campaign Launch – Brussels Spin-off, we focus on founding new Brussels enterprises, at the same time as stimulating knowledge transfer from the

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academic world to industry. Our participation in the interregional and European programmes Innovative Brussels Care and Ambient Assisted Living is in turn focused on social themes such as care for the elderly and the ageing population.

from Innoviris within this framework. A bio-bank project was also set up in collaboration with the Walloon Region. Thanks to the first joint initiative Innovative Brussels Care, Brussels research actors are also able to collaborate with their Flemish counterparts within the scope of the programme “Proeftuin Zorginnovatie Ruimte Vlaanderen”, which was launched on the initiative of the Flemish Government and organised by the IWT. Innoviris has also been collaborating with iMinds since 2014. Brussels companies are thus able to take part in iMinds’ ICON programme, at the same time as requesting innovation support from Innoviris (for more information about inter-regional collaboration, see p.??.

The Institute furthermore has the task of making young people aware of, and motivating them toward, careers in science and technology. In 2016, we will be expanding our awarenessraising campaigns so as to address the right target audience, and thus make a real difference. Assigning subsidies for supporting the R&D sector is a regional responsibility. Brussels is a small region and has less financial resources than Flanders and Wallonia. How does Innoviris deal with this? In practice this regional responsibility means that R&D actors are financed by the different institutions: the DGO6 in Wallonia, the IWT in Flanders and Innoviris in the Brussels Capital Region. Inter-regional partnerships are extremely important to us. Not just because we’re only a small region, but above all for contending with the reality of the business world as best as possible. After all, businesses look beyond the borders of regions.

How does the collaboration run on a European level? Supplementary to the regional and national R&D support, on a European level there is also a wide range of programmes supporting the R&D sector, the innovation and competitive capacity of companies, research centres and other European innovation actors. These programmes are focused on certain sectors (ICT, nanotechnologies, etc.), stakeholders (SMEs, etc.), the type of activities or a specific issue (population ageing, environmental issues, etc.). These programmes are financed though the European Union, national financing agencies or by common financing.

To what extent does Innoviris promote this collaboration between the various Belgian regions? The Brussels and the Walloon Board for Scientific Policy have elaborated three possible collaborative pillars: strategic coordination, research infrastructures and European programmes. Since then, Brussels R&D actors have been able to participate in the six Walloon competitiveness clusters, and receive financing

Innoviris Chaussée de Charleroisesteenweg 110 B-1060 Brussels Tel. (FR): +32 (0)2 600 50 36 Tel. (NL): +32 (0)2 600 50 37 Email: info@innoviris.brussels http://www.innoviris.brussels 25

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Brussels Aeronautical Group: Offering increased value in terms of technology and quality An interview with Mr Marc DUBOIS, Chairman Brussels Aeronautical Group (BAG), Commercial Director of SABCA Group

ould you tell us about the main duties of BAG? Founded in 2015 as a non-profit organisation on the initiative of its three founding members (AKKA Technologies, AMIA Systems et SABCA), BAG’s task is to promote Brussels players in aeronautics (industrial companies, research centres and universities), to develop contacts with regional authorities, to formulate recommendations relating to the economy, employment, research and education and to raise awareness about it in higher education institutions. What partnerships have you developed with your Walloon and Flemish counterparts (EWA and FLAG respectively)? We are in contact with EWA and FLAG in respect to two main points: firstly, the ongoing reform of the aeronautic funding policy, with the federal authorities keeping the industry funding whilst the regions allocate funding to research, and secondly, the replacement programme for F16 fighter jets in Belgium. With this in mind, BAG is involved in promoting a certain level of industrial return and in the call for tenders open to Belgian manufacturers. Indeed it is crucial that Belgium positions itself as internationally competitive.

Could you introduce us to the members of BAG? Our 6 members are a good representation of the diversity in the sector: SABCA, an industrial company, gathers with SAFRAN Aircraft Engine Services, an aircraft engine maintenance company (formerly Snecma Services); AKKA Technologies, an engineering company; ILIAS, a software company dealing with the maintenance management of the Belgian Military’s aircraft; AMIA Systems, an spin-off of the ULB that has developed software for the management and optimisation of production lines and NUMECA, a world leader in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Multiphysics design. Our members have approximately 2,500 employees and a combined turnover of €400 million. They are due to soon be joined by the main higher education institutions in the region.

What challenges will the aeronautical industry have to face in the Brussels-Capital Region? Since Belgium is not a major aircraft buyer, the main Belgian constructors tend to target countries that offer a proven industrial return. Furthermore, the aviation sector is reporting annual growth of 4 to 5%, mainly due to the increase in the production rate of the Airbus long-haul fleet (A320, A321) and medium-haul aircraft (A350). Faced with this development, our main challenge is to offer increased value in terms of technology and quality, to counterbalance the competitive advantage of “best cost countries” in terms of labour costs. Therefore, BAG members aim to specialize in core activities providing a high added value to the customers (engineering, software, automated and lean processes…). This approach may be accompanied, if required, by collaboration with the “best cost countries” for those industrial activities which can no longer be continued in Brussels.

How do you ensure the promotion of research within the Brussels aeronautics sector? One member of BAG is responsible for systematically promoting the aeronautical sector to higher education institutions and “hautes écoles” and raising awareness of its recruitment needs. BAG also develops research collaborations with the universities and research centres in agreement with the Brussels-Capital Region. The latter, through Impulse and Innovoris, offers various subsidies for the development of basic and industrial research. Our members’ research projects can be financed either using our own funding or through European programmes such as H2020.

Moreover, Brussels aeronautical entreprises are faced with two specific challenges: one related to the training and recruitment of skilled workers in different domains (aeronautical field engineers, sheet metal workers, assembly experts, etc.); this challenge being however closely discussed with the Brussels Capital government and other challenge related to Brussels mobility – the limited accessibility of Brussels by car as well as by public transport can deter potential job candidates in this sector. BAG on that subject waiting a lot for the new RER train line, which should ease the transport inter and intra Brussels Capital Region.

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Listening to the needs of foreign investors and Brussels companies An interview with Mrs Bénédicte WILDERS, Chief Executive Director of Brussels Invest & Export

russels Invest & Export presents itself as a one-stop-shop for foreign investors. How do you convince them to invest in the Brussels economy? The arguments used to convince a foreign investor to locate in Brussels will depend above all on the project; a startup in the biotechnology sector isn’t looking for the same things as a merchant bank or the European headquarters of a multinational company.

What partnerships have you developed with FIT and AWEX? With our colleagues AWEX and FIT, we share a part of our foreign network and vice versa. In this way, we ourselves have 34 economic and commercial offices abroad, but we benefit from about 60 additional offices thanks to our collaboration with these two partners. For example, the Brussels office in Kinshasa works on behalf of the whole of Belgium and it is AWEX that represents us in Morocco and FIT in Egypt. This collaboration undoubtedly brings with it economies of scale.

Above all, our job is to listen and act as a guide. Beyond the various assets of Brussels that everyone knows about (central location, capital of Europe, multiculturalism etc.) the main service that investors expect from us is to inform them about and direct them to the right interlocutors, both on an administrative level (company formation, taxation, work permits) and on a business level (partnership possibilities, business opportunities etc.). It is mainly due to the fact that potential investors feel they have received true guidance in this difficult and potentially perilous procedure that we manage to differentiate ourselves from our main competitors. We really like to have our investors on hand, and so we offer them free accommodation for 3 months within our own premises, in order to be in a position to help them as much as possible in the investigation and installation phase. This service is generally highly appreciated.

We also work together to organise collective promotional events in foreign markets. In this way, our 2018 action plan includes about 40% of events co-organised by FIT and/or AWEX. This allows us to open the door to Brussels companies for events that we couldn’t organise ourselves for lack of critical mass or budget, and vice versa.

What is the European market space for Brussels companies and what is the share of European investors among foreign investors? How do you see these trends changing over the coming years? Europe is still by far the preferred market for Brussels exports. In fact, in 2016, the Brussels-Capital Region exported € 5.12 billion worth of goods to the European continent, which represents 86% of the Region’s exports. For the first half of 2017, the European share of Brussels exports of goods amounts to 87.1% (€ 3.115 billion). And among the first markets, we obviously list the bordering countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg).

Brussels Invest & Export also helps companies based in Brussels to find new markets. In which geographical regions do you concentrate your efforts? Asia and Africa are in our sights in 2018. No less than 14 commercial actions are planned in Africa, including two missions in new markets: Congo Brazzaville and Senegal. In Asia, particularly Singapore, China and India, the focus will be on promoting innovative technologies. In Japan, a Brussels collective booth will be organized at the Foodex Food Expo.

It should also be noted that almost half of Brussels exports are services. Although we do not have annual regional export statistics for services, we can say that more than 70% of Belgian exports of services are destined for Europe. In terms of foreign investors, around half of the investments in the Brussels-Capital Region come from the European Union. Generally speaking, the trend is moving towards greater diversification of countries of origin, hence the growth in the share of non-European countries.

Europe remains a priority target and represents the largest volume of our activities, even if for the first time it falls below 50% (48% of organized actions). In addition, many European international fairs have a global reach.

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ULB: one of the most innovative Universities in Belgium An interview with Prof. Serge SCHIFFMANN, Vice-Rector for Research and Valorisation at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

immune response of molecules, with a recent advanced ERC grant); European sciences (with an Institute of European Studies known for its very integrated vision of the European functioning and its expertise at the European Commission); economics and management for humanities (with several recent ERC grants for the Solvay Brussels School of Economy and Management).

hat are the key figures of research at ULB? The total budget of ULB devoted to research is about 173 millions Euros, 120 millions Euros of which come from external sources. The funding of convention-based research is about 84 million Euros, 60% of which come from public funds, and 30% from international funding. We defend between 230 and 250 theses every year, representing a fourth of the entire WalloniaBrussels Federation. The ULB disseminates between 2,800 and 3,000 publications per year - for a total of about 1,950 running doctorates - and employs about 1,700 researchers and post-doctorates on convention or mandate from the FNRS. Among the 750 members of the academic staff with tenure track positions, 115 are appointed by the FNRS and hence full time devoted to research. On the other hand, more than 30% of students and some 40 to 45% of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows are of foreign origin.

Could you tell us more about the health research actors at ULB? It is essential for ULB research units dedicated to health and biotechnology to build and sustain collaborations with major actors in health. The main example is the Erasmus campus which hosts the Faculty of Medicine, the Public Health School, the Faculty of Motor Sciences and the University Erasme Hospital (see pages 34-35). To this ecosystem we can add the Faculty of Pharmacy together with an interfaculty biomedical engineering field in collaboration with the ULB School of Engineering, the Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles (see page 32). The ULB is also part of a broader network comprised of the Brussels hospital network encompassing the Children University Hospital Queen Fabiola (HUDERF, see page 33), the Jules Bordet Institute, the Brugmann University Hospital and the Saint-Pierre University Hospital. It has to be noted that ULB has also built strong partnerships with such Walloon health actors as the Tivoli University Hospital, the Ambroise Paré University Hospital, the Intercommunale of Charleroi’s public health hospitals and the EpiCURA Hospital Centre.

Figures also speak for themselves in relation to the development of research: more than 35 enterprises, some of which are the result of ULB spin-offs, revolve around the Biopark in Gosselies (Charleroi) which comprises several hundreds of researchers. We also must remember our gleaning four Nobel prizes, three Wolf prizes, twenty-four Francqui prizes and twenty-one quinquennial FNRS prizes awarded, with 4 out the five quinquennial FNRS prizes for the last period 2011-2015. Finally, one must also highlight the twenty-three ERC grants (8 advanced grants and 18 starting or consolidating grants) that amply reward the ULB!

In addition, the ULB campus located at the Biopark Charleroi Brussels South has become an important player in biotechnology. This dynamic environment is, amongst other things, composed of 3 research institutes in life sciences: the CMMI (Centre for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging), the IBMM (Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicine) and the IMI (Institute of Medical Immunology).

What are the strengths of research at ULB? Although I fully recognize the quality of all research work carried on at ULB, I’d like to particularly mention some areas of excellence: the sciences of matter and of the universe (with the Nobel Prize winner François Englert, an institute taking part in the work carried out by CERN and several recent ERC grants in physics), ICT (artificial intelligence, bioinformatics with the new ULB-VUB institute), mathematics and statistics in the field of sciences and technologies (with several ERC Grants and two Wolf Prizes for alumni); oncology (with our “Cancer Pole” project with the Jules Bordet Institute, the Erasme Hospital and the faculty of medicine, with the recently launched ULB-Cancer Research Center, ERC Grants and two recent quinquennial FNRS prizes), neurosciences (with two ERC grants awarded to members of the ULB-Neuroscience Institute, which comprises 20 teams, for their work on neurodevelopment and cognitive neurosciences), and immunology for life sciences (teams working jointly at the Biopark on inflammatory response to pathogen agents and

The Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management of the ULB is a reference in economics and management. Could you give us examples of ERC awardees from this entity? Indeed, our Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management was very successful in the highly competitive ERC program. The Starting Grant entitled “Political Economy with Many Parties: Strategic Electorate and Strategic Candidates” is focused on how electoral systems function and their effect on the economy. Its work is based on models allowing predictions to be made about strategic voting behaviour and the characteristics of the different electoral

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our School of Engineering (see page 32). A good balance of both non-oriented and oriented research contributes to the strong reputation of the EPB. On the one hand, the EPB benefits from grants such as FNRS and ERC. On the other hand, oriented research is supported by Regional programs and collaborative research projects with companies and has led to the creation of notable ULB spin-offs.

systems. Current models tend to be quite limited, based for example on the hypothesis that there are only two candidates or on much simplified hypotheses regarding strategic voting behaviour. The goal of this ERC project is to develop new mathematical models better depicting reality and of use to economists and political scientists in particular. The Advanced Grant entitled “Organizational Industrial Organization” develops a new industrial organization theory, based on a richer view of the firm in which non-trivial conflicts of interest between shareholders, workers, managers and consumers will shape firm boundaries. This “Organizational Industrial Organization” (OIO) theory will generate new insights concerning the positive and normative analysis of industries, independently of whether firms in these industries have market power, while at the same time contributing to a new understanding of such fundamental concepts as the determinants of a company's size and product range, or the dynamics of mergers and divestitures. OIO will also address less traditional questions such as the impact of managerial labor markets, finance or corporate governance on industry performance. The Starting Grant entitled “A revealed preference analysis of household consumption models” was based on the fact that a standard approach that treats the household as a single decision maker cannot be used to process the consumer habits of households with several members. In spite of this consensus, the alternative approaches vary in how they handle decision making within the household and the parameters used. This research project will focus on the development of additional revealed preference (RP) methodologies. The Starting Grant entitled “Market Design and the Evolution of Markets” was in the field of industrial economy and design and organization of markets. It focused on both financial markets and other markets such as “polluting permits”.

What European research programs of the H2020 program (2014-2020) is ULB participating in? ULB is distinguished internationally for its participation in the framework programs of the European Commission for Research and Innovation. 26 ULB's researchers were rewarded by a prestigious ERC grant (14 Starting, 4 Consolidator and 8 Advanced Grants), placing ULB in the best institutions of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels in the very tough competition of the European Research Council. ULB is also active in other European programs of the H2020 program with 31 collaborative projects (2 Energy, 2 Environment, 3 Agriculture & Blue Growth, 10 Health, 2 Infrastructures, 6 Processing & Engineering, 3 Societies, 1 Space, 2 Transport), and 8 individual awards, 5 Innovative training networks (2 as coordinator) and 2 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange of the Marie Sklodowska Curie programme. For example, the ULB is involved in GEMSTONES (Globalization, Europe and Multilateralism Sophistication of the Transnational Order, European Networks and Strategies), a program of research and doctoral training gathering 8 universities and 7 non-academic partners. ULB is also coordinating a large collaborative project, T2DSYSTEMS, on diabetes with the aim to develop a systems biomedicine approach for the risk identification, prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. This project involved 8 universities and 3 non-academic partners. At ULB, both the faculty of Medicine and the ULB academic hospital, Erasme Hospital, are involved, illustrating the strengths of our Health and Life Science researchers as they are thoroughly described in the pages dedicated to the ULB University Erasme Hospital and the Children University Hospital Queen Fabiola (HUDERF) (see pages 33-34). As a third example, the ERC project DEMIURGE is focused on “swarm robotics” for the creation of intelligent

The ULB is also distinguished in engineering sciences. Could you tell us more about that? Engineering sciences at the ULB have been prominent since the early days of the University. The ULB School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles (EPB), is highly active in research and fosters close collaborations with the industrial world as fully described in the page dedicated to

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• G protein-coupled receptors: from structure to functionally validated targets; • Tolerance and resistance to parasite infection: trypanosomatidae as paradigm. Regarding the BRAIN-be programs, the ULB is involved in 13 projects only for the 2016 call. Three of those projects are coordinated by the ULB: NEANDERTAL-3D in Health Sciences, FAR in Political Sciences and PUMOMIG in Social Sciences. Which Concerted Research Actions (ARC) of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation does ULB takes part in? The support of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation is certainly crucial in order to encourage fundamental research at ULB. Thanks to this support, 18 projects have been granted for the last call for proposals (2016-2021). They cover all scientific domains and disciplines and are split almost equally in two different programmes. The first programme is specifically designed for early stage researchers while the second programme is dedicated to collaborative actions between senior scientists.

Does ULB receive funding from the F.R.S.-FNRS? For which research programs? The F.R.S.-FNRS is a major funding agency for supporting fundamental research at ULB with an amount of more than 45 million euros in 2016 covering all scientific domains and disciplines. This budget covers both all types of researchers’ mandates for around 32 million euros and granted research projects for about 13 million euros. The different programs such as Grants and Fellowships, FRIA, FRESH, FRFS, Equipment or the Télévie calls are all closely monitored by ULB researchers, for which ULB has a high rate of participation and a very good rate of success in a highly competitive background.

robots, with the specific aim to develop an intelligent system that is able to design and realize robot swarms in a totally integrated and automatic way. This project is lead by a Researcher from the ULB School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles, whose Research excellence is fully described in the pages dedicated to this School (see page 32). Which federal research programs (Inter-University Attraction Poles, Belgian Research Action Inter- Disciplinary Networks - BRAIN-be) do you participate in? ULB deeply participates in federal research programs. For the Pôles d’Attraction Interuniversitaires (PAI) projects only, 17 million euros were granted for ULB during the 2012-2017 period. This supports 27 projects amongst which 9 are coordinated by ULB in very different scientific domains and disciplines: • Mechanisms of conscious and unconscious learning; • Physical chemistry of Plasma-Surface Interaction; • Photonics@be: towards smart photonics in 2020; • Combinatorial Optimization: Metaheuristics and Exact methods; • Fundamental interactions: at the boundary of theory, phenomenology and experiment; • Microfluidics and micromanipulation: multi-scale applications of surface tension (micro-MAST); • T lymphocytes: from basic biology to immunotherapy;

Is ULB involved in specific programs like WELBIO? Because of its rich environment in biotechnology, partly through the Biopark Charleroi Brussels South and the Erasme campus, ULB strongly takes part in the WELBIO program. In the 4th FRFS-WELBIO call for projects of 2017, 14 projects have been selected, including 6 ULB projects (representing about 43% WELBIO fundings dedicated to universities): - 3 Starting grants entitled “Characterization of the Molecular Core of Esophageal Cancer”; “Cellular and molecular bases of the regulation of bacterial persistence by (p)ppGpp synthetases/hydrolases” and “Deciphering the regulatory mechanisms of blood-brain barrier function”; - 2 Advanced grants entitled “Rh factors and the control of membrane permeability to ammonium” and “Unravelling the Role of RNA Epigenetics in Health and Disease”; - 1 Continuation grant entitled “Chemerin and its receptors in tumoral angiogenesis”. What research partnerships have you developed? At the international level, research collaboration with universities worldwide has been stepped up through a strong involvement of ULB in international research networks as illustrated by the involvement of ULB researchers in programs funded by the European Commission (see above). Moreover, ULB has established privileged partnership with prestigious Universities, as the University of California (Berkeley), the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the

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University of Montreal, Fudan University (China), the Waseda University (Japan), the Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris VI, the Universidade de Sao Paulo.

At the national level, ULB has established strong research relationships with most universities under the framework of the Interuniversity Attraction Poles, a federal research programme. More specifically, ULB developed close and privileged relationships with the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) with the recognition of a series of joined research groups and the joined launch of the Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels (IB2) and the Brussels Interuniversity Genomics High Throughput core (Brightcore), placing the two universities as the most important research centers in the Brussels-Capital Region. What is your assessment of ULB's activities in terms of technology transfer? ULB is actively involved in promoting the development of the Brussels-Capital and Walloon Regions. In this context, ULB has developed a large array of collaborative projects with industrial partners, mostly funded by regional agencies. Such activities are achieved through close interactions between the researchers and the Knowledge Transfer Office (ULB-TTO). As a result, ULB manages a portfolio of about 75 patent families with around 120 active technologies and more than 70 active licences, was at the origin of 48 created spin-offs, of which 37 are still active (Kabandy in the construction sector, Ovizio Imaging Systems in innovative microscopy, Bone Therapeutics for the development of advanced cell therapy products for fracture repair and prevention…) and three have been created during the first half of 2016, is the initiator and principal partner of three business incubators (EEBIC in Brussels-Capital region, I-Tech Incubator & Cap-Innove in the Walloon region) and is at the initiative of investment funds.

ICT. This pole will be further developed in the following years thanks to the project icity.brussels, developed together with the Brussels industrial research centre for the technological industry and funded under the framework of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme 2014-2020 of the Brussels-Capital Region. Focused on strengthening research and innovation devoted to ICT applications in health and helping people, smart mobility, connected objects (Internet of Things) and the fight against school dropout, the 6 projects of icity.brussels which started operations in 2016 are based on a partnership between the ULB, VUB and SIRRIS, in collaboration with the professional federation Agoria and the software.brussels cluster. The project will also lead to the creation of a Smart Connected Innovation Lab that will allow companies in the region to accelerate innovation by giving them the opportunity to understand how to integrate “smart” and “connected” layers to their products and services. Altogether, this active role in the valorisation of research results has granted ULB the 38th place in the list of most innovative European Universities and the 2nd place in Belgium, as defined by the 2017 Reuters © analysis.

What is more, one of the ULB Campuses is the centre of a biotechnology business park, the Biopark Charleroi Brussels South that comprises, in addition to 3 research institutes in the life sciences, more than 20 companies and one business incubator. Likewise, we have to highlight the ULB Sciences and Techniques campus in Brussels, a pole devoted to research, development, innovation and valorisation in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences, engineering and

How do these transfer activities stimulate the Brussels economy? ULB is very active in the Brussels-Capital Region regarding knowledge transfer activities. Thanks to the numerous interactions that ULB maintains with other universities, research centres, companies, non-profit organizations and institutions of the Region, we strongly believe in our contribution to the regional economy and to the growing development of a very dynamic innovation ecosystem. The Brussels-Capital Region has in its core a stimulating environment for entrepreneurship through the presence of actors like incubators, clusters of Impulse.brussels, the CSTC, Sirris, Innoviris, etc. The good collaboration between ULB and these stakeholders together with our regional university hospital – Erasme hospital – strengthens the socio-economic fabric of the Region.

New forms of innovation like Participatory Action Research are currently growing and encouraged by the Region through the Co-Create program. This initiative builds bridges between the academic world and the non-profit sector, highly present in Brussels. As above-mentioned, the University participates in great regional FEDER projects, such as the renovation plan for the “Barracks” (“Casernes”) in Etterbeek.

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Ecole polytechnique de Bruxelles Creating excellence in the capital of Europe With 70 full-time academics, 75 administrative and technical staff and 290 researchers (of whom 260 PhD students), the Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles (EPB) trains its 1,100 students in engineering and leadership careers rooted in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual world, and serve society through the creation of knowledge in engineering, innovation, and the valorization of research.

Among EPB’s research projects many relate to energy. SWARM (FP7 EU project, 2012) and CLEAN-GAS (ITN EU project, 2015) focus on production, BRUGEO (Feder-Brussels, 2014) and COPINE-IoT (Bridge, 2017) address harvesting, DOCTIRIS projects with Elia (Brussels) and Smartcity block research (a project funded by ENGIE, 2014) target distribution and transport while BATWAL (Walloon Region, 2014) and BDMECH (Walloon Region, 2017) tackle storage and consumption. Other research fiels at EPB touch on space, materials, fluids and transport, ICT, bio-medical devices and logistics.

ith an annual budget of €16 million, research covers the main engineering disciplines. Along with 7 thematic research themes (atomic and nuclear physics; photonics and telecommunication; information technology; civil and architectural engineering; chemistry and materials; fluid dynamics and transport phenomena; electromechanical systems and control) 3 multi-disciplinary research themes have been defined to appeal to compagnies. They concern computational engineering & process control, biomedical engineering and environmental engineering. These cross-disciplinary research themes will evolve soon to include health, security, mobility…

EPB encourages its researchers to value the results of their research economically. This process relies on EPB performs excellent fundamental three pillars: ULB’s Technology research as testified by the 4 ERC transfer office (TTO), high-tech grants awarded to Dr. François incubators (EEBIC, Solvay EntreLeo (Starting grant 2017) for the preneurs, Biopark, I-Tech) and the production of optical rulers in investment fund Theodorus. R&D a single manufacturing step, Flameless combustion unit yields intellectual property that can Pr. Alessandro Parente (Starting be valued as a patent or e-filing in order to achieve license grant 2016) for the development of new combustion technoloagreements or the creation of spin-offs. Among the 19 spingies using experimental and theoretical approaches and digital offs created since 1996 and still active today, the most recent, simulations, Pr. Mauro Birattari (Consolidator grant 2016) for Kabandy, was created in 2016: using Building Information the development of a new tool able to self-determine all the IT Modelling, it promotes collaborative design to create more parameters needed to create intelligent robots and Pr. Marco sustainable and economical buildings and infrastructures Dorigo (Advanced grant 2010) for the development of rigorous around a reference model. A beautiful showcase for EPB’s engineering methodology for the design and implementation of entrepreneurial spirit. “swarm intelligence” artificial intelligence systems. Besides, two teams of EPB are leading two Interuniversity Attraction Poles (IAP) national programs, one about smart photonics in 2020, the other about micromanipulation and microfluidics (multiscale applications of surface tension). Fully complementary with basic research, applied research at EPB involves collaboration with industry according to three approaches: the industrial company can sponsor or co-fund university research teams with a public subsidy typically from the Walloon or Brussels regions (Wallinnov, Bridge, Feder…), industries and universities can be partners on projects funded by the regions (Plan Marshall, Team-up…) or the industry directly funds the research (private funding with a possible frame agreement).

Ecole polytechnique de Bruxelles Université Libre de Bruxelles CP 165/01 - Avenue F. D. Roosevelt, 50 - B-1050 Bruxelles Tel.: +32 (0)2 650 67 41 - E-mail: fhorlin@ulb.ac.be http://www.ulb.ac.be/facs/polytech/

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Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital – HUDERF Ensuring optimal development of young children With 183 beds and 250,000 consultations a year in its outpatient sector, Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital (HUDERF) conducts internationally recognised research as can be witnessed by its 100 to 140 articles published annually in peer-reviewed journals.

problems related to the screening of wenty years ago, the HUDERF genes of certain diseases), haematology created a foundation to support and oncology (classification of cancers young doctors who wished to do depending on mutated genes to improve research: The Belgian Kid’s Fund for diagnosis and treatment, optimisation of Pediatric Research. Since that time, the the care programme of children with sickle foundation has awarded 140 research cell anaemia through grafts), immunology grants and facilitated the completion of and inflammation, allergology (with one 36 doctoral theses in the last six years. It centre caring for over 400 children with has been honoured by major prizes like food-related anaphylaxis), metabolic the GlaxoSmithKline Prize awarded to and rare diseases (acidosis, metabolism Pierre Smeesters, head of the Paediatrics problems of amino acids, undernourishment Department, for the development of a caused by pneumonia or a renal problem, vaccine against streptococcus, two prestiDr Nicolas Lefèvre, scholarship holder of HUDERF nutrition improvement for better prognosis gious prizes awarded by the Royal and recipient of the prestigious paediatric award when undergoing surgery). Academy of Medicine to Sophie Blumental of the Royal Academy of Medicine and Nicolas Lefèvre as well as a very Among the research projects in progress, there is a study into sexual prestigious prize awarded to psychologist Simon Baijot for his thesis differences in cases of acute inflammation (women have much on autism. better prognoses due to their two X chromosomes which encourage double expression of certain genes) or chronic inflammation (such This level of excellence can be found at the paediatric laboratory as lupus or cystic fibrosis, which, when the inflammation is continuous, of ULB: it is noted for a high level of screening children for causes much greater harm to women). In addition, there is an metabolic diseases from blood samples taken from the heel five assessment unit for children with autism spectrum disorders, which days after birth. Currently, it does this screening for more than enables their development to be pointed in a positive direction half the annual births in Belgium. The HUDERF has the ambition thanks to early neuro-developmental treatment techniques. The of setting up a research institute on paediatrics relying on the HUDERF researchers also work on new techniques for diagnosing expertise of this laboratory to develop interuniversity research rare diseases and monitoring their progress. on rare diseases and child pharmacology. This means setting up a clinical investigation centre that abides by the Declaration of Buoyed by its numerous academic partners (Brasilia University, Helsinki to cure more children using innovative medicines. Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal, UGent, Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels and the Royal Children’s Hospital of In the meantime, the HUDERF has continued its research work Melbourne) and manufacturers (with 35 to 40 new pharmaceutical around five strands of excellence: neuro-sciences (neuro-developstudies per year), the HUDERF indeed intends to tackle the ment, neuro-protection, rehabilitation of children presenting major research challenges in paediatrics through its future research institute. These challenges include rare diseases, genetic diseases linked to consanguinity, immunology and inflammation, pharmacology and vaccinology. The objective is to ensure optimal developmental of young children.

HUDERF Avenue Crocq 15 - B-1020 Bruxelles Tel.: +32 (0)2 477 33 11 E-mail: georges.casimir@huderf.be http://www.huderf.be

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Department of Gastroenterology, Hepato-pancreatology and Digestive Oncology – Erasme Hospital Leading-edge research for optimal healthcare Covering all the disciplines of gastroenterology, the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepato-pancreatology and Digestive Oncology of the Erasme Hospital has mobilised its 30 specialist doctors around two essential research strands: experimental gastroenterology and the development of new medical instruments for digestive endoscopy.

an large biobank of tissue and DNA from different diseases, ISO approved, to study diseases of the liver, the pancreas and the digestive tubes. In fact, it measures the genetic susceptibility of developing the disease or responding to specific treatment. The Experimental Gastroenterology Laboratory also studies inflammatory diseases of the digestive tubes and works on the personalisation of treatments for pancreatic cancer. In order to this, it develops markers to identify cancer sub-types and devises protocols for monitoring tumours.

he department’s research is organised on three axes; clinical research, translational research and the development of new instruments. Its clinical research unit, with two doctors, five nurses and an administrative coordinator manages more than 25 protocols a year and monitors patients, making every effort to improve their treatment and their care. In regards to translational research, the Experimental Gastroenterology Laboratory carries out work on mechanistic (immunology) models and the genetics of diseases of the liver, the digestive tubes and digestive oncology. It relies on

Benefiting from its international reputation for therapeutic endoscopy, the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatopancreatology and Digestive Oncology actively collaborates with biomedical engineers of the BEAMS (Faculty of engineering of the ULB) and the Brussels Medical Device Center / BMDC (not-for-profit organisation housed by the Faculty of Medicine of the ULB) to develop techniques and instruments that could improve surgical procedures for the different indications of the digestive tubes. A start-up has even been derived from this work: Endo Tools Therapeutics, which now serves niche markets worldwide.

More than ever, the research activity of this group depends on bringing together clinical doctors, pathologists, statisticians, biologists and engineers to improve the quality of care and to develop new therapeutic approaches. The aim is to enable a genuine academic activity that combines clinical work, research and teaching and promotes the quality of its R&D with the help of institutional partners. The aim is also to attract industrial partners accustomed to international regulations influencing, for instance, medical instruments being developed. A challenge for public health.

Service de Gastroentérologie, d’Hépato-Pancréatologie et d’Oncologie digestive Hôpital Erasme Cliniques universitaires de Bruxelles Route de Lennik 808 - B-1070 Bruxelles Tel.: +32 (0)2 555 37 12 - Fax: +32 (0)2 555 46 97 E-mail: jacques.deviere@erasme.ulb.ac.be http://www.erasme.ulb.ac.be

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Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics – LNMB An expert in the field of EEG, evoked potentials and movement analysis With one full Professor, 4 Assistant-Professors, 6 scientist-collaborators, 3 technicians and Phd-students, the LNMB has developed expertise in the field of multiple EEG and evoked potentials by working with the cosmonauts (ESA, NASA & JAXA), the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City (Moscow) and the Johnson Space Center (NASA, Houston).

previous Neurospat (NES) experiment (AO-2004, 118). This will support further appropriated sleep promoting methods and their objective evaluation in order to optimize human performance and adaptation in space. For its part, the OSCILLOME project targets a better understanding of the inductive and modulatory mechanisms of cerebellar oscillations and their effects on the cerebral cortex thanks to the convergence of new powerful non-invasive recording techniques, mathematical computer-based modelling and animal models (mice).

s Prof. G. Cheron is also Director of the laboratory of Electrophysiology at the University of Mons, the two groups work together in the field of brain oscillations. Cooperation with the College de France (Prof. A. Berthoz) allows us to establish links between the psychophysical performance of astronauts and brain oscillations. The LNMB is currently involved in space mission NeuroSpat. The aim is to study perception, attention, memory, decision and action (PAMDA) during sensorimotor tasks. The LNMB was also involved in the FP7 project Mindwalker, whose aim was to design a support system in locomotor handicapped so they can realize their daily activities. This will also assist the neurorehabilitation of gait in a variety of clinical conditions, including stroke, spinal trauma, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy.

In the field of research valorization, Prof. G. Cheron created Human Waves (HWa), a starting spin-off of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) developing services and products in neurotechnology, from health and learning applications to sports and brain computer interfaces (BCI). These abilities are declined In clinical field the LNMB is involved under 3 axes: Human engineering, in attention-deficit hyperactivity Human health, and Human perdisorder (ADHD). By the developformance. All the services and ment of inverse modelling method Astronaut Bob Thirsk during the Neurospat project at the ISS products are based on the PAMDA (swLORETA) based on high density (International Space Station) paradigm. Recently, Human health EEG recordings in children and division has developed a new adults we are able to identify the activity (Human Waves Clinics) and has access to clinical cortical generators involved in different behavioral situations. cohorts of patients with psychiatric and neuropsychiatric Thank to this expertise the LNMB develops new diagnostic disorders. HWa expertise may help evaluate patients through tools and feedback therapies based on these brain states neuro-cognitive and electrophysiological protocols using identification. “naturalistic” multimodal event-related potentials. At the time being, the LNMB is taking part in promising research projects such as FLOW: the term “flow”, as conceptualized by Csikszentmihalyi (1975), describes the optimal LNMB - Université Libre de Bruxelles experiences that are most enjoyable in human life while fully Campus Erasme, bâtiment N, niveau 5 engaging in an activity, which is in line with the unresolved CP640 Route de Lennik 808 questions related to neurometric-psychometric comparisons in B-1070 Brussels an attempt to identify neurophysiological activities and Tel.: +32 (0)2 650 21 87 sensations that occur during the flow. An ESA project, ARIADNA aims at assessing how space travel modifies local Fax: +32 (0)2 650 24 77 sleep episodes during wakefulness by analysing specific EEG E-mail: gcheron@ulb.ac.be data previously recorded on board of the ISS during our http://www.cheron.be/ - http://humanwaves.be/

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Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis, Drug Discovery A specialist in natural products serving drug discovery Forming part of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the ULB and the successor of the Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Bromatology and Human Nutrition, the team of Professor Stévigny has, since September 2017, been part of the new research unit called Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis, Drug Discovery.

The research work of the unit (Pharmacognosy section) is based around three strands. First, there is research done on natural molecules with nephrological aims. Another strand is research on new substances of vegetal origin that act on bacteria and Different steps for the search of bioactive molecules from collecting vegetal material may potentially be combined with existing antito identification and characterization biotics to counteract the resistance built up by the bacteria. The final subject uses a metabolomic areas of health and nutrition. In this framework, the team of approach, set up in 2015 in partnership with Professor C. Stévigny hosts a research scientist, Dr Flore Keymeulen. Florence Souard of the University of Grenoble Alpes, to quickly identify the biochemical content of vegetal material Another special feature of the team is education: the organisation without a prior purification phase. At the moment the team is of internship in Peyresq (France) about the medicinal plants of working on different research projects such as a metabolomic Haute Provence French Alps, management of the Faculty museum analysis of various types of coffee plants species with the of medicinal plants and pharmacy (https://www.ulb.ac.be/ Botanic Garden Meise, the exploitation of by-products of sites/musees/mpmp/infospratiques.html) as well as participation cocoa growing with the University of Turin and research on in setting up the first Smart Garden outside France in the Jean new substances of interest for the prevention of renal fibrosis Massart Botanical Garden in Brussels. The principle is to supply of medicinal origin with the Laboratory of Experimental digital data by smartphone on over 170 medicinal plants. These Nephrology (ULB). fact sheets are drafted and corrected by specialists of the project’s partner universities (http://www.ulb.be/actulb/dds/jmassart/). The team is also very active in the area of cooperation (Africa) as can be seen from the project of evaluation of the antiplasThanks to its original positioning, the team leading the modial activity of plants of the DR Congo for the treatment of Pharmacognosy section in this new unit has positioned itself malaria in partnership with Burkina Faso, DR Congo and in relation to the great challenges, namely antibioresistance, UMONS (project funded by ARES). A new project funded by reduction of medication toxicity, accessibility to phytomedicines ARES with Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo, in partnership and quality food supplements in all corners of the globe, the with ULiège, the Paul Lambin Institute and the mycotheque of promotion of traditional medicines (especially TCM), identificaUCL is due to start soon. Its aim is the nutritional use of local tion of falsifications of vegetal materials and the characterisation edible mushrooms in the Great Lakes region. Since 2012, the of new foodstuffs and raw materials for cosmetology. team has brought its expertise in pharmaceutical and botanical sciences to the assistance of European Customs (DG TAXUD), notably by training members of different laboratories Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis, in the analysis of vegetal material.

Drug Discovery Unit ULB CP205/09 Faculté de Pharmacie Campus de la Plaine Boulevard du Triomphe - B-1050 Bruxelles Tel.: +32 (0)2 650 51 72 - Fax: +32 (0)2 650 54 30 E-mail: Caroline.Stevigny@ulb.ac.be http://www.ulb.ac.be/rech/inventaire/unites/ULB400.html

It is important to mention that different groups of the Faculty including that of Professor Stévigny subscribe to the technology support platform for the agribusiness sector (http://www.keyfood.be). This platform, launched in 2016 and coordinated by the Walloon competitiveness cluster WagrALIM aims to facilitate partnerships with agro-food industrialists by providing services for them, notably in the

ith at total 6 professors, 2 post-doctoral students, 8 doctoral students, 2 researchers, a research scientist and 8 laboratory technicians, this new multidisciplinary research unit serves drug discovery on different aspects. In its section “Pharmacognosy, products of natural origin” starts out by correctly identifying vegetal matter (mushrooms, plants, etc.) to proceed to various phases of extraction, bioguided fractionation and structural characterisation of molecules of interest.

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A widely recognized expertise in interdisciplinarity An interview with Prof. Pierre JADOUL, Rector of Université Saint-Louis - Bruxelles (USL-B)

hat are the key numbers and areas of excellence in the field of research at Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles? Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles (USL-B) excels in social sciences and humanities: law, political and social sciences, economics and business administration, philosophy, history, literature, translation and European studies. But far from having succumbed to compartmentalization, which at times may lead to differences in methodology and subjects between the various disciplines, USLB has acquired a widely recognized expertise in interdisciplinary practice, even in research, the originality of which contributes to its excellence. Whilst research contributes to opening new fields of knowledge, the interdisciplinary methods remain among the most efficient ones, due to their intrinsic creativity. St. Louis - Brussels University has fifteen research centers covering all the humanities field. A network and two institutes provide the interface between research centers: the Interdisciplinarity and Society Network (RIS), the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Brussels (IRIB) and the Institute for European Studies.

Talking about key numbers, the most revealing ones translate the FNRS’ recognition of our fundamental research. Over the last 6 years, an average of 41% of our FNRS applications was successful, putting us regularly ahead of the global figures of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles or FWB (21% in 2015). We are equally proud of our average 36% admission rate to the Humanities Research Fund (Fonds pour la Recherche en Sciences humaines – FRESH) launched 5 years ago, which is an important tool in our field of disciplines.

What research partnerships have you developed at a European level? We actively participate, with UCL and UNamur, in a very large-scale project called “Move In-Louvain” with the financial support of the European Commission (Actions Marie-Skłodowska Curie), that enables the three partner universities to offer research grants to foreign post-doctoral researchers. More generally, it favours the international mobility of young but already experienced researchers.

Could you cite a few examples of the current research programs at Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles? Like the other universities of FWB, USL-B benefits from special research funds and manages to finance a great number of doctoral research fields. We simultaneously work on interuniversity research projects (Action de Recherche Concertée or ARC). Two further ARC projects started in 2015: the first one, bearing the title “Social and Economic Network Formation under Limited farsightedness: Theory and Applications”, has been granted a budget of 663.000 Euros for the next five years. The second is entitled “Critical Philosophy of What Is to Come: Temporality, Imagination and Utopia”. This joint project between USL-B and UNamur has a funding of 852.000 Euros and a span of 5 years. The quality of our research centres also allowed us to take part in two PAI (Poles of Interuniversity Attraction) at a federal level: one in human rights (500.000 Euros funding), and the other, in the history of law and institutions (500.000 Euros funding). This program has been replaced in 2017 by a new one, called EOS (Excellence of Science), and we hope that our research teams will have the opportunity to participate as partners in several future EOS projects.

Our research centres also develop international cooperation programs with a great number of European universities. This is the case, for example, of our European Studies Institute, which has been recently selected by the European Commission to launch a new Jean Monnet module. How do you value the research work coming from USL-B? For a few years, our university has developed its research valorisation with the support of the Walloon (DGO6) and Brussels (Innoviris) Regions. Our Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO) ensures the link between the research led into the university and the nonacademic world. Its task not only consists in taking care of the diffusion, the mobilisation and the knowledge transfer to the society, but also in creating collaborations and exchanges between the society and the university. We are an integrated member of the LIEU network, which gathers the KTOs from Universities within the FWB. Although this type of research valorisation represents a quite recent development, let us stress that, for a long time now, some of our research centres have shown a keen interest in regional integration, particularly with regards to very advanced research on Brussels. Our Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Brussels (IRIB) gathers these centres and hosts centres from other universities. We play a leading role in the Brussels Studies Institute (an inter-university research platform on Brussels) and in the online magazine “Brussels Studies”. Through our expertise, acquired thanks to our research work on Brussels (particularly with regards to mobility issues), we obtained many regional-funded research projects.

We also participate in an Acropolis (ACademic Research Organisation for POLicy Support) project, supported by ARES and VLIR-UOS, which is a programme that brings together policymakers from Belgian Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGD), other relevant governmental actors, and researchers from both Dutch-speaking and French-speaking universities in Belgium, for a duration of three years, aiming at improving the quality and impact of the Belgian development cooperation. Our research team works on the “Aid Effectiveness with a Focus on Fragile Contexts (Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo)”, in collaboration with partners from UCL, UGent, ULg and ULB.

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Flanders: innovation at the service of the economy

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Innovation through multidisciplinary collaboration An interview with Mr Philippe MUYTERS, Flemish minister of Work, Economy, Innovation and Sport Philippe Muyters, Flemish minister of Work, Economy, Innovation and Sports is a firm believer in a triple helix model in which strong collaboration between government, knowledge institutes and industry is key. “The innovation of the future indubitably lies in a multidisciplinary approach”. It is a vision he consistently applies throughout his innovation and economic policy. What follows are three cases that illustrate this mission on diverse levels. fitted with connectivity (wifi, Bluetooth, 4G…) and sensors that measure temperature, air quality, movement, heart rate... This generates endless possibilities to create smart sustainable solutions that increase our standard of living. There’s a whole new world ahead of us in smart health, smart manufacturing, smart transport and smart cities. In fact, what lies ahead of us is Smart Flanders. Flanders has all the assets to benefit to the fullest of these new evolutions; highly educated people, renowned knowledge institutes, strong companies and a long term vision to combine these strengths in an open, multidisciplinary approach to create a leading smart region. One of these strong assets is Imec, our world-leading research and innovation hub in nano-electronics and digital technologies. Thanks to the merger on September 21st 2016 with iMinds it now holds even more expertise in the mix between hardware and software. This combination of its widely acclaimed leadership in microchip technology and profound software and ICT expertise is what makes them unique. A combination that will immediately be put to practice in the brand new city of things project in Antwerp, launched in January 2017. In Antwerp, Europe’s largest living lab will arise, where innovative solutions will be created using data from the digital city. The open digital platform developed there can and will be transposed to other cities, so that in transforming Antwerp into a smart city, we will lay the foundation to connect our entire region and create an open and smart Flanders. © Rights reserved

Innovation to market: VAX-ID

Smart Flanders

A beautiful and very tangible example of how multidisciplinary cooperation from the very start of a project can sow the seeds to success, is the story of VAX-ID. VAX-ID is a revolutionary and highly user-friendly syringe that changes the way we deal with vaccination today.

Today we live in the era of “The Internet of Things”. A world in which an increasing number of physical objects are connected to each other, as swift evolutions in nano-electronics and sensor technology have resulted in machine to machine communication, creating a world of smart devices. Costs, scaling and energy efficiency have now reached a point at which objects such as clothing, traffic lights, thermostats,… can be

The developers claim it originated from a chance concurrence, but more pointedly the key to its origin lies in Flanders’ and its universities’ open mindset to multidisciplinary collaboration. It thus came about that VAXINFECTIO, the University of Antwerp’s multidisciplinary research center for vaccines and infectious diseases, had the opportunity to collaborate with a product developer (prototype), a commercial engineer (business

ÂŠ imec

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plan) and a nursing officer (clinical study user friendliness) of several colleges of higher education. The result: an innovative new medical solution with enormous added value, a new syringe that brings about innumerable advantages in terms of highly increased user-friendliness and strong decrease of the risk of accidents, blood transmitted diseases and pain.

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This inspiring multidisciplinary project soon caught the attention of Flemish innovation policy and could henceforth count on financial support from IWT (Agency for Innovation through Science and Technology, now VLAIO, Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship). Combined with the natural interest of the industry, the spin-off Novosanis was born and the innovative syringe could be brought to market.

for financial support, the cluster organization has to bring about private financing of 50%, stimulate cooperation with and between knowledge institutes, start projects and add an international dimension.

Cluster policy On a meta level, the new cluster policy is the central axis of the innovation policy. It is devised to enhance collaboration between corporations, sectors and researchers to sensitively increase the economic impact of innovation over the coming years. Flanders firmly believes that the outcome that can be achieved by working together is greater than the sum of all parts.

In October 2016, the Flemish government appointed the chemical industry as Flandersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first spearhead cluster. This new cluster has to create sustainable innovations in the chemical and materials sector through intensive multidisciplinary cooperation between small and large enterprises, knowledge institutes and government organizations. The project joins over a 100 companies and all Flemish universities, together with the sector federation Essenscia Flanders, FISCH (Flanders Innovation Hub for Sustainable Chemistry, now Catalisti), VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), the research center Centexbel and Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant.

Next to the financial support of numerous innovative business networks, the Flemish government therefore selects a small number of so called spearhead clusters. These encompass the large innovative domains that will shape our economic future in terms of employment and added value. In exchange

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EWI: Excellence is the keyword in scientific research An interview with Mr Johan HANSSENS, Secretary-General of EWI

universities, colleges, strategic research centres and other research institutions. Based on this, the EWI department implements a clear policy, coordinates and evaluates these funding mechanisms. Assignment of a specific grant or subsidy to a researcher takes place through the knowledge institutions themselves or through our agencies. In addition to this funding, it is naturally also important to be able to have excellent researchers and research infrastructure. For this reason, we are also investing in our human capital and in stateof-the-art research infrastructure in Flanders and internationally. ÂŠ EWI

hat are the core tasks of the EWI department? The Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) is responsible for policy preparation, policy follow-up and policy evaluation for the sectors of Economy, Science and Innovation within the Flemish Government. In this framework, our most important goal is to allow Flanders to evolve into one of the most progressive and prosperous regions in the world. Our levers in this are the promotion of: (1) excellent scientific research, (2) an attractive and sustainable business climate and (3) a creative, innovative and entrepreneurial society. EWI strives towards excellence in fundamental research, strategic knowledge development and the exploitation of this knowledge. Prerequisites for this are human capital and research infrastructure. In addition, we follow up the policy themes that are related to the development of an attractive and sustainable business climate and the stimulation of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Can you give us a number of examples of research funds/programmes? The Industrial Research Fund (IRF) is an internal designation fund of a university association (a university and one or more colleges) whose resources are used for strategic basic research and applied scientific research. The objectives of an IRF are - in the short to medium term - to stimulate the interaction between the association and the business world and to build up a portfolio of application-oriented knowledge within the association. In the medium to long term, an IRF must result in better coordination of the strategic basic research and applied scientific research with the economic needs and the application and exploitation of the profile of business knowledge

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How does the EWI carry out fundamental and strategic basic research? Excellence is very much the keyword in scientific research. The ambition of Flanders is to finance the most excellent research using this criterion. Flanders has a number of different instruments for the funding of fundamental and strategic basic research at the Flemish public knowledge institutions such as

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balance between targeted and non-targeted research. In that regard, the strategic research centres have an important bridging function between fundamental and applied research. SRCs therefore also play an important role in the transformation of the Flemish economy. The marketing of their knowledge through the (co)-creation of spin-offs forms an important part of this. In addition, in other sectors - such as the agro-food industry, sustainable chemistry, sustainable logistics and mobility - Flanders also applies an integrated support, research and knowledge policy. Flanders has 4 SRCs that are world leaders in their field. VIB for biotechnology, imec (merged with former research center iMinds in 2016) for nanoelectronics and digital technology, VITO for environmental research and Flanders MAKE for the manufacturing industry.

built up. The IRF thereby fits into the broader whole of efforts to strengthen the interaction between higher education institutes and economic players. The Odysseus programme is aimed at bringing researchers with a foreign career to Flanders via early stage funding for scientific research. This may involve both leading researchers with international recognition - who lead the way and have a post at a foreign university - and researchers who have the potential to be among the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best in the near future. For a period of five years, they are able to build up their own research group. The organisation of the Odysseus programme is in the hands of the Fund for Scientific Research - Flanders. Universities take the initiative to nominate candidates. They provide an academic position, the infrastructure, offices etc. Universities can also nominate a candidate together. Approved projects receive between 100,000 and 1,500,000 euros a year for a five-year period.

Vlaamse overheid Departement Economie, Wetenschap & Innovatie (EWI) Koning Albert II-laan 35, bus 10 B-1030 Brussel Email: info@ewi.vlaanderen.be http://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be https://twitter.com/Departement_EWI https://www.linkedin.com/company/departementeconomie-wetenschap-en-innovatie-ewi-

What is the importance/added value of strategic research centres? Strategic research centres (SRCs) have formed thanks to the excellent and relevant results of academic scientific research in a wide range of scientific fields in micro- and nano-electronics, biotechnology, broadband technology, environmental topics and our manufacturing industry. With a view to economic and social valorisation, we continually strive for an appropriate

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VARIO: Independent advice for the Flemish Government In the Flemish Coalition Agreement 2014-2019, a decision was made to reform the strategic advisory councils. The VRWI was therefore abolished as of 1 January 2017. As a replacement, a new advisory council VARIO – Vlaamse Adviesraad voor Innoveren en Ondernemen [Flemish Advisory Council for Innovation and Enterprise] – was established on 14 October 2016. The aim and function of VARIO differ fundamentally from those of the VRWI, in the sense that VARIO members take part in a personal capacity and not as representatives.

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Vanessa Vankerckhoven (Novosanis), Dirk Van Dyck (UA), Marc Van Sande (Umicore), Reinhilde Veugelers (KU Leuven) and Hilde Windels (Biocartis).

y providing independent advice VARIO will assist the Flemish Government in making its choices and in the optimal use of resources. VARIO can provide advice on the entire innovation chain, from fundamental scientific research at universities to applied research with a view to increasing the value of this research and the transformation of Flemish industry. VARIO can also provide advice on policy in relation to industry, the services sector and entrepreneurship” outlines Dr Danielle Raspoet, Director VARIO and formerly General Secretary of the Flemish Council for Science and Innovation.

Topics “Through its strategic advice VARIO will primarily focus on medium- and longterm developments. VARIO will amongst others focus on innovation in the context of ‘Vision 2050’. Topics include ‘Industry 4.0’ and the ‘Circular Economy’, two major transition areas in Vision 2050. To give the transitions more chance of success, increased efforts will be needed as regards the cooperation between the different policy areas.”

“VARIO consists of a chairman and nine members. These members are appointed by the Flemish Government on the recommendation of the Flemish minister for Economy, Science and Innovation. Members are selected based on their expertise, experience and knowledge of the field. Together, they provide a balance between the policy fields of economy, science and innovation. The chairman and members are appointed in a personal capacity. A strong commitment is required. VARIO will meet eight times a year.”

Composition

Danielle Raspoet, Director VARIO

“Like the VRWI, VARIO will continue to monitor the budget for science and innovation. In its previous incarnation, the advisory council contributed to the creation of the European 3% target for research and development: 1% public, 2% private. The close monitoring of this target will therefore remain a recurring theme in our activities.

Council members The first mandate of VARIO began on 16 December 2016 with the appointment of its members by the Flemish Government. Lieven Danneels, managing director of Televic Group, chairs VARIO. The other nine members are Katrin Geyskens (Capricorn), Wim Haegeman (VIVES, UGent), Johan Martens (KU Leuven), Koen Vanhalst (De Clercq & Partners),

Lieven Danneels, VARIO chairman

Budget monitoring

More resources will become available in the years to come. We have always said we should not restrict ourselves to monitoring input. Outcome is more important than ever, if Flanders is to become an innovation leader. What are the social and economic impacts of our investments? A bold policy is required, in which Flanders is prepared to make choices. Here VARIO can provide advice on the priorities to be set for optimal use of these resources,” concludes Danielle Raspoet.

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Vlaio: support for research projects in large and small companies “We stimulate R&D in companies through the Innovation support department at Vlaio – Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship Agency (Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen). We mainly aim to participate in high-risk activities,” Maarten Sileghem, acting head of the entity first tells us. Vlaio has 365 members of staff.

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e provide direct support to companies in their R&D projects and encourage them to collaborate with knowledge institutions. After determining an R&D project, an evaluation takes place of both the substance and the legal framework. We do not set thematic priorities but evaluate along three main lines. In the first place, a project must be high quality and contribute to ‘the state of the art’ given the nature of the application. Secondly, research is considered in terms of the economic benefit to the company. Finally, research must also contribute to an economic interest in Flanders in terms of employment and investment. We provide a selection bonus to companies who collaborate and to start-ups.”

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“In 2015 approximately €154 million of support was provided for R&D projects over two sub-programmes dedicated to SMEs. On the one hand these were major R&D intensive businesses, in total the support for this amounted to over €119 million. In addition we also had a programme accounting for €35 million. This could include the development of a new, but also an improvement of an existing product, process or service. Accessibility is the motto and we mainly look for smaller projects. Our aim is to encourage SMEs to innovate.”

International cooperation “Vlaio also stimulates international cooperation in terms of R&D on a number of different topics. In the first place we provide a service in which we assist companies with a view to accessing financing programmes offered by the European Commission. In addition, we also fund R&D ourselves in the framework of networks of different Member States. Vlaio pays for the Flemish part of the programme. In fact, we participate in existing networks with our existing R&D support programmes. Examples include Eureka and Eurostars, ITEA, JTIs, AAL, ERA networks etc. We are the Flemish link in the Enterprise Europe Network with over 600 partner organisations worldwide. We do not focus on R&D here but help companies enter into partnerships and develop business outside Flanders. Through this route we contribute towards bridging the innovation paradox by facilitating a transfer to the market," Maarten Sileghem concludes.

Clusters

“To complete the picture: since 2016 we have also been providing support to clusters, partnerships between businesses and knowledge institutions. This relates both to support for basic operations and projects. The focus here is on various themes. Approved projects include chemistry and plastics, logistics, materials, and smart energy region.”

Vlaio Koning Albert II-laan 35 bus 12 - 1030 Brussel Tel: +32 (0)24 32 42 02 Email: info@vlaio.be - http://www.vlaio.be

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SCK•CEN Pioneer in nuclear applications Over the past sixty years, the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN) has accumulated vast experience in various areas of nuclear research. With the development of many innovative and future-oriented applications, it has gained worldwide recognition.

s a research centre for peaceful applications of nuclear technology, SCK•CEN is an indispensable part of our society. In the first place, the focus lies on safe nuclear reactors, radiation protection of people and the environment and radioactive waste management. With innovation and sustainability as central values, the research centre fully collaborates on lasting solutions such as new efficient and safer reactors, renewable energy applications and the security of supply of radioisotopes for medical and industrial applications. With its expertise, SCK•CEN offers readymade answers to the authorities, industry and the medical sector. Education and training of the future generation of experts is guaranteed thanks to the SCK•CEN Academy for Nuclear Science and Technology, which welcomes students and professionals from all over the world.

The SCK•CEN goes medical

Service to Society has always been at the heart of the Center mission. Since 1952, the Center has developed various original research areas and unique infrastructures to pursue this goal. During a recent strategic vision, SCK•CEN has identified medical applications of ionizing radiations as a key pillar to meet its societal commitments. It also appeared from the implementation analysis that the Center has critical knowhow and infrastructures related to the development, the production and the use of isotopes and radio-pharmaceutical drugs. As a consequence, a dedicated team was installed to provide a holistic approach of the medicine related activities at SCK•CEN and accelerate its coherent & integrated deployment. After further gap analysis and investigation of the needs to sustain current and new generation of radiotherapies, the medical task force of the SCK•CEN has set in motion an ambitious plan to establish a world-class radiotherapeutics development center of excellence. The following sections outline some of the current and future capabilities and infrastructures supporting this center of excellence. These capabilities can be sorted in the following categories: irradiation services, radiochemistry, radiopharmacy, radiobiology and dosimetry.

give access to new radio-isotopes through spallation thanks to its high beam intensity and ISOL separation unit. The reactor of MYRRHA will ensure continuous irradiation services for the production of 99Mo. The SCK•CEN is currently with BR2 one of the biggest suppliers of irradiated targets for the production of 99Mo. These targets are then further processed and conditioned to make generators of 99mTc which is the main isotope for SPECT-scan. It is estimated that the BR2 reactor activity contributes up to 20% of the SPECT-scans performed in the world meaning that this facility touches the life of millions of peoples across the globe. This impact is growing as a series of promising cancer treatments based on 177Lu (also produced in BR2) are ready to hit the market in the coming 5 years. Other radio-isotopes that can be produced by neutron capture are or will also be produced to cover the needs for new and affordable cancer treatments.

Irradiation services The Center has been a historical player in irradiation services for radio-isotopes production thanks to its BR2 high flux reactor. This reactor has been recently refurbished and is scheduled to run until at least 2026. On the other hand, SCK•CEN is preparing the future with its multipurpose MYRRHA research infrastructure. MYRRHA is an accelerator driven system (ADS) coupling a 600 MeV x 4 mA protons LINAC accelerator to a sub-critical fast neutron reactor. The two first phases of the construction of MYRRHA (100 MeV LINAC further extended in its second phase to 600 MeV) will

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Radiochemistry

Although the radiochemical experience of SCK•CEN has been historically around nuclear fuel materials and more specifically for minor actinides measurement and separation, the unit has been growing and adding skills over the past years. Combining the skills of radiochemistry with the know-how being developed at the MYRRHA accelerator, the Center has growing expertise in the domain of spallation target design and target preparation making use of fissile materials. Thanks to pilot projects, SCK•CEN is also developing purification methods for the preparation of high quality isotopes solution for the use in radiopharmaceuticals. Moreover, research is ongoing or planned in the area of carrier molecules, radiolabelling methods for nanobodies, antibodies, peptides and nanoparticles with the ultimate goal to support preparation of pre-clinical radiopharmaceuticals for therapeutics applications. as well as predictive and tracking tools for the exposure of both patients and healthcare professionals. SCK•CEN also offers calibration services such as medical linear accelerators for External Beam Therapy which are all calibrated by the Center. Calibration of dosimeters is also done at the nuclear calibration laboratory of SCK•CEN. With these activities SCK•CEN ensures that patients receive the correct curative radiation dose and that the exposure of healthcare personnel is properly monitored.

Radio-pharma approach In the future, SCK•CEN is planning to have a GMP radiopharmacy in order to prepare radiopharmaceuticals for human use in clinical trials. The radiopharmacy will have a class C clean room with dispensing equipment that will be able to deliver GMP and pharmacopeia compliant products. This activity will provide support for the development of new cancer therapies that have the potential to significantly improve the life of millions of patients.

Conclusions

Radiobiology research and capabilities

The current and future activities of SCK•CEN described above constitute a coherent set of capabilities in the medical sector. The coordinated and consolidated approach of the Center will ensure maximum societal impact by supplying research and services across the whole development and production of radiotherapeutics drugs. The know-how and infrastructures in dosimetry and radio-biology also support the safe and controlled use of radiotherapeutics and radiations in medical applications while supporting research in the exciting area of long distance space travel. Last but not least, the accelerator under development for MYRRHA and its ISOL facility pave the way for the innovative and sustainable production of radioisotopes for therapeutic uses.

Once targets have been irradiated and isotopes purified (through chemical process or mass spectrometry magnetic separation via ISOL technic) and potentially coupled with vector molecules the time comes to evaluate the biological impact and therapeutics efficacy of potential and existing radiopharmaceuticals. SCK•CEN has a tradition of excellence in studies of the biological effects of ionizing radiation. Current research goes beyond the impact of the radiations and ventures into genetics of radio-sensitivity, cancer biology and neuro-sciences (in relation with space research). In vitro pre-clinical researches are also being carried out on both normal and cancerous cells with radio- and non-radio-active substances. In vivo studies are also being pursued in SCK•CEN facilities with non-radiolabeled substances. On the other hand, the blueprint is ready for an animal facility being able to host pre-clinical studies of radio-labelled drugs. Finally, the Center is actively involved in space research to investigate various impacts of long distant space travel such as a journey to Mars. Special attention is paid to the impact of cosmic radiation and the mitigation of potential effects.

Dosimetry services and innovation SCK•CEN is currently offering dosimetry services to healthcare personnel but has also been a pioneer of patient dosimetry in situ. Thanks to regular contact with the medical community, the Center is advancing further in applied dosimetry with the development of real time patient dosimetry

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VITO: the right tools and expertise for accurate guidance at every stage of growth From innovative idea or proprietary technology to internationally expanding cleantech business via spin-off and co-creation. As a result of VITO’s initiatives, businesses of all sizes benefit from sure-fire guidance at every stage of growth, across borders. As a Flemish strategic research institution for sustainable technologies and development VITO has the right tools and expertise at its disposal.

ITO uses three tools to assist businesses: BRILLIANT –VITO Innovation Plan; Co-creation paths; Venture Development Team.

*BRILLIANT – industry finds technology With the ‘BRILLIANT – VITO Innovation Plan’ online platform, businesses gain low threshold access to a wide range of protected cleantech technologies. These could prove to be a lever for a company’s international breakthrough. BRILLIANT offers 3 categories of innovations - Platinum novelties, Golden opportunities, Silver technologies - each with a certain degree of influence on the technology and its regional protection. Membership of BRILLIANT is free. © VITO

*VITO Co-Creation paths: from idea to reality in 6 months VITO organises a series of unique co-creation paths to give Flemish businesses the opportunity to bring some of their ideas to life using VITO technology. In a first co-creation, VITO Remote Sensing expertise was used to transform opportunities for agriculture, land use, infrastructure and security monitoring into successful, marketable products and concepts. After an intake meeting, around a dozen innovative, committed and highly complementary companies are selected. VITO also invests 280 research hours into technological feasibility testing.

VITO wins EU Award VITO developed the Carbstone process that transforms waste materials and CO2 into highly valuable construction materials and results in a drastically reduced environmental impact. VITO came 3rd at the EARTO Innovation Awards with this innovation. The Carbstone process uniquely combines existing technologies using accelerated mineral carbonation by treating various types of waste with CO2 at elevated pressure and temperature. The CO2 is sequestered inside the products by transforming CO2-gas into solid carbonate minerals that cement the slag particles together. This flexible technology allows for the production of a range of products, from paving bricks to roofing tiles, with the same technical properties as conventional concrete products.

*Venture Development Team: ‘custom-made’ support Even if an idea is not ready to market, a business can come to VITO for support. The Venture Development Team helps an idea to mature. The team has privileged access to investment funds, connections with venture capitalists and a network of technical and commercial experts. In this way a technical idea can evolve into a good business plan and finally a successful start-up.

For the development of the Carbstone process, VITO collaborated closely with the company ORBIX. To further develop this patented technology, a pilot plant was built and large-scale industrial trials conducted. The target is to set up a production plant for the Belgian market in 2017, while developing a licensing model to market the technology worldwide.

VITO NV Boeretang 200 - B-2400 Mol Tel.: +32 (0)14 33 55 11 Fax: +32 (0)14 33 55 99 E-mail: vito@vito.be http://www.vito.be

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FLAG: support of the development of aviation and related technologies The Flemish Aerospace Group (FLAG) is a cluster organisation for enterprises, universities and research institutes active in the aerospace market. FLAG supports the development of aviation and related technologies, improves the visibility of the Flemish aerospace globally aiming for a growing market share. FLAG caters for his 60 members’ interest on a political level, facilitate networking between members, develop business opportunities by organising attendance to major business events and aim at a well-functioning triple helix structure.

viation is at the threshold of a new era. Depending on the segment the growth in the next decades will be largely fueled by passenger growth and supported by new technology developments. The major OEM’s will adapt by building the necessary know-how either by acquisitions, strategic partnerships and/or research and development. The Flemish aerospace industry boasts a broad range of technologies and services well suited to benefit from these upcoming changes. Both our SMEs and multinationals have, or can develop, the innovative know-how in key areas like composites, 3D printing, complex structures in metal alloys,… to gain and strengthen their place in supply chains. Already today the members supply to OEM’s worldwide. More information about the strengths and potential of the Flemish aerospace industry can be found in a study commissioned by Agentschap Ondernemen and executed by Altran. The study finalised early 2015 and is available at request.

2016 edition of the Bourget Air Show in Paris

An interview with Mr Kris VAN DER PLAS, Managing Director of FLAG

What does FLAG do in the context of the replacement of the F-16? Kris Van der Plas: “We hope that as many Flemish businesses as possible can participate in the development of new technologies for the replacement of the current F-16s. The focus here is both on innovative and technological aspects. The technology used for the replacement of the F-16s will also be applied in the civilian market in due course. FLAG also ensures contacts between our companies and the 5 candidates that are currently in the running to build the future F-16 replacements.”

hat are the main spearheads of FLAG? Kris Van der Plas: “The airline industry is more present in Flanders today than ever before. Flemish businesses are at the absolute top with their niche technologies and are among the regular suppliers to all the major aircraft manufacturers globally. One of our tasks is to negotiate a funding mechanism for these businesses and institutions active in the aviation sector. Investments always take place over a long timeframe, and it is often difficult to bridge that period. For that reason the EU allows governments to provide loans under specific repayment terms and conditions. FLAG conducts these negotiations with the government.”

Esterline family

How does FLAG illustrate the skills and needs of its members? Kris Van der Plas: “We recently launched, through our technology working group, a progressive detailed examination of the skills and needs of our members. This is a follow-up to the technological roadmap that was previously developed in the 2015 study. Finally we want to get an idea of how Flemish businesses, universities and other research institutions would be able to cooperate better and also facilitate that cooperation. We were also accredited at the end of 2016 by our Flemish government as an innovative cluster. Such accreditation allows us to further strengthen the technological development of our members.”

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Vlerick Healthcare Management Centre: relevant research for the health sector “Vlerick Healthcare Management Centre was established in 2014 and symbolised the growing expansion of our research activities for hospitals to other stakeholders and topics in the sector. We currently work with leading players such as doctors, hospitals, bio pharma, companies active in medical technology and diagnostics, health insurers and policymakers to formulate answers for the major issues facing the health system,” says Anne Salenbien, Manager Vlerick Healthcare Management Centre (HMC).

“

lerick has about 50 professors who are active both in the fields of education and research. In addition we have quite some researchers, who are deployed widely. So there are doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, but also more applied researchers who work on research projects and networking activities within our research centres. Companies don't usually have one single question that can be resolved with an answer from a single management field, but want integrated responses that bring a number of different perspectives together. Hence our explicit strategy to encourage professors and researchers to collaborate across disciplines with colleagues and partners inside and outside Vlerick. This is the only way to arrive at insights that can be implemented in practice.”

Focus areas

“In our open management education programmes we take a broad perspective and strive to cover all functional aspects of management, from financial management to marketing and operational management. However in terms of research we have five focus areas, three from a sector focus and two from a multidisciplinary perspective. We also link training programmes to these focus areas. The three sectors we focus on are financial services, healthcare and energy. For financial services we work with insurance companies and with banks, around which we have set up a research centre. Our research here is mainly focused on digital and fintech on the

one hand and regulation on the other. For the energy sector we carry out research into how market regulation works in Europe. Currently the focus is mainly on electricity and gas, but in the future we will expand this to other energy sources. In the healthcare sector we were initially primarily focused on hospitals but this has now expanded to the pharmaceutical sector and life sciences. Next to these sectors, we also wanted to combine our strengths around entrepreneurship & innovation and digital transformation. These fields are in Vlerick's DNA, so showcasing these as strong areas of expertise is quite simply logical.”

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Vlerick HMC is currently working on the following themes: - Availability and affordability of innovative medication In partnership with Roche we focus on the question: how can we keep medication innovative and affordable? Through our own research and workshops with various stakeholders –pharma, RIZIV (National Institute of Health and Disability Insurance), health insurance funds, patient associations, doctors, etc. – Vlerick HMC is trying to develop a new policy model. The reimbursement provisions are also included in the research aimed particularly at a more transparent reimbursement model. Which parameters are taken into account to decide whether something is reimbursed or not? In partnership with MSD we develop health policy recommendations to act with foresight, i.e. matching unmet medical need with the growing of a pipeline of innovative medicines. This cooperation is again a combination of our own research and workshops to test our findings with the stakeholders. © Vlerick Business School

- New financing models for the sustainable use of medical technology In partnership with Medtronic, KU Leuven and UZ Leuven, Vlerick HMC is carrying out research into new financing models based on the idea of value-driven healthcare. To gain a better understanding of the created value and costs of a treatment, we no longer look at the performances separately, but the patient’s entire care process, from diagnosis to followup. In this case we focus on the care process of scoliosis surgery: how can we guarantee cost effectiveness and improve quality for the patient at the same time? With the results of this research – which uses data of UZ Leuven and KU Leuven – we hope, based on evidence-based practice, to offer the government the necessary resources to assess the envisaged block grant funding more correctly.

4th Vlerick healthcare conference on 26 October 2017

Vlerick Healthcare Conference On Thursday 26 October 2017, the fourth Vlerick Healthcare Conference was held in Brussels. The topic of the conference was ”Collaborate to innovate”. Walter Van Dyck, director of the Vlerick Healthcare Management Centre referred to this collaboration as the biggest solution for the issues facing us in the healthcare sector.

- Flexible working in hospitals In 2017, our member hospitals of MINOZ, a think tank for and by hospitals, decided unanimously to work around flexible working. Major fluctuations in the bed occupancy rate (as well as in the available staff) do not make it easy to guarantee good staffing levels. What possibilities do we have at our disposal to allow a more flexible work schedule? How do mobile teams in hospitals and networks have to be organised and how can we deal flexibly with the staff’s working hours? What are the limitations in social and financial legislation?

The conference was broken down into three fields: the affordability of medication, the use of technology in the care process and the organisation of the hospital network. Many renowned speakers in the healthcare sector discussed their expertise regarding the topic at this international conference. The next conference is scheduled for Thursday 25 October 2018, also in Brussels.

Vlerick Business School Campus Brussel Bolwerklaan 21 B-1210 Brussel Tel.: + 32 (0)2 225 41 11 Fax: + 32 (0)2 225 41 00

Campus Gent Reep 1 B-9000 Gent Tel.: +32 (0)9 210 97 11 Fax: +32 (0)9 210 97 00

Campus Leuven Vlamingenstraat 83 B-3000 Leuven Tel.: + 32 (0)16 24 88 11 Fax: + 32 (0)16 24 88 00

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Howest Industrial Design Center: where industry, research and education in product design meet to co-create

Howest Industrial Design Center (IDC) is the open knowledge center of Howest University College where industry, research and education in product design meet to co-create on a daily basis. Together with Ugent Master Industrial Design we represent 25 years of experience in product design, innovation and creativity. Our expertise ranges throughout the design process: from the fuzzy front-end to setting up a pilot run and everything in between.

DC is designed to give students, researchers, local and (inter)national industry access to an advanced technological and inspirational infrastructure. Our makerspaces embody our focus on #making. Our labs provide spaces and tools for prototyping #user experiences. Our staff and methodologies aim to stimulate #creativity. We believe in making ideas tangible through prototyping and organize user tests in a realistic context to discover boundaries and opportunities as soon as possible.

meant to serve as a basis for the upcoming intrusion detection nano degree postgraduate AI course Howest will offer. The proposed ownership of this project will be open-source, which will in time allow for a large community to contribute to the success and evolution of the techniques, and keeping them up-to-date with security and AI evolutions. It’s also very likely that the companies involved will set up a follow-up projects and/or create a spin off companies (possibly in collaboration with Howest).

We are on a non-stop exploration for design and innovation challenges: we want to know what tickles your imagination, makes your heart skip a beat or keeps you up at night. Visit us at http://www.industrialdesigncenter.be/

Blockchain 4SME Blockchain technology is getting more and more researched. One of the most recent research projects is passing on the knowledge of this technology to medium and small businesses (KMO’s) in Flanders, so they can digitize, improve, renew, secure and add data privacy to their business processes. The goal is that at least 10% of the target audience should benefit from this research. The idea is that blockchain should become common knowledge for a KMO. They should know what it can do and adapt these possibilities to their own world. For this purpose “Blockchain labs”, which will enable the KMO’s to test out Ethereum and Hyperledger technology, will be introduced. Apart from that, an online checklist (Blockchain4SME) and a Blockchain audit framework will be developed. The social goal in this project is to set up efficient health programs within the companies, by using blockchain technology.

Deep learning anomaly identification for cyber intrusion detection Howest has teamed up with Robovision for a project on Cyber Intrusion detection. The basis of the system uses AI and LSTM techniques in order to detect anomalies in the data it’s fed by computer/network package information and logs from existing security, sensor- and other tools. For this it does not rely on the analyses of copious raw data, but rather filters though more limited (only what sensors and security tools deem important) but richer information. Deep-learning and especially LSTM offer the necessary tools for this. LSTM has a “memory” and searches for anomalies in data streams, compared to past events. Since cybersecurity attacks happen via somewhat predictable steps, combining LSTM and multi-source data looks very promising. This project is based on deep-learning knowledge and libraries, knowledge of typical cybersecurity attacks, access to real-life normal and attack data and concrete experience of deep-learning in company applications. Howest has teamed up with companies like Robovision to make this project a success; both committed to invest the necessary people and time for the upcoming 1 to 2 years. The Howest students will work in AI and CCCP projects, BAP and internships. This project is also

HOWEST University of Applied Sciences Marksesteenweg, 58 - B-8500 Kortrijk Tel.: +32 (0)56 24 12 90 Email: info@howest.be - http://www.howest.be 53

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VOKA promotes, supports and creates collaboration between business and academic research institutes An interview with Mr Hans MAERTENS, Managing Director of VOKA Voka, Flanders’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is the most representative employers’ organization in Flanders. It represents over 18.000 companies in Flanders and Brussels. Voka represents more than 65% of private employment and of total added value created in Flanders. Voka’s aim is to create an ideal business environment for successful entrepreneurship and hence to fundamentally contribute to the wealth creation in Flanders.

hat according to VOKA is the importance of basic research for Flemish industry? Flanders, rightly so, invests considerably in basic research. Pioneering basic research contributes to our understanding of the world and often also leads to the discovery of new technologies which over time may be used in new and innovative applications. However, as the results of this type of research are difficult to predict, the risks and financial costs involved are high, the private sector is less inclined to invest heavily in uncertain, explorative research. Basic research is therefore, to a large extent, funded with public money and carried out by universities and other public research centers with very specific scientific expertise. © VOKA

By sharing their newly developed knowledge, research institutes can provide a breeding ground in which application-based and demand-driven industrial R&D can grow. At the same time, research institutes play a central role in training new young skilled researchers. Building on this strong scientific knowledge base, innovative activities can flourish leading to the creation of economic growth and added value. This value-based conversion of new scientific views into truly new products, services or production processes is exactly what creative entrepreneurs and futureoriented companies are looking for. On the other hand, by sharing their market insights, private companies can ensure that research activities at research institutes are keeping up with reality and actual developments in the economy and society. Nonetheless, the path to the market often remains very long. And in most cases significant additional corporate R&D investments are required to turn scientific findings into real new innovative applications.

Hans Maertens (left), managing director of Voka, meets Chinese ambassador Qu Xing at the Voka Headquarter.

various stakeholders in Flanders acknowledge this challenge and, therefore, made it a central point of attention in the ViA 2020-Flanders in Action Plan. More structural interaction between knowledge institutes and companies, smoother knowledge diffusion based on more intense networking and partnerships and improved absorption of scientific insights and know-how by companies have been put forward as focal actions. In spite of the fact that a very significant part of the R&D activities performed at Flemish research institutes is funded by private companies, the gap between industry on the one hand and academic research institutes on the other hand remains very wide. The research community is not very familiar with the customs and habits in a corporate environment. And vice versa. Companies are not fully aware of the added value universities and research centers can offer them. Moreover, entrepreneurs often do not even know the research institutes, their researchers and their research. Private companies and research institutes also differ with regard to their research ambitions. Whereas researchers in the academic community are interested mainly in explorative blue sky research inherently with a long term horizon, corporate R&D is more oriented towards actual market needs and new product

Do Flemish companies make sufficient use of the knowledge and experience provided by scientific research institutes? Generally speaking, Flanders is lagging somewhat behind in terms of converting academic R&D insights into newly commercial products and services (i.e. closing the so-called innovation gap). One of the reasons behind this phenomenon, can be found in the poor collaboration between scientific or technological stakeholders and their industrial and commercial counterparts. Studies show that small-sized entreprises in particular collaborate very little with research institutions. The

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developments. Another driving force in hindering collaboration, relates to the challenging financing of their collective or mutual R&D projects. Finally, severe concerns relating to intellectual property rights can also obstruct cooperation.

Nevertheless, by closing the gap, a double win can be realized. Firstly, our entrepreneurs become aware of the valuable insights and inputs research institutes offer. They may discover potentially new commercial opportunities in this way. Secondly, more intense relationships between researchers and entrepreneurs can contribute to the promotion of more business-minded skills in the academic world. If, in addition, research institutes become themselves more active in looking for commercial opportunities for their themselves or potential business partners, a lever can be activated to effectively boost the socio-economic return on the Flemish public R&D spending.

Starting entrepreneurs discuss their plans on the Voka “Bryo”-meeting (“Bright and young”).

How can the links between companies and scientific research institutes be stimulated? Evidently, obstacles that obstruct the effective development of a culture of collaboration need to be abolished. Levers that can boost collaboration initiatives need to be initiated and intensely supported. Over the last years, multiple initiatives have been launched on different policy levels and in different environments to stimulate the collaboration between companies and research institutes in Flanders. Over the last decades, the Flemish Government implemented several tools aimed explicitly at promoting collaboration between stakeholders. The IWT, which is the Flemish public agency for innovation, for instance provides financial support to companies eager to collaborate as a group with one or more research institutions.

research carried out at Flemish research institutes. Furthermore, the successful technology cluster of Flemish life sciences and biotechnology companies, has its roots in explorative basic research at the VIB university research groups. The last few years, several intense collaborative research initiatives are popping up in Flanders. In this cluster-like initiatives R&D partners from industry and academia join forces to promote technological advancements in their field and lay the foundations of new innovative commercial developments. Examples exist in the field of nanoelectronics, where imec is a word-leading research center, on the discovery and application of new materials research with the Strategic Initiative Materials (SIM), in the field of sustainable chemistry with the FISCH initiative or with Flanders MAKE, the joint research center for the manufacturing industry. Other, smaller scale initiatives have resulted in the development of various new applications in the materials industry (smart coatings, smart textiles, new composites, advanced photovoltaic cells) and the electronics sector (intelligent sensors for health, automotive or telecom applications).

LMS International (now part of Siemens), ICOS Vision Systems (acquired by KLA Tencor), Devgen (acquired by Syngenta), Thrombogenics, Tigenix, for instance, are all very successful spin-offs of the Flemish universities. Founded based on pioneering scientific research, they all succeeded in converting their findings into world leading innovative commercial products. Also Bryo start-up companies Gatewing and BeMobile emerged from a successful conversion of technological

Business leaders at the Voka New Year’s Event

And VOKA does not want to stand by idle either. For years, VOKA has played a stimulating role in this in bringing academic and corporate partners together. By setting up a number of spearhead initiatives in which partners from business and academia are encouraged to exchange ideas and work together, we want to actively support the development of new v-business ventures, products, processes, or business models in these fields. The Voka Bryo project, for instance, actively supports young entrepreneurs with high potential during the first years of their start-up and development phase. Currently two intense collaborative industry-academic platforms are up and running. Smart Grids Flanders, around smart energy networks, and the VOKA Health Community, which focuses on innovative healthcare applications, are bringing experts and partners from both worlds together precisely with the aim of creating new joint entrepreneurial projects. The feasibility of more similar initiatives is currently under investigation.

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UAS4EUROPE: a crucial role for Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in research and innovation UAS4EUROPE is a networking platform and the voice of European Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the field of applied research and innovation. These UAS are more often known by the name of ‘hogescholen, Fachhochschule or Politechnico’s’ and mostly include Academies of Art too. According to UAS4Europe, Universities of Applied Sciences have an important role to play in FP9, the ninth European framework program that will follow Horizon 2020. UAS in Europe are not only strong in practical and application driven research (applied science), they often have an extensive and unique regional network of companies and social profit organizations to offer.

Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) and their innovative strength in their regions. “About 85% of all Horizon 2020-proposals were rejected by the European Commission, just because of the limited budget, not because of the quality of proposals. If the European FP9-budget would increase, more excellent applications can be approved by the European Commission and more UAS can be involved in FP9”, suggests the secretary-general of UASnet. But he stresses: “the European Commission must continue to pay equal attention to the Structural Funds, because many UAS are getting more funds for their research projects from these EU-programs than from Horizon 2020!”

Bruno Van Koeckhoven, Secretary-general of UASnet

Socially relevant themes and citizen science

Thirdly, more attention should also be paid to socially relevant themes, such as social, artistic and human sciences (SSHA). These themes play a very important role in developing new approaches and solutions to societal challenges. According to UAS4EUROPE, an extra focus should be placed on innovation and industrial competitiveness. In these areas too, Universities of Applied Sciences can contribute a lot to society, according to UAS4EUROPE.

Smart Partnerships for Regional Impact (SPFRI) Firstly, UAS4Europe proposes that the European Commission, working on the new FP9, should make better use of these unique Smart Partnerships for Regional Impact (SPFRI): bottom-up projects with a broad, multi- and interdisciplinary basis through collaborations with social profit and public institutions and private companies, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This could maximize the impact of all European Research & Innovation Programs in the future. “So we are waiting for a response of the European Commission”, states Bruno Van Koeckhoven (Secretary General of the Universities of Applied Sciences Network- UASnet).

“Croissant” Event on 28 February 2018 On 28 February 2018, the UAS4Europe-platform will invite Kurt Vandenberghe, Director of Policy Development and Coordination (DG RTD), to discuss above matters with researchers and advisers from Universities of Applied Sciences. The event will take place at the Permanent Representation of Switzerland at the EU, at Place du Luxembourg 1 near the Brussels Parliament. You can register for this at info@uas4europe.eu

Higher budget Secondly, UAS4EUROPE believes that also a higher budget of the new research program FP9 would enhance the chances of

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Why a UAS4Europe? With the practical and applied research they carry out, Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts are unique in uniting professional practice and higher education. UAS are therefore the perfect players to make a crucial contribution to solving the so-called death valley or innovation paradox that exists in many EU countries. After all, researchers at the Universities of Applied Sciences work closely with many large companies, but even more so with SMEs and non-profit players such as hospitals, governments, etc. to whom they deliver the ideal graduate student. The secretary-general of UASnet simplifies his vision: “If the European Commission wants to be successful in making Europe innovate and taking back the lead in innovation in the world, they will need the Universities of Applied Sciences to make it a success.” Unfortunately, in many EU countries national or regional governments do not sufficiently fund scientific research at Universities of Applied Sciences. Most of the time national or regional governments in the EU spend 90% or more of their national research budget for higher education to the traditional old universities who practice fundamental research. This national disproportional financing by governments discriminates the Universities of Applied Sciences. This causes the effect of huge manpower in research for the traditional old universities and a lack of manpower in the UAS’s. It is not fair, because if national or regional governments invested more in the UAS, more players could apply for EU-funding in their country”, Bruno Van Koeckhoven points out. Since the summer of 2016, the university's educational landscape has been expanding within the EU: an increasing number of international networks of Universities of Applied Sciences are converging and want a stronger voice in the EU. That is why several UAS have joined forces to communicate their innovative strength within the EU through UAS4Europe. The Universities of Applied Sciences Network (UASnet) consists out of the Rector’s Conferences of UAS of 8 EU-countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Ireland, Portugal, Flanders and Wallonia. The secretariatgeneral of UASnet is located at the Flemish Rector’s Conference of UAS in Brussels. UASnet took the initiative together with EURASHE, another European association of the higher education institutions providing professionally oriented programs, to collaborate with the Swiss, Bavarian and Austrian Universities of Applied Sciences. These discussions resulted in the establishment of the UAS4Europe-platform. From 1 June 2018, the UAS4Europe chair will be taken over by UASnet's Secretary-General, Bruno van Koeckhoven, and the Finnish chairman, Hendrik Wolff. In the course of 2019, a UAS4Europe conference will be organized for the second time in Brussels for researchers and EU liaison officers from Universities of Applied Sciences.

Bruno Van Koeckhoven Secretary-general Universities of Applied Sciences Network (UASnet) Ravensteingalerij 27 bus 3 - B-1000 Brussels Tel.: +32 (0)2 211 41 95 Mail: bruno@uasnet.eu - http://uas4europe.eu/about/partners/

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ÂŠ MecaTech

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Corda Campus : a leading international campus for technology, high-tech, ICT and media Corda Campus is a motivating business community for countless innovative businesses and start-ups in the centre of the triangle formed by Eindhoven-Aachen-Leuven. It is the place to be for fruitful partnerships and a fascinating exchange of knowledge and ideas. orda Campus is a business park 2.0. We cluster and facilitate technology and high-tech services companies in a spirit of open communication and innovation. We rely on a number of pillars to put this into practice: real estate, an infrastructure that we make available to companies and entrepreneurs in a flexible and custom manner; service, the emphasis shifting gradually from services to the companies to services to the people employed by these companies; and the interaction between people on campus and between the campus and the outside world.

Corda Campus has a wide range of offices from 40 m² to 14,000 m² at your disposal. In addition to renting out office space Corda Campus also rent incubation space, workshops, labs, archive and storage space. Currently we have 56,000 m² of offices, 8,000 m² of workshops, 1,200 m² of lab space and about 4,000 m² of smaller offices. As your company grows, your real estate needs also change. On Corda Campus you can launch a start-up or establish a small satellite office in one of our smaller office and then move to one of the office buildings as you grow. You can produce your first prototypes in our labs or workshops. The offices and spaces on Corda Campus are equipped with adapted technology and all the spaces are equipped with HVAC air conditioning.

develops an online, data¬driven, training platform and process designed to improve organizational performance, and Airobot develops safety components for industrial multirodor drones so they can perfom high-risk operations safely, accurately and efficiently.

Besides, Corda Campus attaches great importance to service to fulfil your needs in terms of shared facilities. This reduces the investment and expenditure for every company. We offer the following services: catering, meeting rooms, waste management, cleaning, security & access control, reception, office supplies, printer and copier, and technical service. We participate in Open Companies Day as a whole to increase our impact and reduce the cost for the participating companies. We also envisage opportunities with trade exhibitions, training initiatives, airlines, hotels, car suppliers… to arrive at the best and most favourable solution.

On top of that, Corda Campus hosts Corda INCubator, the place to be for (tech) start-ups with growth potential and for growth companies in Limburg, student-entrepreneurs of Hogeschool PXL and UHasselt, and creative, innovative and entrepreneurial minds in Limburg that wish to make a positive contribution to the growth and progress in and of Limburg. Corda INCubator offers them office space as well as coaching, supervision and network development. In brief: everything they need to be a success and make it to the top! 92 stats-ups have already been supported in this vibrant community.

Corda Campus is at the forefront of open innovation. In today’s rapidly evolving world, companies cannot simply rely on their own research. ‘Open innovation’ is defined as “the combination of new internal and external sources for both the development and the market launch of new technologies and products”. Corda Campus fully agrees with this type of innovation, which is all about joining forces. Our companies and partners inspire one another by sharing knowledge, experiences and facilities. That makes innovation easier, faster and cheaper.

Moreover Corda Conference is the central meeting place on Corda Campus. This is where we organise the most important events on campus. You too can use this facility! Our inspiring surroundings and our meetings rooms with state of the art equipment add value to your meeting, product launch, seminar or conference. There are 13 meetings rooms on the first floor of Corda1, which are perfect for large groups or meetings where impressions matter. You can also rent the auditorium next to Corda Cuisine for lectures, seminars, product launches… i.e. for events up to 220 participants. Who could ask for a more pleasant working environment? http://cordacampus.com/en

Already 80 companies are located at Corda Campus. They are active in marketing, services, IT, consulting, high-tech, training, security, finance, telecom, engineering, HR, energy, travel, legal issues, storage, and governement-related domains. For instance, Ontoforce develops semantic software to accelerate the development of medicines, Onsophic

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JABIL HASSELT : We partner across the entire value chain

Innovate Jabil helps customers innovate by collaborating to develop the right strategy, solution or product; reduce go-to market risk; accelerate time-to-market; and increase revenue generation. We help customers imagine new ways to apply technologies and combine features to meet customers’ – and ultimately endconsumers’ – needs.

Emerging markets, 3D printing, big data, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing… There are multiple trends causing this accelerated change, most of which impact every industry we serve. We operate in five business divisions, each comprised of unique sectors across distinct markets, allowing us to understand specific business challenges of our customers. Jabil’s experience reaches across a broad range of industries and end-markets and affords customers the best-in-class knowledge, experiences and best practices to be transferred between markets, industries, technologies and capabilities.

over decades, accomplish more with less by consistently focusing on activities and resources that add value, optimizing production so customers get the best outcomes at the least possible cost.

Deliver Increasingly, OEMs focus on core technology innovations while their manufacturing partners provide services like shipping and warranty fulfillment. Partnering with Jabil brings the benefit of decades of delivery experience to bear. We are dedicated to building the most robust and efficient systems for delivering quality goods on-time… our global footprint enables that to happen anywhere in the world.

Design Our Design Engineering expertise spans from ensuring optimized manufacturability to capabilities that enable leading next-generation product development – like Optics and 3D Printing. We help customers by integrating innovation with discipline, expertise and efficiency. When designing for manufacturability we’re able to consider all phases of development and production to create the highest functionality at the lowest cost.

Manage Jabil supply-chain management solutions result from decades of experience and extensive expertise in industrial engineering, systems engineering, operations management, logistics, procurement and information technology. Our sophisticated supplier database enables quick recognition, evaluation and adjustments to supply chain issues. Combined with Jabil’s large global footprint and diversified manufacturing operations, this is a huge strategic advantage for customers, helping them transform and optimize their supply chain ecosystem. With both our managed services and apps, we collaboratively coordinate just the right combination of people, processes and technologies to drive greater financial performance and a better customer experience

Plan Supply chains are becoming increasingly complex. Jabil’s planning and logistics expertise provides customers with supply chain network design and optimization solutions through proprietary, predictive, action-based simulation tools. We’re able to simplify complexity driven by things like difficult cost structures, diverse industries and geographies, turbulent economies and scarce resources.

Make Jabil offers end-to-end manufacturing capabilities with operations in over 100 sites in 29 countries. As a single point of accountability, we help make the highest quality products and components using the latest automation and process technologies. We streamline the entire product lifecycle, empowering customers to focus on what matters most to their business. Jabil’s lean manufacturing techniques, perfected

Jabil Circuit Belgium N.V. - Hasselt Research & Design Center Kempische Steenweg, 297 - B-3500 Hasselt Tel.: +32 (0)11 302 422 - Fax: +32 (0)11 302 594 Email: salesbelgium@jabil.com - http://www.jabil.com 60

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Hasselt

An Experienced Partner for Designing, Validating, Testing and Prototyping your Electronic Products Jabil’s Hasselt facility delivers product design, PCB design, product validation, fast prototyping for electronic products. We provide a onestop-shop solution to diverse industries such as consumer, industrial, metering, transportation and automotive. With more than 30 years of experience and in-depth knowledge in product development, validation and testing, Jabil’s Hasselt team provides best-in-class services for even the most complex projects, with a strong focus on lowest cost, highest quality and fast market introduction.

Solving the Industry-Speciﬁc Challenges of our Customers;

BRINGING EXPERTISE FROM A BROAD RANGE OF END-MARKETS Design Services

Partnering with Jabil enables your company to focus on your core competences to deliver competitive market advantage.

Our design capabilities range from cost reductions for existing designs, subsystem design to full turnkey product design. We are strategically positioned to become a seamless extension of your internal design capabilities. Getting involved early in the product development process and working closely with your engineers, we work agressively to exceed your goals and time-to-market expectations. © Jabil Hasselt

We provide the following design services : • System Architecture • Software Design • Electronic Design • Mechanical Design • PCB Design • Industrialisation • VAVE: Value Add Value Engineering

Fast Prototyping / New Product Introduction

Jabil Hasselt carries your design through to manufacturing and produces prototypes and low volume series of printed circuit boards, sets and/or modules. Our team is specialized in short delivery times ond high quality manufacturing, and supports last-minute changes in component values and high flexibility in component packaging.

• 3 days PCB ordering, first boards ready on 1-2 days • Flexibility in component change • Flexibility in packaging • High Quality level results in reduced debug time - IPC-A-610 and IPC-7711/21 certified staff - Passive components are tested before placement - X-ray testing • Built report with improvements and recommendations • Easy access to components using Jabil’s global supply chain

Product Validation

Our product validation services include: • Reliability testing • Safety and approbation support • Accelerated lifetime testing • Environmental compliancy checks • MTBF check • EMC debugging and pre-certification

Test Solution Development

We provide the following test solution services: • Test Strategy development • DFT consultancy

WORKING FOR YOU

Appropriate verification of performance, quality and reliability of your products allows for: • Reducing service cost and field call rate • Imroving customer statisfaction • Compliance to safety, certification and regulatory requirements.

• Test & Test system specification

An Extension of Your Organization Each customer, regardless of size, has one point of contact and a support team to ensure optimal performance locally and globally. Your team – referred to as a business unit – is custom fit to your specific needs – be it PCB design or a full turnkey solution. Operating as a dedicated, autonomous business within Jabil, your business unit team is accountable for your satisfaction and is connected to your business success.

For more information, you can contact us at: Tel: +32 11 302422 - Fax: +32 11 302594 Email: salesbelgium@jabil.com

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Becetel® is a totally independent ISO 17025 certified laboratory, capable to carry out a wide range of tests on plastics. With a focus on plastic piping and its accessories. Becetel® is a recognized laboratory for many inspection and certification bodies, like BCCA (Benor), Copro, Certigaz (NF136), DVGW, DIN-Certco,… Becetel® is also active in several normalization commissions and works as a subcontractor for other laboratories and institutes. Becetel® has the expertise necessary to respond to customer inquiries quickly and flexible. The company is run by Prof. Ir. Philippe Vanspeybroeck, a world authority in the field of fracture analysis and material properties.

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Becetel: Technological and scientific materials testing for industry, public and private sector Becetel carries out technological and scientific research in plastics pipes and fittings for gas and water distribution as well as for applications in sanitary and industrial use. The use of high-performance plastics materials - for infrastructure projects among other things - is growing and the dimensions are constantly increasing in size.

igh performance specifications are required for pipe material, focused on a long operational lifetime and safe use under extreme conditions, such as pressure and temperature, aggressive environments, traffic loading, etc. Becetel has a modern laboratory with specialised equipment and testing methods for simulation of the operational life of plastics piping systems by short term testing. These piping systems shall also conform to the European and ISO standards with respect to suitability for the intended use, quality, operational lifespan, etc.

Becetel carries out tests on different types of materials (plastics pipes, electrofusion joints, butt fusion joints, valves, …). They include, among others, the “resistance to hydrostatic pressure”, the “regression curves”, “notch test”, “tensile test”, “peel test”, “crush test”, etc. In recent years Becetel has developed various testing methods. One of these is the PANT-test (Pipe Accelerated Notch Test) which makes it possible to assess and validate new plastics materials more quickly. After international validation by means of Round Robin testing, the PANT-test shall be normalised

according to ISO-procedures. Primarily gas and water distribution companies make intensive use of this method. Becetel has more than 1,000 business clients from all around the world. As an accredited laboratory (ISO 17025), clients may count on our support for their technological projects and ask for specific advice for their application.

Becetel is always pleased to share its knowledge. Becetel annually organises an “International Plastic Pipes Conference & Exhibition”. This symposium is intended for contractors, gas and water distribution companies, telecommunications companies, industry, the public sector, various utility companies as well as producers of raw materials, pipes and fittings.

Becetel® vzw Gontrode Heirweg 130 - B-9090 Melle Tel.: +32 (0)9 272 50 70 Fax: +32 (0)9 272 50 72 Email: philippe.vanspeybroeck@becetel.be http://www.becetel.be

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ÂŠ Thales Alenia Space Belgium

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Wallonia: a land of innovation

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For the exploitation and operationalisation of research An interview with Mr Willy BORSUS, Minister-President of Wallonia Funding at stages of research further upstream are expected to increased. What budget do you have for this and what research subjects do you plan to prioritise with your support? As a general rule, each euro invested should be an effective euro for us. Currently, €700 million have been injected into the competitiveness clusters and this has helped finance 334 research, training and investment projects. With regard more particularly to the funding of upstream stages of research, we in fact insist on its importance in our Declaration of Regional Policy. Thus the funding will be in line with the policies of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in order to ensure its coherence and to enable more overall effectiveness. At the same time, as explained previously, the private sector is a substantial key contributor to the research and development sector since on its own it accounts for 77% of expenditure in this area. The funds must be combined and be as varied as possible to enable any innovative project to succeed. At the moment, the most important sectors in terms of expenditure are pharmacy, chemistry and aerospace.

To return to the Walloon Government, we are committed, for example, to devoting a part of the credits to social innovation, an area that has not been supported enough over the last few years. It is also crucial that we maintain high quality research equipment: without cutting-edge material, the quest for excellence is sure to fail. Digitalisation, digitising the economy and the digital economy are also crucial fields in this 21st century.

hat are the main axes of regional policy with regard to research? My government is convinced that research is an asset that Wallonia should build on to redevelop socio-economically. Currently, research and development represent 2.9% of gross internal expenditure in Wallonia, whereas expenditure on research and development in Belgium only represents 2.4%, for instance. This figure is mainly due to the contribution of the private sector and this must be considered when we decide on the policies we implement. In Wallonia, 53% of companies are considered innovative. It is therefore crucial when we are deciding on research policy to continue to encourage companies to be innovative, regardless of their area of business. The exploitation and operationalisation of research must be achieved through a policy of smart specialisation and simplified procedures. Like all decisions made and procedures put in place, the exploitation and operationalisation of research will be carried out in a transparent, objective and rational manner.

How do you plan to ensure exploitation and operationalisation of research within the framework of the Marshall Plan? First of all, it is important to note the willingness of my government to maintain the measures that have proved successful. The aim is not to make a clean break with what has been done in the past and which has proven to be effective. Then, with regard to measures that have failed, we would like to reorient these and find new instruments. In spite of the Marshall plans, Wallonia has not taken off in a spectacular fashion. It is now time to move up a gear and to work together for concrete results that can be checked on the ground. Currently, the non-exploitation of some results of research funded by cluster projects incidentally raises questions. The previous government made an attempt by creating an innovation store, in which the exploitation of research was left to the discretion of the universities and companies, through the LIEU network. In actual fact, this project had lost its momentum. In the future, the Walloon Government will ensure the exploitation of results and that so-called “orphan” results may be taken over by operations cells. You are doing the coordination for Marshall Plan 4.0. Could you tell us what the main points are please? Marshall Plan 4.0 represents an investment of €2.9 billion over the period from 2015 to 2019. Five axes were deemed to have priority: training and orientation which should enable “making an asset of human capital”; innovation and growth which

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we have seen clearly what works and especially, what does not work. Therefore, we must go ahead, redirect what does not work and take action to obtain concrete results.

The Walloon government is committed to strengthening its priorities in favour of innovation and the Walloon economic fabric, especially SMEs. What measure do you plan to put in place to achieve this objective? Strongly linked to our economic ambitions, employment is at the heart of our Declaration of Regional Policy. It is crucial for us to help SMEs which are essential to the functioning of our Belgian economy. These supports will include digitalisation, training of young people for jobs where there is a skills shortage, development of the student-entrepreneur status but also the fight against social dumping, rationalisation of these supports, administrative simplification, etc. The work which I have started at federal level will be continued and intensified at regional level, so that everyone has the possibility to achieve their ambitions, both personal and professional.

Inauguration of the Five Digital Village in Erpent

Visit of the Wallonia Brussels Space in Brussels

represents €850.5 million and should enable us “to support the development of industry through a policy of innovation and company growth”; regional development to ensure the ‘mobilisation of the region for the purpose of economic development’; energy and the circular economy which should be supported by an investment of €1.1 billion and finally, digital innovation which goes hand in hand with economic development and which constitutes an underlying theme of this new plan. Now,

You have also decided to accelerate the process of implementing co-financed European projects insisting on the feasibility of the projects within the time frames set out. Could you give us a few examples of projects already funded or being funded now? It is my opinion that excellence in terms of research is strengthened by support for receiving European and international grants. Wallonia has the advantage of a national contact point (npcwallonie.be) which helps to ensure the success of projects and to maximise research and development opportunities and funding. In concrete terms, the EuroTransBIo programme was set up within the framework of the European Research Area Network and enabled the spin-off of the University of Liège, Eurogentec, to develop processes for the manufacture of vaccines and bio-medicines. Another example of a programme is M-Era.Net which enabled the development of innovative collaborative projects headed up by companies. Thus, PhysIOL is a company that, through innovation, is working on intraocular lenses for cataract surgeries. No matter what the subject of research or the unit it originates from (universities, companies, etc.) there are supports and programmes that enable the successful completion of the projects, starting from local knowledge and rising to international level.

Conference of the Walloon Government

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Increasing technology transfers from academic institutions to the Walloon companies An interview with Mr Pierre-Yves JEHOLET, Vice-President of the Walloon Government, Minister of Economy, Industry, Research, Innovation, Digital Technology, Employment and Training centres, in short, to welcome as complete a research panel as possible, including the filing of patents.

ow would you describe the state of the Walloon economy? My overall assessment is mixed. In Wallonia, describing the state of the economy often amounts to summarising the Marshall Plan. And I am not a man for a plan. I want concrete measures to be taken for our companies, our SMEs and our self-employed. There are positive measures in the Marshall Plan. For example, the competitiveness clusters which enabled us to break down the barriers between the worlds of research, business and training. On the other hand, there are lots of measures labelled Marshall Plan that were already in place beforehand. There is also a sort of dilution of public money through it being spread too thinly...

ÂŠ Rights reserved

However, it is necessary to increase technology transfers from academic institutions to the Walloon companies. Consequently, mentalities must change and the scientific centres must be promoted more, starting from secondary schools, to complement the initiatives already supported by the Walloon Region.

Thus, in spite of some good measures, the economic indicators remain a worry. The youth unemployment rate, for instance, is very bad. We must step up a gear and instil a change in this pattern. It is for this reason that over the coming months I am going to endeavour to ensure that the majority of my decisions, whatever the area, will promote employment.

Finally, I would like to strenghten the coherence between the players and the priority topics in the area of research and development and especially support the Walloon Regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategy of smart specialisation.

How do you support the Walloon competitiveness clusters? This issue deserves in-depth analysis, which is still in progress in my Cabinet and to which I attribute huge importance. I am repeating myself but I am convinced that the competitiveness clusters are a good idea, especially because they have enabled us to break down the barriers between the worlds of research, business and training. Also, the access of SMEs to the Walloon competitiveness clusters must be revamped so that each file, small or large, is treated with the same attention.

What do you consider the strong points of research in Wallonia and how do you support the regional players in the field of research? Research and Development are the essential levers for the economy and employment in the Region and we must absolutely focus our efforts on exploiting research results.

However, the issue of subsidies arises and in particular the question of the real contribution that these subsidies make to the economy of the Region. I have never hidden the fact that I wish to put an end to a certain way of spreading ourselves too thinly in a spirit of good governance.

We can say with pride that Wallonia has many advantages such as our know-how, our young talents and our corporate culture, which is continuously developing. The Region is lucky to have a certain number of specialised businesses (in the area of pharmaceuticals, for example) and technology industries active notably in the ICT sector (Information and communications technology). The Walloon research players, the universities and the approved centres are also renowned, here and abroad, for their excellence.

What programmes have you set up to stimulate innovation in the Region? As I have already said, innovation plays a key role in the economic development of Wallonia. This is the reason why I have already implemented concrete measures such as the reactivation of the CXO measure (intended for spin-offs and spin-outs that facilitate access to highly qualified personnel) to offer better opportunities for new companies to develop. I have also undertaken the rationalisation of structures to provide better visibility and thus avoid competition and doubling up.

As proof of that, I can simply refer to the recent opening of the new buildings of the Walloon company, Cefaly, whose most recent innovations are providing relief for people suffering from migraines. In addition to scientific prowess, this obviously stimulates our exports and allows the Region to benefit from good visibility internationally.

There is also the question of making SMEs aware of intellectual property, so that they are not held back if they have the opportunity of participating in collaborative projects. I would also like to maintain the existing support mechanisms, having

For all these reasons, Wallonia is proud to support companies and universities, higher education institutes and research

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assessed their relevance myself and made some adjustments, as well as setting up a GO/NO GO system to detect any failure as early as possible. Finally, special attention will be paid to the space sector (including Galileo) and - of course research infrastructures.

What actions are you carrying out to facilitate the digital transition of the Walloon economy? The main aim of the policy that I’m pursuing today is to counter the problem of the digital divide, and to do this from a very young age, because it is a major challenge for the future of Wallonia, in terms of growth and especially employment. Nowadays, most of the emerging sectors of the economy are digital and that is why brave decisions have to be made immediately, in partnership with the politicians, and especially with specialists with expertise in this area, such as the Digital Agency and the Digital Council. Companies that wish to benefit from support and thus invest more in the digital domain will be able to contact the four centres of digital competence which are Technifutur, Technofutur, Technocité and Technobel.

How do you plan to develop training policies (professional reconversion and recycling, alternance training, cyber classes and cyber schools) to support the digital eruption, energy transition and the social economy? I am fully aware of the urgency of developing training policies and their content so that they match as much as possible the needs of companies and those that are bringing about the development of the economy, which is increasingly conditioned by digital technology, energy transition and the social economy. To complement the support provided for infrastructures and equipment, the offer of training for businesses where there is a shortage and also digital technology must continue to be reinforced and also updated. Upstream, the same goes for the educational approach, which must be innovative and open to digital technology. Regarding the social economy, the offer of in-service training linked to management of the sector and new forms of company organisation must also be strengthened. To take the example of digital technology, the development in this area is only just beginning and requires the attention of both public and private players. For example, the private initiative Coder Dojo, which enables young people aged 7 to 18 to learn the basics of computer programming free of charge thanks to the teaching of volunteers, must be encouraged. The project is in its early stages in Wallonia but has already proved to be relevant and effective in Flanders, and besides it benefits from industrial support. I would also like to refer to Wallcode, which aims to raise awareness and initiate Walloon students in the information sciences and algorithm logic. I also intend to continue to support the “Digital Schools” project, while remaining vigilant with regard to the means assigned to these initiatives, to make sure that these are used wisely.

Finally, I would like more than ever to really focus on alternance training and to facilitate access to this for job seekers. Companies, whose partnership is essential for this type of training, are in this respect a real place of learning in their own right.

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Encouraging commercialisation of new internationally-focused products An interview with Mr Pierre VILLERS, Public Service of Wallonia, Directorate General for Economy, Employment and Research (DGO6), Department of Research Programs

ould you identify the strengths of scientific research in Wallonia? In Wallonia, research reflects its multiple stakeholders. In fact, in our territory we already account for 75,000 enterprises, ninety percent of which are small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than ten staff members. One fifth of these enterprises remain presently active in the manufacturing industry. This domain includes some undeniable leading sectors which build up the fame of our region: I am thinking, for example, of biotechnologies, of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, as well as of the aerospace sector. These dramatize already two characteristic features of research: the leading-edge sector and the size of the enterprise.

I also would like to point out some of our weaknesses: despite the efforts made by the enterprises in R&D, the marketing of new internationally-focused products continues to be extremely low-yield. The reason for our low return may be the concentration of R&D activities of large enterprises in our territory, whilst the manufacturing processes remain dislocated in other countries, points we should bear in mind.

What are the highlights of the DGO6’s activity report for 2016? Could you tell us a little more about the projects implementing the vision of a management contract between the Walloon Government and the Public Service of Wallonia? An administration contract between the Public Service of Wallonia (the ministry) and the Walloon Government was signed for the first time back in May 2016. Each DirectorateGeneral specified its objectives. The DGO6 stressed five working areas (the first one being to provide top-quality services to its clients, including enterprises, the non-profit sector and local authorities). These axes derive their impetus through four strategic objectives. Firstly, they imply user orientation; secondly, administrative simplification and 4.0 administration; thirdly, the agents’ ability and motivation (we account for some five hundred and fifty agents within the DGO6 and some twenty in my own Department); and, lastly, transition towards a flexible organization.

De facto, Walloon enterprises are already heavily involved in the research sector. They stand for over seventy-five per cent of total R&D expenses in Wallonia, thus exceeding the European level of sixty-five per cent. Obviously, larger enterprises invest more substantially in R&D. I consider this as a third feature. In fact, we shouldn’t forget Belgium’s excellent performance in terms of investment on research as noted last November by The Economist. In addition, in terms of employment, this represents just a bit less than 8,000 full-time equivalents provided by the Walloon enterprises, including some 4,300 researchers, which constitutes an impressive score on a regional scale.

The DG06’s Department of Research Programs announced the launch of the WALInnov 2018 program. Could you give us a short description of the two calls for projects planned for 2018 within this framework? In 2018, WALInnov enters into its fourth edition. This program aligns itself with the smart specialization strategy and intends to stimulate specifically targeted research in universities and strengthen the excellence of the best research teams. Through the WALInnov program, Wallonia’s goal means to support research projects with a high scientific and technological potential geared to the basic needs of one or more enterprises. These projects should address the ambitions of enterprises and must have an economic impact in Wallonia. In this respect, I like to underline the following paradigm: research + innovation = employment = a thriving economy.

Finally, we feel it important to note the cooperation and synergies existing between research leaders, which comprise enterprises, research centers and universities or technical colleges.

The WALInnov’ 2018 financial year (first call) marks a real success, since thirty pre-propositions have been submitted, twenty-six of which are financed by a company based in the Walloon Region. All topics find representation, with a majority in life sciences and health care (20%), chemistry and materials and green chemistry (12 and 5%) or aerospace (8%).

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To substantiate what I said before, it becomes essential for the enterprises within this program to participate financially. This economic component of research becomes clearer in the light of those procedures currently implemented by my Department when I include the industrial world. This applies precisely to WALInnov, but also to CWALity. It also applies to the BEWARE program, which financially associated an industrial sponsor.

These projects are selected in two stages: three experts selected the first stage, based on specific criteria. Since the projects completed the first phase of evaluation, they were presented to an independent jury, which selects projects based on expert, scientific evaluations and their potential of full economic use.

The Walloon Government agreed to the financing of three projects within the first call of the WALInnov 2017 program for an amount of 4,443,297.03 €. Could you tell us more about it? The WALInnov 2017 took the form of two calls and funded eight projects: three projects for the first call (for a budget of 4.4 million €), and five projects for the second call (5.1 million).

Title

Objective of the research

Beneficiaries

CAUSEL

Towards a genomic selection with the aid of causal variants in blue-white Belgian cattle (in French Blanc-Bleu Belges or BBB)

Universities of Liège and Brussels, in an industrial partnership with the Walloon Farming Association

MILITHER

Hepatic micro-spheroids the treatment of metabolic steatohepatitis (“Micro Liver Therapy”)

The Universities of Leuven and Liège, in industrial partnership with Promethera® Biosciences

TRUSTEYE

Control micromodules for a secured and certified miniature camera, with low energy consumption

The universities of Liège, Leuven, and Brussels, in an industrial partnership with IntoPIX

CICLIBTEST

Diagnostic companions of CDK4 inhibiting drugs adapted to different cancers.

The Universities of Brussels and Leuven, in industrial partnership with OncoDNA

GLYCALYS

Development of an analytical tool for glycosylation in therapeutic protein based on FTIR spectroscopy

Universities of Brussels and Liège, in an industrial partnership with Xpress Biologics

NANONEUTRA

Inhibitive nanomedicine of elastase in the treatment of respiratory pathology in cystic fibrosis

Universities of Leuven and Liège

OPTIPROFIL

Optimizing and adapting a market research strategies to massive and heterogenous tools for media data

Universities of Leuven and Liège, in partnership with SoPRISM

UCANREST

An innovative approach in the study of RNA epigenetics in cancer

Universities of Brussels and Liège, in an industrial partnership with Diagenode

The directorate of federal and international programs ensures Wallonia’s ongoing involvement in the research programs on a federal and international level. What kind of European projects will Walloon stakeholders be able to meet in 2018? The stakeholders of the research sector must absolutely become really involved in a European dynamic. I want to point out that the Horizon 2020 program, for the 2014-2020 period, plans eighty thousand billion € to be deployed for research projects, which meet three criteria: scientific excellence, industrial supremacy and societal challenges. Unfortunately, we note that today Wallonia’s participation in the different European programs lags slightly, regardless of the remarkable work of NCP Wallonia, the structure put in place to induce Wallonia to take part in these European calls. Therefore, we must increase our presence through various tools. Aside from this consideration, Wallonia’s stakeholders can participate in many European programs: the ERA-nets, which group three or four partners working on new materials, on the manufacturing industry or on biomarkers; EUREKA or EUROSTARS, but also such initiatives as the CORNET, to favor and galvanize collective research to the benefit of European SMEs; IRA-SME, to strengthen the competitive position of SMEs seeking an easier access to the facilities offered by research.

Finally, let’s not forget the FEDER and INTERREG programs, which remain open to Walloon participants. Last year, they accounted for one hundred and forty million Euros’ funding.

Enterprises contributed with 1.3 million € to these projects, via public-private partnerships.

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Support for research and innovation: a winning driver of our economy An interview with Ms Rose DETAILLE, Inspector-General, Public Service of Wallonia, Department of Technological Development (DGO6) researcher hired. In 2016, 12 companies received a total of €1 M. Finally there are specific support mechanisms for SMEs which we’ll speak more about later.

hat are the objectives of the Department of Technological Development? As part of the Directorate General for the Economy, Employment and Research (DGO6), the department has three main objectives. - The first is to manage the financial support mechanisms for applied research and technological innovation for companies as well as approved projects from different Walloon competitiveness clusters. To give you an idea, in 2016 €150 M were granted to 286 companies, of which 250 were SMEs. Our financial support has over 25% new beneficiaries every year. - The second objective of the department is to support and organise activities to raise awareness of science and technology. - Finally, the third aim is to promote the exploitation of research carried out at universities and institutes of higher education.

To be eligible for all of these financial supports, companies must have an established business in Wallonia and must be in a sound financial state. Other assessment criteria are taken into consideration by the administration and by the selection committee such as the degree of innovation, the potential for economic exploitation of the research results, the scientific and technical quality of the research proposed, etc.

What are the support mechanisms reserved for SMEs? There are seven specific research supports for SMEs: support for organisational innovation and process innovation; support for “strategic marketing consultancy” to determine the commercial potential of a product; support entitled “person in charge of research” (RPR) that covers part of the salary of a person in charge of research employed for this purpose by the company; support called “software study” for the development of new software of industrial interest; support for ‘technology transfer consultancy’; support for “technical support study” to develop a product or service with the help of a laboratory and support for “filing or extending a patent”. All these supports are financial in the form of subsidies. In 2016, around 200 companies benefited from these different supports for a total of €9 M.

Could you please tell us about the various research support mechanisms managed by the department? The support mechanisms consist of financial support specifically adapted to research projects oriented towards “new products”, “new technology” and “new services” carried out by companies working alone or in cooperation. This support is provided at different stages in the maturation of the product/technology. For products/technologies that are a long way upstream of the market, for which feasibility, proof of principle or lab validation must be carried out (what we call industrial research in our jargon), funding is in the form of subsidies which may be up 80% of the budget allocated to the research. In 2016, €26 M were granted to this type of funding.

In addition to these financial mechanisms, there are the FIRST Entreprises and equivalent programmes (First-entreprise international, First-doctorat, etc.) which through subsidies enable the company to hire a researcher to carry out a technology transfer from a university, institute of higher education or research centre to the company throughout a specific research programme. This measure also enables specific training for the

For products/technologies that are closer to the market or for which the feasibility has already been established and which require work on development, optimisation, in situ validation (what we call experimental development) funding is in the form of repayable advances which may be up to 70% of the budget allocated to the research. In 2016, €79 M were granted to this type of funding.

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enable them to gain several years in their development. There are, however, some aspects to be fine-tuned such as the impact of strategic marketing studies on the future of the company and to orient our budget more resolutely towards economic exploitation of research projects. From my point of view, research and technological innovation are inseparable from the societal, human and technical progress of the world of tomorrow. Invest today in research and development means creating the companies and jobs of tomorrow.

Here are a few examples of the company/support pairing showing the specific supports for SMEs: - Lesse Brewery which received aid of the “technical support” type to design a new brewing process using very low energy; - Cefaly Technology with a “patent” support for a new product: external neurostimulation for the treatment of migraines. It is of course possible to apply for several supports simultaneously or successively to meet the costs of specific aspects of the research while the new product is being developed, from the idea up to the clinical validation including prototyping and patent cover of the innovation. An example is the company Fytofend, which received five different aid packages (patent, experimental development – prototyping, industrial research – feasibility, RPR and First entreprise) for the development, validation and production of a defence stimulator for plants as well as the installation of a pilot line in the Crealys park (Gembloux). Or indeed, the company I-care, which developed the new technology Wi-Care for predictive and proactive maintenance at international level; this company also received five aid packages (First entreprise, Strategic marketing strategic, RPR, experimental development – prototyping and patent). How do you evaluate the regional supports and R&D programmes? The evaluation is multifactorial: using quantitative data (number of innovations, jobs created, number of patents, partnerships, TO from sales, etc.) and qualitative data such as perception of the innovation by the company itself. This evaluation is generally carried out by specialised engineers or doctors of science who determine the technical and strategic stakes of the research project and ensure its monitoring in conjunction with the company. At the end of the project, the company is invited to return the evaluation form for the research project and the funding it received to the administration. If the research funded through the mechanism of a repayable advance is a success, the reimbursement of the advance is undeniably a positive criterion. If the research shows mixed success, we try to understand the reasons and use these to improve our support mechanisms and our recommendations.

As a general rule, Wallonia can be proud of its financial support mechanisms for innovation. These have improved continuously to tally better with the needs of industrialists and to allow them to get the best return on their investments in research and development. Helps counters (open calls) offer a personalised approach to SMEs and

The DGO6 published the testimony of 20 companies that benefited from its innovation aids.

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ould you please speak to us about the objectives of the Council of Rectors of the Universities of the Walloon-Brussels Federation (CReF)? Located on the premises of the FNRS but with its own organisational structure, the CReF is a place for meeting, exchanging ideas and consultation for the rectors of the six universities of the Walloon-Brussels Federation (FWB). Since the state federalisation of the state at the end of the 20th century, higher education is organized by the communities, according to language. It is also responsible for compiling and maintaining the coded database on the student population, university personnel and research activities. Finally, it initiates and coordinates studies and research of mutual interest in order to build cooperation on matters affecting all the Francophone universities.

In your opinion, what are the strong points and the requirements of the FWB universities? The universities are of a very high standard; according to a recent survey, the rate of employment for graduates with a master’s degree is 90% after 18 months. This excellent performance can be put down to the quality of the education and the degrees being recognised internationally. Otherwise, we need to put into perspective that FWB universities scored nicely in the major international classifications taking into account our funding level (universities in the top 50 have budgets much more substantial than those of the FWB universities) and their openness (there is no selection process). We have to face it: FWB is making an error by not investing more in their universities.

Moreover, the FWB university researchers regularly publish articles in top international journals and they have received several international awards, including a number of nobel prices and fields medal, a sign of their level of excellence.

What are the key figures for the FWB universities? The university student population is about 95,000 and has been growing continuously for the last 40 years. There are 3 comprehensive universities and three partial ones, most of them build in the 19th or 20th century. The quality of these universities is considered high if you look to the value of their graduate on the employment market and their research performances. The funding of the universities is done by closed-envelope; their budget has not increased since 1998. The broadening of the market base for higher education has led to a collapse of funding per student. The universities urgently need refinancing because in our postindustrial world they are the key institutes for training, innovation and economic development. While a degree of refinancing took place during the term of office, it only halted the decline.

You understood that funding is our major concern. But this is not the only problem; the democratisation of higher education thanks to very low registration fees has considerably increased the teaching load of the universities, which means we have a social duty given by the Community. Personally, I am in favour of free access to higher education because it offsets the diverse level of secondary institutions, but it is a heavy load for each of us. What action are you taking to defend the interests of the FWB universities? We are doing all we can, and especially we are making huge efforts internally, to be more efficient in attracting a share of European budgets. We are also tirelessly pleading with the authorities, starting with the government of the FWB, even if the other federal and regional governments are also participating in the funding of research.

Regarding the university personnel, not including the academic hospitals, it corresponds to 9,000 full-time equivalents, yet many more people as professionals work part-time, teaching or contributing to research activities. Moreover, the number of PhD graduates every year has reached 800; their learning in research is an original contribution to human knowledge. In addition, the participation of Francophone universities in FP7 enabled them to raise €200 M.

It is difficult to give a figure for the annual spending on research, as there are several sources of funding: the FNRS for fundamental research, the Brussels-Capital and Walloon Regions for oriented research, closer to industrial exploitation (plan Marschall) and the federal state for some international big projects (BELSPO administration). These instruments are competitive ones, which guarantee a high level of quality to the selected research projects. The universities also contribute on their budget. On average, we could say that expenditure varies between €700 M and €900 M.

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Improving the exploitation of research results An interview with Mr Yvan HAYEZ, Chairman of the Walloon Region Economic and Social Council (CESW) Region and two representatives of Research Centres. In addition, there is a representative of environmental associations and the general administrator of the Walloon Institute for Evaluation, Prospection and Statistics (IWEPS). The Presidency of the Board will be initially held by a Vice-Rector for research (within the framework of alternation provided for this post).

reform of the advisory function was voted this year by the Walloon Parliament and is in the process of being materialised. Could you please explain this reform to us? The Regional Policy Declaration of 2014 had envisaged a reform of the advisory function. One of the aims was to avoid a series of duplications and redundancies that were evident from the procedures set up down the years. The aim of this reform is greater coherence and improved efficiency. The CESW is focusing on the wider economic policy issues, employment and training and social action. At the same time, seven thematic boards have been established; these are bringing together the advisory structures that already existed and “internal” Commissions of the Council. It is a real process of opening up that links to the debate the organisations making up the CESW and other vital forces of Wallonia.

With regard to its tasks, the Board inherits those of the CPS, i.e. the Walloon Council for Science Policy. It also has two additional tasks of evaluation and prospection. On the one hand, it is charged with giving an opinion on the multi-annual programme of works of the IWEPS and on its activities report and on the other hand it may make recommendations to the Walloon Government regarding statistics, evaluation, strategy or prospection. What are the main case studies that will be handled by the future Science Policy Board? The first case study involves the exploitation of research results. The CPS carried out a study on this subject and issued a series of recommendations to improve this exploitation which remains a Walloon weakness, in spite of it having become one of the priorities of the Walloon Government since the definition of the first Marshall Plan and the setting up of the competitiveness board. These works were presented to the Walloon Minister of Research, Mr Pierre-Yves Jeholet, to propose avenues for lending greater support to the exploitation of research results. Then in 2018 the Board must publish the seventh evaluation report on the science policy of Wallonia and the Walloon-Brussels Federation. This evaluation is based on an analysis of the Walloon system of research and innovation as well as on a statement of public expenditure on research, development and innovation (RDI) and the policies enacted in 2016 and 2017, and proposes recommendations to improve the regional RDI system. Finally, with a view to the regional elections of 2019, the Board will start on the preparation of its first memorandum.

What is the impact of this reform on the advisory process in terms of science policy? Since 1990, the Walloon Council of Science Policy (CPS) has been the central body for regional consultation in terms of Science Policy. With the reform of the advisory function that I’ve just mentioned, the CPS will be replaced by the Science Policy Board which will be charged with consultation from now on. The Board should be up and running by the first trimester of 2018 at the latest and its “Secretariat” will be operated by the CESW, as was the case for the CPS. How will the Science Policy Board be made up? What are the differences in terms of composition and aims, compared with the CPS that was there previously? The Science Policy Board is made up of representatives of the social partners and representatives of the research players, as was already the case for the CPS. In contrast to the previous organisation, where there were 14 representatives of the social partners and 10 of the research players, these two groups will have an equal number of seats within the Board. The board will be made up of ten representatives of the social partners, six members from the Universities in the Walloon Region, two members from the Higher Education colleges in the Walloon

The Walloon Region Economic and Social Council

The Head Office of Wallonia Economic and Social Council located in Liege

Set up by Decree in 1983, the Walloon Region Economic and Social Council (CESW) is the regional joint body for social consultation and dialogue which brings together the representatives of employer and trade union organisations. The CESW carries out 3 tasks to promote the social and economic development of Wallonia; three responsibilities that interact and lead to guidance for decisions by the public authority. • The CESW gives opinions on a broad range of social and economic matters. • The CESW organises the dialogue between the social partners on the one hand and between these groups and the Walloon Government on the other. • The CESW operates the Secretariat of the Board, the Consultative councils and Approval commissions specialised in various fields (land use planning, energy, environment, housing, mobility, science policy, rurality, heritage, social economy, training, gender equality etc.). Further information: www.cesw.be

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Creating a favourable context for the digital and energy transition of Walloon companies An interview with Mr Olivier DE WASSEIGE, Managing Director of the Walloon Union of Companies (the UWE) Belgium is an exporting country. The outcome should be particularly good for companies already exporting to Canada. Due to simplified administrative procedures and tariff barriers rescinded, they will be able to develop more ambitious commercial strategies. Companies not currently exporting to Canada will be encouraged to do so. Finally, I am not worried about increased competition from Canadian companies in the Walloon Region, as our companies are used to competition.

ould you please tell us about the main duties of the UWE? An intersectoral Federation, the UWE represents Walloon companies vis-a-vis Walloon public authorities (government, administration, public bodies) for all regional competences such as the economy, energy, regional planning, research and development (R&D), employment, training, etc. Its aim is to support companies with a view to regional development: if the companies prosper, then Wallonia will also prosper. To do this, the UWE publishes studies, opinions and organises meetings with ministerial cabinets, ministers and the administration to highlight its viewpoint when new laws, decrees and administrative regulations are being prepared.

How is the UWE supporting companies in their digital and energy transition? The UWE does not offer specific individual support to companies, but it organises sessions to raise awareness about different topics. It aims to establish a favourable framework for the development of companies, including their digital and energy transition. For example, the UWE is campaigning with the Walloon Region for the installation of state-of-the-art fibre in the industrial zones where it is still lacking. Likewise, it wants companies to have access to renewable energies at an accessible cost. It also supports the competitiveness clusters: they must keep their budget and hence their development, for the restructuring of the Walloon economy. Finally, the UWE contributes its know-how to the programme “Made Different: Factory of the Future”, which supports voluntary enterprises in the digitalisation of their activity. Supported by the Walloon Region with the participation of the Digital Agency, the sectoral federations and the approved research centres, this programme offers companies digital assessment, support in the drafting of a digital plan and then a certain number of days of consultancy for implementation of that plan. It is a welcome help as we go towards industry 4.0!

How would you describe the state of the Walloon economy? It is improving! The Walloon economy is benefiting well from the general upturn in Europe and there is optimism in the air regarding the next six months. On a more structural level, some indicators need to be improved. Unemployment has certainly fallen but remains high at 10% of the active population. The level of activity is still insufficient compared to the European and Belgian average. The implementation of the flagship measures of the Marshall Plan must continue after some “refreshing”. Finally the policies supporting industry, training and R&D must be developed further over a number of years. The first results of these policies are visible as can be seen in the creation and development of companies. However, we must create more companies in the years to come and rebuild a solid industrial base. To this effect, the current reconversion of the Walloon industry towards leading sectors such as health is promising. What impact will corporate tax reform have on foreign investment in Wallonia? As you know, the decision to invest is complex because it depends on many factors. Having said that, a study carried out by a renowned consultant showed that the nominal rate of corporate tax in Belgium was an impediment to investment. Therefore, it was important to do something about corporate tax. The decrease in this rate will increase the attractiveness rating of Belgium and hence of Wallonia for investors. This is a very good thing.

What do you expect from the entry into force of CETA for the Walloon economy? The outcome is likely to be limited for Wallonia. In fact, Canada is our thirtieth largest business partner and represents just 0.5% of its exports. That said, I welcome all initiatives that enable companies to access new markets more easily - a wish that is expressed regularly by Walloon companies. Moreover,

The Walloon Union of Companies (the UWE): the most influential network in Wallonia

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INFOPOLE Cluster TIC For strong globally-oriented companies A network of private companies with 140 members, of which 90% are SMEs, universities, research centres and incubators operating in information and communication technologies (ICT), INFOPOLE Cluster TIC co-organised over 30 events in 2016, created over 15 full-time equivalent positions and generated over €665,000 in turnover from its activities.

opportunities to introduce ICT into health, agrifood and aeronautics. Each meeting is an opportunity to focus on a competitiveness cluster, to identify the related technological challenges and to invite digital providers to give an account of projects that they have successfully set up in different companies. The “ICT meets...” meetings have been ideal for forming partnerships and have already generated over €200,000 in turnover and over 750 contributions.

rawing on its companies, that are particularly strong in the field of software, INFOPOLE Cluster TIC has a panel of very diverse and cutting-edge skills in seven important fields of activity: cryptology and security management; VoIP solutions and collaborative tools; hosting, grid- and cloud-computing, virtualisation; network services and equipment; mobile applications, embedded and intelligent systems; software development – web, portals, marketing and communication; software development – multi-layer/business applications. Added to these are the promising niche markets such as digital simulation, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, smart cities, etc.

INFOPOLE Cluster TIC is also a partner of the Made Different Digital Wallonia initiative. It is about offering companies target skills like the Internet of Things or simulation to help them make the digital transformation towards Industry 4.0. After a first phase of awareness-raising in collaboration with the competitiveness cluster and the Digital Agency, a diagnosis was made by the experts. It will be followed up in the beginning of 2018 by the creation of a group of players to work on steering projects for the selected companies.

INFOPOLE Cluster TIC provides these services for large-scale regional initiatives. To start with there’s the Digital Wallonia Hub, which collaborates with the TWIST Cluster for the operational set-up of this project supported by the Walloon Government and centred on two lines of activity. The first line is steering companies with high potential to transform them into significant companies in the international market within five years. The second is strengthening the Walloon digital research community and promoting this community among companies in order to facilitate the development of innovative industrial projects.

Alongside these initiatives, INFOPOLE Cluster TIC is developing coherent and shared activities with Agoria, representing big clients and the Walloon Employers’ Association (UWE). The objective is to bring the activities of the digital providers to the attention of its members. In sync with the digital strategy of Wallonia, the INFOPOLE Cluster TIC intends to meet three major challenges. The first is to increase the size and the value of digital companies by positioning themselves on innovative technologies or services and new business models. The second is to increase their presence on the international market with an accessible service with high added-value (in collaboration with AWEX). The third is to make companies aware of the possibilities offered by blockchain, artificial intelligence, etc. Walloon enterprises are invited to innovate and the INFOPOLE Cluster TIC has well and truly decided to support them along the way!

At the same time, INFOPOLE Cluster TIC has been organising “ICT meets…” meetings for two years. At a time when digital is becoming essential for the innovation and stepped-up performance of Walloon industry, these meetings highlight

The “Innovation & Inauguration Day” took place in Charleroi on 6 October 2016. Further information: http://innovation-inauguration0610.be/

INFOPOLE Cluster TIC asbl Business & Learning Center Rue Godefroid, 5-7 - B-5000 Namur Tel.: +32 (0)81 72 51 41 E-mail: infopole@infopole.be http://clusters.wallonie.be/infopole-en/

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Taking advantage of Horizon 2020 An interview with Mr Pierre FIASSE, European Project Developer at NCP Wallonie this has reduced the success rate compared to FP7. However, the H2020 program remains a great opportunity for innovative SMEs. By 1 June 2016, 158 projects involving 79 Walloon players had been funded, for a total amount of € 79 million. Two thirds of the funded Walloons are companies.

ould you remind us of the NCP Wallonie’s missions? Launched in 2002 on an initiative of the Wallonia government and hosted by the Walloon Union of Entreprises, NCP Wallonie serves as an interface between research programmes financed by the European Commission (Horizon 2020, Eurostars, ERANET) and Walloon research players (Companies, SMEs, Universities, research centres, associations and public authorities). Its core mission consists in increasing the participation of Walloon players in European research programmes and to maximize the results of the latter. © NCP Wallonia

What are the key characteristics of the Horizon 2020 program? With around € 80 billion of funding, Horizon 2020 is the largest European research and innovation program of all time. It encompasses the entire value chain, from basic research into the early market applications. Horizon 2020 stands out by the simplification of administrative regulations: a unique financing rate is used for all the players of one same project (100% for research programmes and 70% for innovation programmes) and a flat rate of 25% is enforced to reimburse general costs. Technically speaking, Horizon 2020 is organized around 3 pillars: scientific excellence, industrial leadership in key technologies and society challenges defined by the European Union.

How can Walloon SMEs participate in the Horizon 2020 program? Several times a year, the European Commission launches calls for projects in which all types of players can meet. These projects are collaborative (they should generally gather at least 3 partners from 3 different countries) and competitive (only the best are chosen).

Specifically, players must move up or join consortia to respond to these calls and submit a proposal that will be evaluated by international external experts. The collaborative aspect is one of the key points for success: each consortium should bring together European partners who have the best skills for the project. How can you help the Walloons increase their success rate? The text of the proposal is the only element available to SMEs to convince the evaluators. Early contact with NCP Wallonia is therefore highly desirable. Not only will we direct them to the most appropriate call for proposals for their project idea, but we will also proofread their proposal. We will make every effort to avoid their frequent mistakes by checking the items on which they will be judged and turning their proposal into a coherent, balanced and relevant one.

Horizon 2020 was launched three years ago. Can we already make a first assessment? In general, there is a sharp rise in the number of proposals submitted. This success can be explained by the way in which calls are written: less prescriptive than in the previous framework program FP7. In addition, by integrating the component innovation - and thus being closer to the market -

Facilitated access to market The Commission launched two new tools that provide SMEs with faster access to the market. The first, the “Fast Track to Innovation” offers a “time-to-grant” of six months and a “time-to-market” of 36 months. It provides funding for activities such as validation tests, pre-normative research, certifications, performance testing / pilot / test benches and validation of the business model. The second tool, the “SME Instrument” allows a SME to carry alone its project. It is therefore not compelled to mount a consortium. This instrument allows SMEs to develop more strategic projects. They benefit, based on a highly competitive selection, from a coaching during the 3 phases of the project.

H2020: A real opportunity for innovative SMEs European growth is made possible thanks to SMEs. The European Commission has simplified the procedures, created new opportunities for financing and increased the share of the budget devoted to them. This amounts to € 8 billion. In the current context, it is an opportunity! Also, participate in a European collaborative project enables SMEs to benefit from significant co-financing for their research and innovation and promote research into new markets.

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Agoria Wallonia Bring the technology industry into the 4.0 era Agoria is the Belgian Federation for Technology industry. Its mission is to defend the interests of technology companies and improve the socio-economic environment of these companies at the regional, federal and European levels. technology industry has a strong need to recruit technical profiles: between 4,000 and 5,000 vacancies are announced in 2018.

The third challenge: “No future without green technologies”. Agoria wishes to involve the technology industry in the dynamic of the “green economy” and has defined 2 directions to this end: reduce the environmental impact of industry members while preserving their competitiveness; and promote new technologies and green services. “All the sectors of activity are concerned and the reduction of their environmental impact is largely driven by technological innovation” declares Thierry Castagne.

Thierry Castagane, General manager Agoria Wallonia

elecoms, mechanics and mechatronics, ICT, industrial automation, electrical engineering, metal products, construction products, metals and materials, contracting and maintenance, plastics and composites, automotive, security and defense, aeronautics and aerospace, assembly and cranes. It is to these high-tech industries that Agoria devotes its energy. Sectors which make up a total of 3.500 companies and about 67.000 people in Wallonia, giving a combined turnover of 16 billion Euros, two-thirds of which are exported. From day one Agoria has supported the putting in place of a new industrial policy in Wallonia, particularly focused on the competitiveness clusters. The Federation has particularly invested in the MecaTech Cluster, which is focused on mechanical engineering. Moreover, the Federation supports different technological clusters in the initial stages and as a complement to the competitiveness clusters: Infopôle Cluster TIC (ICT), Twist (technologies of image, sound and text) and Tweed Cluster (energy-environment).

In parallel, Agoria Wallonia has identified the three challenges that the technology industry must rise to. The first challenge: “No future without technology”. It is imperative to maintain and develop activity in Wallonia by boosting innovation. “It is therefore necessary to reduce payroll costs in a global manner, including those weighing on R & D” exclaims Thierry Castagne, General manager of Agoria Wallonia. The second challenge: “No future without technical skills”. On a quantitative level, Agoria promotes technological careers with its teaching and university partners. Indeed the Walloon

Greentechs represent many opportunities for growth of the Walloon technology industry.

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SynHERA, the effectiveness of a network SynHERA (Synergy between University colleges and Companies for Applied Research) was created to promote and support the University colleges of the Walloon-Brussels Federation (FWB) in their task of applied research, in partnership with companies, thus contributing fully to regional social-economic development.

It was in this way that the Institute of Research on the Professional Integration of Immigrants (IRPI - Quebec College Centre for Technology Transfer) called on SynHERA in 2017 to support its request for collaboration with a Belgian University colleges on research (action) programmes on radicalisation. In order to put potential partners in touch with each other, SynHERA started by mapping, skills and expectations of its network of University colleges that related to the subject of radicalisation. The contacts made with those interested have led to the emergence of several ideas for collaborative projects, including one that came about following a call for mobility launched by the WBI. The IRPI has, in fact, linked with HERS (University college Robert Schuman) for the next two years to work on the project “Oral literature: a weapon against the radicalisation of populations”.

inking 19 University colleges of the FWB and their 10 associated Research Centres, the SynHERA network brings together researchers from all walks of teaching (technical, agronomic, social sciences, educational, paramedical, applied arts and economics). This represents as many as 800 researchers working in 132 institutes.

Support from A to Z In order to achieve its aim of promoting and supporting research in University colleges, SynHERA helps its partners (researchers/promoters and companies) right through all the phases of a research project, that is from the drafting of an appraisal to the exploitation of the results. 1. Appraisal

2. Project management

This phase consists of understanding in depth the requirements of the partners so as to best direct them in their development and innovation approach. If there is a need for an external beneficiary in research, innovation or development, and once this need has been assimilated and analysed, SynHERA may issue a search for skills within the network of the University colleges and their associated Research Centres, seek the most appropriate financial aid or help create a partnership.

The management of the research projects carried out by the scientific advisers of SynHERA includes the search for partners, support with prior rights search, help with drafting the blueprint and overall monitoring of the project if it is accepted by the subsidising authorities.

The project managed jointly between a company operating in the wine-making sector and the University colleges of the Province of Liège since 2010 (FIRST Higher HE project) is a perfect illustration of this overall management. SynHERA first invested in supporting the launch of the project on the exploitation of antioxidant properties of wine and its evolution during maturation. Following promising results by the researcher, SynHERA guided and supported its two partners towards a technological check file and a technical support

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research project. This may be to identify the calls for projects depending on their centres of interest, to structure their internal or external communication, or indeed to learn more about intellectual property and exploitation. Modules “Training for Research” are also being prepared to orient beneficiaries on more specific issues. This might involve help in writing a scientific article, making a state of the art or preparing a bibliography according to the standards in force. The “training” section developed at SynHERA thus aims to professionalise the business of research and promote scientific research of quality in the University colleges.

subsidy, two financial aids granted by the Walloon Region to SMEs. The subsidy awarded enabled the company to continue its collaboration with the initial researcher, leading in 2017 to characterised products of high quality and improved homogeneity. The support of SynHERA throughout this major project enabled the company to maintain a partnership of quality with a University colleges while benefiting from substantial subsidies that funded research that was economically beneficial for the company. 3. Legal support Legal support may be provided at all stages of the research project, whether for project management or exploitation of results. SynHERA also supports University colleges with regard to any legal issues related to research in general (protection of intellectual property, drafting collaborative contracts etc.).

5. Exploitation

The exploitation of results is essential as it constitutes the completion of any research procedure by enabling the sharing of academic learning with the socialeconomic environment. This can take the form of a company obtaining a licence for a trademark held by the University colleges, the sharing of knowledge through publications etc. As this phase is not always easy to implement, SynHERA supports its partners throughout the process, especially in negotiating the licence conditions and in defining the appropriate legal terms in the case of a licence purchase.

An example of this is the “Elidot” project, developed by the CRIG research centre of University colleges Libre Mosane. The objective was to devise an immunology diagnostic test in multiplex ELISA format and this required legal support from SynHERA throughout the preparation of the project to ensure protection of intellectual property, mainly through the signature of confidentiality agreements and material transfer agreement contracts for the lending of material that would enable the secure realisation of multiple tests on the product developed.

The completion of the “Remediatic” project is a good example since the support of SynHERA allowed it to be the subject of a license of exploitation towards the publishing house Erasme, which will soon market the tool. This project, carried out jointly by the FoRS research centre of HENALLUX, UNamur, the company HERA Consulting and the company Erasme, offers an online service of individualised remote school support with the aim of evaluation and remediation of skills in French and mathematics for young people from 9 to 14 years old. This platform will follow the results of the students as they progress and produce individualised reports at the end of the course for the students, parents/educators and the editor.

4. Training It is not always easy to complete a project successfully and there are often obstacles and queries that arise during the course of the experiment. With this in mind, SynHERA has been distributing training modules (called “KIT Starter”) since 2014 intended to steer any young researcher through their

ISO 9001 certification

The various actions listed above show the tasks of SynHERA which are: - supporting the University colleges and their associated Research Centres in the development of their research activities; - strengthening the visibility of their scientific skills; - exploiting their research results; - integrating them into the networks of the innovation players; - representing all University colleges with the various public players.

These different tasks carried out by the team in a professional way through clear and structured processes have enabled SynHERA to obtain ISO 9001- 2015 certification, thereby maintaining the satisfaction of its partners at the core of its business.

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Skywin: Collaborative innovation and operational excellence An interview with Mr Etienne POURBAIX, Director of the Skywin competitiveness cluster is to develop components and know-how needed to produce reliable and efficient compact instruments of observation, and thus propose to the market a very compact and innovative observation instrument.

an you tell us about the Skywin cluster’s goals CAs and strategy? with all of the business clusters in Wallonia,

Skywin’s goal is to bring together all of the players in industry, research and training in our sector, aerospace. The cluster also runs both of our project tenders every year in terms of R&D, training and investment. Additionally, we are active on an international level, where we can hone our aerospace expertise in other countries, take part in trade shows with AWEX, promote B2B meetings and develop partnerships with international consortiums. Finally, Skywin works to defend the interests of the Walloon aerospace sector when dealing with the ESA and the Ministry of Defence in particular.

Created from the bottom up with our members in 2006 and rebuilt in 2013, our strategy is based around 6 key axes: composite materials and industrial processes, metallic alloys and industrial processes, on-board systems, airport services, space systems and applications, modelling and simulation. Besides, the “drone” component was added in 2016 to two of these 6 axes: “on-board systems” and “space and drone systems”. Here we focus on the integration of particular sensors on drones and the development of data processing systems in order to make the most of the obvious synergy between space and drone applications. As you can see, our strategy can adapt to new challenges and incorporate current technological developments.

Additionally, two innovative collaboration projects focusing on the development of tools and methods for aerospace additive manufacturing were approved on the 2nd of July 2015 as part of our 13th project tender: AERO+, headed by SAFRAN Aero Boosters and FASAMA, headed by Sonaca. And let us not forget the projects submitted to the 2016 call for projects: many of them targetted additive manufacturing for aerospace applications.

Can you talk to us about your training activities? Since it was founded, Skywin has provided more than 200,000 hours of training. In the first phase, the cluster approved several training projects which were directly linked to R&D projects. This was especially true for a project currently near completion which was connected to the ACP project: designed for technicians and engineers, it covered the use of digital modelling tools for composite materials.

Can you run us through a few examples of innovative and collaborative projects approved by the cluster? Out of the 38 R&D projects approved for the 15 project tenders, I would choose two of them: the ACP (for aircraft and composites, see text box 1) and ACTIO. Approved during the project tender in 2009, ACTIO is headed by Deltatec, a SME, in partnership with 2 other industrial groups (AMOS, Spacebel) and 2 research organisations (Ulg-CSL and UCL) for a total budget of €3 million.

The objective of the ACTIO project is to respond to the evolution of observation instruments towards more commercial environments by addressing two areas of research: increase the spatial resolution of the instruments while keeping them in microsatellites; and develop economically attractive solutions, applicable to many commercial spatial RFI. Specifically, the project aims at: determining a bold and unprecedented mechanical solution to enable a microsatellite PROBA-type to host a optical observation instrument with high resolution; providing solutions to the difficult issues of selecting a component-based instrument adapted to globalized business environments; studying the components of instruments optimized in terms of price and performance, specifically targeting optical mirrors and electronics; validating all components of the instrument for a high resolution extension. The purpose of the project

The manufacture of composite components is taking on special significance, and requires completely flawless production methods. Here is part of a composite booster, designed by Safran Aero Boosters.

The members of the Skywin clusters make a significant contribution to various programmes led by Airbus. Here, a “Lower Shell” can be seen under a large piece of A380 fuselage, produced by SABCA in Brussels.

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Skywin members’ activities also include the design and construction of aircraft motor test beds.

Following the overhaul of our strategy in 2013, Skywin opted for a different approach: going directly to see the 20 most active members and assessing their training requirements with them. This approach was implemented in collaboration with our training partner WAN (Wallonia Aerotraining Network), and concluded with the development of CAMPUSS, a framework project with a budget of more than €4 million.

The latest investment project which we approved on the 2nd of July 2015, as part of the 13th project tender, was the SOBINV2. This is headed by Sobelcomp, a small business active in the composite materials sector, which is growing through the acquisition of new premises. It certainly looks like small Walloon businesses believe in the future of the aeronautics and space sector!

CAMPUSS can be broken down into 3 key areas: hard skills (training engineers to use new simulation tools – CAD); operational excellence (to improve production competitiveness) and soft skills, much in demand from our members (project and team management, negotiation with partners and suppliers, stress management, etc.). CAMPUSS was launched in 2014 for 4 years with a management committee including ten industrial establishments. Arrived mid-term, this great example of Skywin’s bottom-up approach will now focus more specifically on SMEs and the 4.0 industry, the impact of which will be huge on industrial processes and training. That is why Skywin will associate with other Walloon competitiveness clusters in 2017 in order to develop a training offer that will allow our regional economy to make the transition to the 4.0 industry.

What kind of services do you offer your members? We ensure full and permanent technological oversight, with the organisation of regular technological conferences based around specific themes. For these events, we invite guest speakers with experience in some of the finest organisations, frequently from abroad. These conferences are perfect vehicles for brainstorming, and frequently bear the fruit of ideas for collaborative projects. Next, we work to monitor how projects are started up, offering coaching services for the development and completion of a project (which often involves finding the right consortium with the right research partners). The aim is to give the project the best possible chance of being selected.

We should also talk about the approval, as part of the 13th project tender, of an excellence training project for mechanical development and assembly processes: FOREX, headed by Sonaca and WAN.

Skywin in facts and figures - 150 members, including around 115 industrial members (more than 90 small to mid-sized businesses). This covers 95% of the Walloon aerospace sector, and thirty research and formation organisations,

What can you tell us about the investment projects approved by the cluster? In contrast to our collaborative projects, investment projects are headed up by a single player in line with a strategic development plan. For the past eighteen months, we have seen very high demand for these investment projects. They were especially visible during our last project tender: 6 small businesses submitted an investment project. This is proof that the sector is growing and that it is reinvesting in production means (building extensions, new testing equipment acquisitions, etc.) to meet increasing demand.

- A cumulative turnover of €1.7 billion (80% in aeronautics and 20% in space), - 7,000 direct industrial employees, - 67 approved projects (38 in R&D, 19 in investment, 10 in training) for a budget of €222 million (€141 million of which coming from public funding).

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Productivity and excellence in terms of aeronautical component manufacture are key factors which enable Walloon SMEs to take their place on the world stage.

As for exports, we take charge of tracking and coordination for major international trade shows (Le Bourget in France, the 2017 edition of which bodes well with more than 50 registrations in October 2016, that is 7 months before the event, as compared with the 48 participants in 2016, Farnborough International Airshow in England, Singapore Airshow, etc.). How we represent our cluster abroad is always in line with the expectations of our members, even if we frequently dare to take part in new trade shows to prospect new markets. The cluster also offers its members a market tracking service, enabling them to freely access the excellent market studies performed by Frost and Sullivan.

ACP: framework-building project for composite materials Approved during our first project tender in 2007 and headed by Sonaca, the ACP research and training project (aircraft plus composite) has brought together 8 industrial partners and 7 research organisations for a total budget of €19.3 million (€15.3 million for R&D and €4 million for training). Their objective: to develop the composite materials industry in Wallonia. ACP opened the door for 10 other projects aiming at integrating composite technologies in production workshops in order to increase the efficiency of industrial processes.

I should also highlight the MACH initiative, inspired by a project launched in Quebec in 2011. Using our collaboration with the Aéro-Montréal aerospace group, we decided to create an initiative in Wallonia to support local businesses and help them increase their overall levels of quality in terms of both operational excellence and supplier-contractor relations. The principle behind this approach, jointly financed by the government of Wallonia, is simple: a major purchaser sponsors a small business, which agrees to follow an in-depth improvement plan in order to meet increasingly demanding tenders. As part of this Walloon initiative, 4 small businesses were selected in 2014. Their feedback has been very positive: on one hand, they form a privileged relationship with their sponsor, and on the other, they learn about their internal organisational problems which they can then work to overcome. The MACH initiative was relaunched late 2015 to form a second cohort: 4 SMEs have

This is most notably the case with Tecshpace Aero, which launched several composite material projects with applications for boosters, carters and drum components. These projects have led to products which are now on route to the market. This technological road map, which is moving closer and closer to the market, can also be used for the development of increasingly commercial and increasingly compact satellites, and for additive manufacturing in the field of metallic compounds (with 3 projects set up alongside the MecaTech cluster).

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joined the initiative and 2 of the first 4 selected SMEs decided to start a new coaching process. For the first time, non Walloon purchasers volunteered to coach the Walloon SMEs. That speaks volumes about the MACH initiative’s increasing visibility. Additionally, the cluster organises an annual series of small seminars with high-profile guest speakers (Boeing, Airbus…), who present the strategic future of their company in front of an audience of industrial professionals. These events enable our members to strengthen their networks and benefit from high-flying training programmes. Lastly, Skywin represents Walloon industrial companies to improve cooperation in the field of military activities: when a contract comes up, potential foreign suppliers have an active interest in learning about the Walloon economy. As such, they can use the cluster to learn about the sector and come into contact with Walloon industrial companies through B2B meetings. This helps Walloon companies increase their visibility.

to visit Wallonia… while we wait for more tangible results. We apply the same patience in our collaboration with the Samara region in Russia – a collaboration which is difficult to get back on track, given the current political climate. However, our cluster is ready and waiting for business to resume between the European Union and Russia. In the meantime, Skywin took advantage of the 2015 edition of Le Bourget air show to sign 2 new agreements: one with Luxemburg (in the space sector), and the other with the Pays de la Loire region via the EMC2 competitiveness cluster, one of the organisers of the Composites Meetings in Nantes in November 2015. Skywin was there. Also as part of the aftereffect of the 2015 edition of Le Bourget air show, Skywin is striving to develop space collaborations with the American state of Alabama, namely Huntsville, which hosts a NASA campus.

How are you implementing your international development policy? Skywin has signed 8 agreements with international consortiums. On a European level, the cluster is a member of the EACP (European Aerospace Cluster Partnership), a place to exchange good working practices, share experience gleaned from international trade fairs and much more. The EACP also plays a role in the representation of its members in smaller trade fairs where they may not wish to make an appearance. Moreover, the EACP has at its disposal teams working on governance problems, economic and technical problems, technological development strategies and other issues. Furthermore, they provide a discussion platform for the constitution of consortiums with the aim of participating in European projects (Horizon 2020, CleanSky).

In short, the cluster is striving to maintain and cultivate our various collaborative projects, even if they don’t always bear fruit immediately. Setting up partnerships abroad is just the first step, but we’re just facilitators after all! For you, what are the major issues yet to come in terms of research and training in the aerospace industry? Our sector is facing the advent of the 4.0 industry at all levels of the supply chain: the ongoing digitalisation is blurring the boundary between the design office and the production floor. Engineers and workers will have to learn to work together more than ever before. This is also true for aspects related to maintenance. A genuine cultural change is underway and Skywin is ready to play its part to help its members cope with it. The greatest challenge will undoubtedly be to raise SMEs’ awareness of this evolution: if they don’t jump on the bandwagon they will ultimately be thrown out of the supply chain.

The Skywin cluster has also entered into bilateral partnerships. This is the case with our French counterpart, Aerospace Valley, based in Toulouse. The final objective of this partnership is to implement joint projects to fulfil project tenders in both Wallonia and France. I should mention that since the end of 2014, the Walloon Government has opened up project tenders to nonWalloon industrial and academic partners. Thanks to this, we predict a number of beneficial and innovative research collaborations. For instance, Skywin and Aerospace Valley are taking part in the European project « Abroad »: the aim of this project is to help SMEs to develop largest export activities, i.e. beyond European boundaries. In this prospect, a number of countries has been selected (Brasil, Japan, the American West Coast, Mexico) and each member of the project was assigned one of the target countries in order to organize a prospecting mission before taking European SMEs on site. Skywin was assigned Brasil: we will perform a prospecting mission early in 2017 and hope to return with SMEs at the end of 2017.

Another major issue is the acceleration of our production rate: Airbus has imposed a near doubling rate in 3 years, forcing production units to speed up while maintaining their technological skills. That is why there were so many investment projects submitted in 2015: production capacity had to be increased rapidly. The entire supply chain is affected by this trend: everyone will have to maintain full operational excellence and implement production improvements across the board - while remaining competitive, of course.

Similarly, Skywin has started to collaborate with the other French competitiveness cluster, ASTech Paris Region. The vicepresident of ASTech is also a member of our project selection jury… but of course, is sworn to confidentiality! © Courtesy of Safran Aero Boosters

Quebec also plays a part in our international development project. I’ve already talked about Aéro-Montréal, but they are not our only local partner: we’ve also signed an agreement with CRIAQ (the aerospace research and innovation consortium in Quebec). And if you’re not worried about going a little further afield, we’ve also signed a contract with the SIATI, a group of Indian aeronautics companies. As such, we have organised visits for Walloon industrial partners in India, we’ve participated in the Aero India trade show and invited Indian industrial groups

The manufacture of high-value components in the space sector is also the speciality of some of the Skywin members in Wallonia. Here is a “butterfly” valve from a VULCAIN motor for Ariane.

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Thales Alenia Space Belgium Innovative space solutions to enhance people’s lives and extend our reach beyond EAI

Satellites are our core business… We are a world leader in satellite power conditioning and distribution. Our product range covers needs from observation microsatellites up to the large geo-stationary satellites for telecom applications, with power requirements from 250 W up to 20 kW. The company also enjoys a position at the forefront of fight electronics products: avionics, power supplies for plasmic propulsion thrusters, power supplies for travelling wave tubes, DC/ DC converters and other dedicated power products. To quote a single example of how all this equipment is used, we manufacture the electrical core of satellites.With the construction of a one-of-a-kind center of excellence in automated manufacturing, we confirm our position at the forefront of digital innovation and our ability to accompany our partners through the transformational evolution of the space industry.

hales Alenia Space brings over 40 years of experience to the design, integration, testing and operation of innovative space Systems for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent company “Space Alliance”, which offers a complete range of services and solutions. Thales Alenia Space has built up unrivaled expertise in dual (civil-military) missions, constellations, flexible high-throughput payloads, altimetry, meteorology, and high-resolution radar and optical observation. The company capitalizes on its strong legacy, while also making innovation a key to its strategy. By offering a continuous stream of new products and expanding its global footprint, Thales Alenia Space has established its leadership in today’s fastevolving space sector. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of about. 2.4 billion Euros in 2016 and has 7,980 employees in nine countries.

… And we build the electronics for Ariane, Soyuz and Vega We go back a long way with Ariane. In fact, we are the main supplier of on-board electronics for Ariane 5. For each Ariane 5, we design and build 50% of the electronics. These units handle the following functions: on-board power distribution, aborting of the launcher in the event of an incorrect trajectory, control of the nozzles to keep the launcher on trajectory, calculation of the launcher’s position in space and separation of the stages of the Ariane and the fairing that protects the satellites in flight. The Ariane adventure continues: Thales Alenia Space in Belgium participates in the development of the safeguard system of Ariane 6. As the leading European supplier of check-out systems for launchers, we have also delivered most of the control benches for the Ariane family (Ariane 1 to 5), including the vital launcher check prior to launch. We also develop specific check-out systems for satellite platforms and payload equipment. We also produce the safeguard system for the Russian launcher Soyuz. The Soyuz launched from French Guiana is ftted with our safeguard system, allowing the motors to be shut down if it deviates from its trajectory. We are also taking part in preparing the Vega launcher.

In Belgium, Thales Alenia Space is represented by its subsidiary Thales Alenia Space Belgium, in Charleroi, Leuven and Hasselt. This Belgian company is an expert in several high-technology fields. Thales Alenia Space Belgium is the Belgian front-runner in space electronics applications for satellites and launchers, a world leader in power conditioning and distribution for satellites, a key supplier of electronics for European launchers and will be the first automated manufactory of photovoltaic assemblies (PVA) in the Europe. Day after day, our staff of 700 offers quality products and services to our customers all over the world.

A Belgian company at the forefront of the space sector Since 1963, we have contributed to most European space programs and many international satellite launches.

Comprehensive facilities Our facilities match our quality products and services: over 37.400 m² of installations for designing, manufacturing and testing qualified electronic systems.

From design… Our design facilities include printed-circuit development and engineering design with the associated mechanical, thermal and radiation analysis tools. We also have our own range of customized hybrid microelectronic circuits and digital ASICs.

…to fabrication and testing Our fabrication and testing areas, most in clean rooms environment, include a mechanical workshop specializing in aluminum and magnesium, an electronics workshop with a full line qualified for SMT (surface mounting) and BGA (ball grid

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array) technologies, supplemented by a comprehensive testing zone. Our environmental testing area includes variable temperature and pressure chambers, vibration and shock facilities, including pyroshock, anechoic chambers for electromagnetic measurement, specific environments and a salt spray chamber. The new facility in Hasselt will be fully conceived on Industry 4.0 approach. New techniques include robotized assembly of panels, digital data management and traceability, online tests and inspections, as well as augmented reality. People and machines share the workplace, for a harmonious blend of cognitive and physical capabilities, thus opening new possibilities in terms of greater efficiency and agility. © Thales Alenia Space Belgium

Our one motto: routine quality Day after day, some 700 employees apply a strict quality system at each stage of development, manufacturing and marketing activities, in compliance with the standards ISO 9001, EN 9100, AQAP 2110, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. We are also accredited with the CMM3 certificate from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). • • • • • • •

References Telecom satellites: Globalstar, O3B, Iridium Next, Koresat 7, AMC12, AMC13, Apstar, Syracuse, Star One, HotBird 7, Chinasat, Express, AM11-22-33-44, Koreasat,Ciel-2, Turksat, W2A, W7, Satcom, BW, Sicral 2, Globalstar, Nilesat, Loutch, Palapa- D, Apstar 7B, Rascom, O3b, Arsat, Iridium, W6A, Artemis, Turkmenalen…

A world leader in satellite power supplies; A high capacity for innovation; High-performance production capabilities; More than 50 years’ experience; Member of an international group; The main supplier of electronics for launchers; Quality & flexibility.

Observation, scientific and navigation satellites: COSMO-SkyMed, Sarah, GEO-KOMPSAT, Jason-CS, Euclid, Meteosat, Smart 1, Pleiades-HR, Spirale, Stereo, Galileo, Herschel, Planck, Giove-B, Myriad, Sentinel 1, 2, 3, Spot, Helios, Iso, XMM, Integral, Huygens, Soho, Jason 1, 2, 3… Launchers and space transports: Ariane 5, Ariane 6, Soyuz, Vega, ATV, Expert, Colombus, ARD.

The ideal high-tech partner

Thales Alenia Space Belgium Rue Chapelle Beaussart, 101 - B-6032 Mont-sur-Marchienne Tel.: +32 (0)71 44 22 11 - Fax: +32 (0)71 44 22 00 Email: info.belgium@thalesaleniaspace.com http://www.thalesaleniaspace.com

Thales Alenia Space offers you a full range of technological skills, technical expertise, high quality tools and services, highperformance fabrication sties and long experience in applications and equipment requiring a high level of reliability.

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BioWin: Providing growth for SMEs in the health sector in Wallonia An interview with Mrs Sylvie PONCHAUT, Managing Director of the BioWin competitiveness cluster emergence/development of R&D projects; developing expertise; developing companies in international markets; developing networks and largescale structuring projects.

hat are the key figures for the biotech and medtech sectors in Wallonia? With 22,000 hospital beds, the health sector in Wallonia is the European leader in Phase I of the clinical trials. It also has total private expenditure of 1.2 billion euros on R&D. Over the period 2005-2015, 995 million euros of private capital was raised by 143 SMEs who were members of BioWin. The health sector in Wallonia also weighs heavily in terms of jobs: 48,000 direct and indirect jobs. Finally, it stands out for its favourable tax environment, financial incentives to support R&D and a unique location for logistics at the heart of Europe.

As part of the deployment of the Marshall Plan 4.0, BioWin is focusing on internationalization and interdisciplinarity in order to promote these strategic goals. The cluster will be offering its members new opportunities for R&D collaboration with the best ecosystems in the world, near or far (Flanders, Massachusetts, Israel, etc.) and will be providing help to set up European projects.

Could you talk to us about the cluster’s strategy? Smart specialization, an international outlook and technological leadership: that’s BioWin’s triple goal for 2015-2020. The cluster’s role is to accelerate innovation to respond to the public health challenges of the future and to develop knowledge, jobs and the competitiveness of everyone involved in the health sector ecosystem in Wallonia. By 2020, BioWin aims to make Wallonia a region internationally known for its world-class academic, clinical and industrial research environment in the cluster’s technological domains.

We are also planning to internationalize the Training department. BioWin will be identifying the best training programmes abroad linked to its members’ activities and to the key technological domains in our region. The cluster will also be recruiting the best international trainers.

To add to the value chains and consolidate the ecosystem, the work done by BioWin in close collaboration with AWEX to attract foreign investors will be reinforced. To ensure consistency with the smart specialization strategies deployed in Europe, BioWin will be giving priority to areas of activity and technology sectors in which Wallonia has competitive advantages on a world scale.

To take up these challenges, BioWin will continue to follow the strategic goals that it deployed at the outset: supporting the

This strategy should enable us to develop our 4 areas of academic and clinical excellence (immunology, oncology, cardiovascular diseases and neurology), consolidate our 7 areas of industrial excellence (biopharmacy/vaccines, biomanufacturing, radiations applied to health, cell therapy, implanted medical devices, nonimplanted medical devices & instruments, in vitro & in vivo diagnostics) and incorporate our 3 areas of interdisciplinarity: digital technologies, cross-sectoral technologies and healthcare.

Key figures for the BioWin cluster (2015) - 7 world leaders and 143 SMEs; - 7 accredited research centres; - 5 universities with 400 research units, 11,000 researchers and 3 university hospitals; - 36 R&D projects that have involved 214 partners, generated 104 patents, helped to create 5 companies and developed 39 products and 14 services for a total budget (public and private) of 114.08 M€; - Support for the creation of 3 technology platforms and a network of bio-banks; - 3 technological partnerships with the United States; - 4 technological and commercial partnerships with China; - 17 granted training projects for a total of EUR 29,6 million, specific trainings followed by 15.000 people to develop technical, scientific and managerial skills to support the growth and competitiveness of the sector. A one-stop shopping platform including continuous trainings in Wallonia for the Health sector. Advisory support from the Skills Development Department.

What services do you offer your members? BioWin covers over 90% of the health biotechnologies and medical technologies sector in Wallonia. The cluster therefore has a clear view of the technological value chains and an indepth knowledge of the stakeholders in the region. This allows it to offer its members the most appropriate services in terms of R&D, internationalization, skills development and technology platforms. With regard to R&D, BioWin combines the accompaniment of projects arising from regional and international calls, from emergence to commercialization, with one-off assistance to SMEs and start-ups to support their economic development.

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The Cardiatis Multilayer Flow Modulator (MFM®) represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of aneurysms.

Looking at internationalization, the cluster works with the world’s most innovative regions to help its members find the best partners. It focuses on networks and partnerships, forging links with clusters and/or science parks, identifies the technological domains in which the members of each entity can develop collaborative projects and carries out an initial selection of the entities that may be of interest to Walloon members. One of the real advantages of the cluster is the personalized, individual support that members receive from BioWin’s representatives in Europe (Italy, Switzerland, France…), the United States (Massachusetts) and China, to help them meet the partners they need to drive their technological and/or commercial development.

Could you give us a few examples of R&D projects that have been awarded the cluster label? In the “CANTOL” project, iTeos and These innovations, which were made possible with the support of UCB, UNamur and UCL, have been protected by patents.

The cluster also works to support human capital, a strategic focus for supporting its members’ innovation and growth through the following actions: contributing towards the forward management of skills and talents within each sector, encouraging consistency in the region’s training initiatives, supporting the development of a regional skills/talents pool, helping to create bridges between university courses and the industrial world, organizing calls for regional training projects and helping to sustain the services/programmes developed for these purposes. As leader of the BioPharE project that led to the creation of a catalogue containing the training offer of several training establishments operating in Wallonia, BioWin is always ready to provide its members with guidance on their intra-company training needs, issues and goals.

Another promising project led by the start-up in collaboration with Eppendorf Array Technologies, Euro genetec, UCL, ULg and ULB, “RHEUMAGENE” aimed to develop a reliable and discriminating early diagnostic test for rheumatoid polyarthritis (and different forms of undifferentiated arthritis) in order to be able to prescribe the most appropriate treatment and limit the progression of the disease’s disabling symptoms to the minimum. This led to the production of the “Rheumakit”, a molecular diagnostics kit sold in Europe since 2014 and supported by a secure Web platform with a reliability level of over 90%. Today, DNAlytics is looking to go further and develop a predictive treatment response method. As a result of the European funding that it has just received, DNAlytics could soon be carrying out a clinical study of a thousand patients in Europe.

Finally, the cluster encourages and accompanies innovation platform projects and collective infrastructure projects that aim to fill a gap in the development of the biomedical activity in Wallonia. It has helped to set up 3 platforms for cell therapy, proton therapy and big data and a network of bio-banks.

Could you give us a few examples of training projects that have been awarded the cluster label? I’d like to highlight BioWin’s efforts to encourage sandwich training courses, which have a key role in promoting consistency between academic courses and industrial requirements.

DelphiGenetics has capitalized on the “DNAVac” cluster project to join forces with the American company AXAXIA to develop an original technology for immunizing cows with a view to producing antibodies to treat inflammatory intestinal pathologies in humans. The project offers Delphi Genetics a dual advantage: it provides an entry into the American market and an opportunity to develop biopharmaceutical products.

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The aim of the training project is to set up a collaboration programme between higher education establishments and companies in order to improve the provision of sandwich training. If we can close the gap between the needs of companies and higher education courses (bachelors’ and masters’), we will be helping graduates and companies by improving the specific skills that the companies require.

Walbiostent: a multidisciplinary research programme Led by 2 industrial partners (Cardiatis, coordinator and Bio.be) and 3 academic partners (UMons, Charleroi University Hospital and UNamur), the Walbiostent project aimed to develop a revolutionary multi-layer stent or flow modulator (MFM) to treat cerebral aneurysms and a medical system for minimizing the risk of thrombosis.

The launch in 2008 of the Masters’ sandwich degree course in industrial science, specializing in Analytical Engineering, by the Haute Ecole Louvain en Hainaut and the launch of 5 pilot Masters’ sandwich degree course experiments in 2011 were both moves in the right direction. We now hope that these Masters’ course will become part of the fabric of the educational institutions that have monitored the experiment and that the idea of sandwich training will be extended to other higher education establishments and even universities. Sandwich training offers real added value to higher education as it creates synergies between companies, the Hautes Ecoles and students through the exchange of information, experiences and projects.

The project was completed in August 2012 after 45 months, and led to a tubular metal mesh-like structure used to regulate blood circulation and reduce pressure while maintaining the permeability of the arteries and lateral branches. The technology developed by Cardiatis is covered by 9 patents and has been commercialized in Europe and South America. Over 4,600 cases of aneurysms have been treated worldwide since the stent was invented. The company recruited forty people and raised nearly 15 M€ between 2009 and 2014. Since then, Cardiatis has developed ˝Core Lab˝, which uses digital simulation techniques to process patient data and provide the doctor with a customized stent and recommendations for fitting it. Today, the company is aiming to broaden the applications of its MFM technology to reduce the risk of cerebral embolisms. This will require the BioWin R&D project consortium to develop a new type of stent known as ˝EMPEROR˝: the project was awarded the label in June 2015 and has received funding of 4.9 M€.

What partnerships have you developed in Europe and abroad? BioWin has signed an initial partnership with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) and developed 3 joint R&D projects between BioWin members and Massachusetts SMEs. The cluster also signed a number of agreements in October 2015: one with CQDM, a Canadian precompetitive research consortium that finances the development of innovative technologies and tools to improve the productivity of biopharmaceutical R&D and accelerate the process of discovering and developing safer, more effective drugs; and Alsace BioValley,

a French competitiveness cluster. Today this latter agreement led to the funding of one R&D project between an Alsatian and Walloon SME. Since many years, BioWin has also developed several collaborations and concrete matchmaking activities with European clusters (Lyonbiopole, Atlanpole Biotherapies, Eurobiomed, Medicen, BioAlps, etc.) and maintains close links with the Israeli R&D ecosystem, which is very complementary to the Walloon ecosystem. Thanks to its implication into several European networks (CEBR, EDCA, etc.),

What do you think is the BioWin cluster’s greatest success story? I’d like to point to the success of an entire sector: cell therapy. The sector is led by 5 very rapidly growing companies: Celyad, Bone Therapeutics, Promethera Biosciences, Novadip Biosciences and MaSTherCell (cf. boxed article 3). This concentration of world-class players is supported by a dedicated technology platform; it’s quite exceptional and augurs well for Wallonia’s increasing attractiveness in a promising sector for the regional economy.

MaSTherCell is representative of the boom in cell therapy in Wallonia.

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challenge is to integrate the industry 4.0 concept in order to reindustrialize Europe. This is an important part of the Marshall Plan 4.0 and we must build it into our R&D projects and structures. It’s crucial to the future of our economy and competitiveness.

BioWin reinforces its visibility strategy and more importantly its smart specialization strategy (cell therapy, radiopharma, vaccines, etc.) and our members’ technologies. What do you think are the great challenges to come for the Walloon biotech and medtech sector? I see three. The first is an absolute necessity to support and fund high-quality upstream research, in other words fundamental research, because that’s where the future therapeutic applications will come from. This is a crucial European issue. The second challenge, for Wallonia and the European Union, is to create a context that favours the growth of SMEs. Wallonia’s SMEs currently employ an average of 30 to 50 people; they could rise to between 200 and 400 employees if the government were to introduce the right tax incentives and financial instruments. Finally, the third

MaSTherCell: the rise of cell therapy in Wallonia To respond to the request of the 3 industrial stakeholders in Wallonia at different stages of development in the field of cell therapy, the Walloon government authorized the BioWin cluster to set up an infrastructure to manufacture cell therapy products (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization, CDMO).

The project led to the creation of MaSTherCell. MaSTherCell offers a broad range of services linked to cell therapy and is also an attraction for European and international cell therapy companies looking to commercialize their products in Europe. Hence the recent acquisition of MaSTherCell by the Israeli company Orgenesis: MaSTherCell consolidates its position in Wallonia while Orgenesis benefits from Wallonia’s cell therapy expertise. A win-win agreement that further increases Wallonia’s visibility on the international scene.

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Logistics in Wallonia: A strong relationship between companies and universities has become part of our DNA An interview with Mr Bernard PIETTE, Director of the Logistics in Wallonia competitiveness cluster

hat are the key figures for the logistics sector and the strengths of Wallonia as a European logistics hub? It is difficult to cite figures for the logistics sector, since its parameters lack clear delineation: logistics remains a highly transversal discipline. It is customary to say that all industrial enterprises have logistics, and that enterprises dedicate between seven and fifteen percent of their resources to this function. According to the Logistics Performance Index, in 2016 Belgium ranked sixth (after being third in 2014) in the world. This achievement results from its ideal location in the European market, its leading infrastructures (like the port of Antwerp or the Liège airport), and the presence of all four modes of transport (rail, road, waterway and air) that allows enterprises to utilize a complete and integrated model without failures in the supply chain.

Could you highlight the cluster’s strategy? I would like to begin by pointing out that when setting up the Marshall Plan, the Government defined a series of strategic objectives and assigned responsibility for their implementation to the competitive clusters, depending of the sector of activity concerned. The Marshall Plan, therefore, seems to be a successful alliance between the public and private sector and the bottom up/top down approach. Today, a strong relationship between companies and universities has become part of our DNA.

The Logistics in Wallonia cluster has reshaped its strategy in April 2015 in response to the rising number and the diversity of its members (some develop electronic sensors; some others propose innovative mobility solutions for the people…). This strategy is being implemented at the moment. Our strategy relies on one vision, one mission and five strategic axes. Our vision: we want Wallonia to be the reference for logistics and innovation in terms of mobility, for the benefit of all players. Our job means to strengthen and sustain the logistic attractiveness in Wallonia. With this in mind, Logistics in Wallonia involves the stakeholders in an innovation process, anticipates probable technological, nontechnological and environmental changes, and activates the resources required to the creation of value and activities. This explains the five strategic pillars; e.g., innovation, business community, management and development of human capital, international, marketing and communication. This strategy incorporates a new visual identity for the cluster with a new logo and a new baseline: “connectmoveshare”: connecting people, enterprises and regions, moving both people and commercial goods, sharing our research results, our expertise and our best practices.

Could you briefly outline the Logistics in Wallonia offer of services? Our main objective desires to encourage the emergence of projects, from conception right through to final implementation.

Aerial view of Trilogiport

Our team then identifies project ideas, accompanies the selected ideas throughout their formation, and certification processes. It also develops accompanying measures for the development of collaborative projects whose functioning remains little known to organizations. It also fulfills the role of moderating and facilitating relations to ensure proper

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Winners of the 2014 Lean and Green initiative

to do. This is the case of drugs. To detect a fake drug, one should take it out of its packaging, grind it and analyze its active ingredient. In addition the test is destructive, because one can no longer administer the drug hereafter.

implementation of the project. Finally, it proposes its communication services to ensure added value to the project results. Could you tell us something about the R&D projects certified by Logistics in Wallonia? Historically, the cluster developed two main categories of research projects: railway technologies and IT applications in logistics. Logistics comprises three distinct flow types: transport flows, flow of information and cash flows. The future challenge lies clearly in the flow of information, which becomes increasingly complex with the advent of the “Internet of things,” and in ensuring consistency among these three flows.

In order to solve this problem, the Walloon BiiON company decided to innovate with the collaboration of ULg and ULB’s research departments as well as 3 companies: Guardis, Arlenda and Taipro. Their goal is to develop a technique to get the "fingerprint" of a drug. Their solution will enable to deliver the veracity of a drug without destroying it, without opening the box and within seconds. Thus, the monitoring will be possible throughout the entire supply chain. It will also be possible to know quickly if the drug is still effective. Indeed, a drug that has been poorly preserved can be administered but will not be effective because its active ingredient has been destroyed.

I would like to highlight two ongoing research projects. The first one is MOBITS (MOBility oriented intelligent Transport System). This project aims to contribute, via an intelligent transportation system to improve and streamline urban mobility, thus encouraging a modal shift from car to public transport. The project led by Thales Belgium SA was filed with the Walloon Government in the framework of the 11th call for innovation projects.

This innovation would not be possible without the support of the Walloon Government. Under the Marshall Plan 4.0, financial aid for innovation has been implemented and are boosting projects led by Walloon companies. These projects enable value creation in Wallonia and above all job creation.

A Belgian subsidiary of the French multinational company, Thales Belgium SA has formed a consortium of Walloon companies, each contributing to the MOBITS project, proving by the way the strenghth of Walloon expertise in the field. The consortium consists of two large companies (Thales and SRWT), two smaller ones (Eonix and Vetasoft) and two accredited research centers (Multitel and Cetic).

What initiatives have been taken in the area of training? In our sector as well as in others, the difficulty resides in matching education provision to the real market demand. Training operators have sometimes a truncated vision of the market’s demand. The Logistics in Wallonia cluster has thus decided to develop an external and detailed vision of the above market by analyzing some 5,000 employment opportunities in Wallonia and in Brussels, published on the Internet between 2012 and 2016. This analysis resulted in the publication of a first brochure back in December 2014: “Employment in the Transport and Logistics sectors in the French-speaking part of Belgium.” Its conclusion remains the same today: the professionals of the supply chain do recruit but they represent only 20% of the employment offer. The other 80% concern industrial companies such as retail, food and pharmaceutical industries, without forgetting the new players that are public

Eventually, MOBITS will give birth to an integrated, dynamic information system. It will allow passengers and public transport operators to have a perfect view of transport supply available in real time. Beyond the product, jobs will be created by this project: more than 70 jobs are planned from 2017 on. The second project deals with forgery. Entitled Vibra4Fake, it started from an observation: counterfeiting is a thorn in many industries. If for some, it is easy to differentiate right from wrong, for others, this difference is tedious and complicated

Jean-Claude Marcourt, former Walloon Minister and Bernard Piette, Director of Logistics in Wallonia

organizations, starting with hospitals anxious to optimize flow management in order to minimize financial losses. This information now makes itself available to the actors of professional training (FOREM, universities, colleges and universities) with which we have developed excellent discussions. The objective, in the long term, is to take into account the results disclosed by the brochure in order to improve the training offer… even if it will take some time! In the meantime, the Logistics in Wallonia cluster intends to turn this work into an observatory of vacancies in logistics.

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What partnerships did you develop? Logistics in Wallonia has developed regular relations with counterpart poles and clusters in Flanders (see the project “Lean & Green”), in France, Germany, and related areas. The cluster also developed contacts with logistical associations in Poland (via WBI), Turkey and China. We remain concerned about Poland for several reasons: investment in logistics is high and enjoys a good interaction with Russia through its rail network, thus making possible the elaboration of innovative projects. Turkey represents another large marketplace, with an ideal position between Asia and Europe. In addition, thanks to its accession process to the European Union, Turkey can take part in various European projects. In Istanbul, the cluster deals with a logistics association. The situation remains, however, complicated and is not conducive to building relationships in spite of the increasing exchanges between Turkey and Europe. As for China, we renewed the memorandum of understanding we had signed in 2011 with a logistics association based in Shenzhen that specializes also in e-commerce. We already assisted a first investor in Wallonia in the development of European logistics bases for the Chinese e-commerce. We are also in touch with the 5 biggest transport companies in China and are willing to propose Wallonia as a basis for implementing their future activities in Europe.

How do you keep the Business Community of Logistics in Wallonia alive? We remain determined to create a community of actors bonded by a sense of belonging to one family. To achieve this, we established a sound momentum with the organization of some twenty events per year. In 2015, more than 1,400 people took part in the different events. For example, the cluster’s general meeting gathers approximately 150 people per year.

Nevertheless, these different contacts must be concrete and must be given substance by finding opportunities in European programs in view of substantiating these partnerships. Our French counterpart Nov@log and our Turkish partner have thus been integrated in a European program – an excellent opportunity to exchange good practices.

Besides, the team within the cluster has made it a point of honor to visit the enterprises on the spot. We have contacted some six hundred different enterprises and organizations. These factory visits ensure that we can help them in their projects and connect them to our network and our expertise. Could you tell us about Biolog Europe? Launched a few years ago, this initiative aimed at developing logistics activities applied to healthcare. Indeed, this activity area was not that severely impacted by the 2008 crisis and requires a high added value logistics activity with a high level of precision. In that prospect, we decided to focus on the development of endogenous activities (with a view to create links between the activities of the major healtcare players and those of logistics companies) and exogenous activities, by prospecting in the area of US pharmaceutical and biotech companies willing to settle in Europe: 3 or 4 of them have already invested in Wallonia and about 40 others are contemplating to invest in Europe. It is thus our goal to attract them to our region.

What about Innovation Picth 2016? A successor of the projects purse, this event aims at gathering our whole network once a year in November around innovative ideas. The principle is quite simple: each member has 3 minutes to present a project in 3 slides, getting the opportunity to find partner companies and a funding scheme, usually within the framework of the Marshall Plan. How would you describe the international policy of Logistics in Wallonia? Our international policy includes our innovation dynamic particularly through European projects. This approach finds

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Container terminal in Arhus

support by the 4.0 Marshall Plan, which has defined two major priorities: circular economy and IT. IT remains fundamental for the Logistics in Wallonia cluster in view of the implementation of the Walloon digital agenda. We also wish to highlight ITS (intelligent transport systems), which are still unrecognized in the region. The ITS refer to the communicating infrastructures, the systems for exchanging information between the infrastructures and their vehicles, the open data generated by public operators and exploitable by private operators, and so on.

The key numbers for the Logistics in Wallonia cluster - Over 320 members (of which 81 large enterprises and 138 SMEs), vs. 170 at its creation back in 2006; - Twenty-one certified projects of which sixteen are research projects and five training projects; - A total budget for these projects of 74.7 M€ of which 54.9 M€ are public funding.

Consonantly, we always contribute to reducing the environmental burden of the transport and logistics sector with the label “Lean & Green,” an initiative which saw the light in the Netherlands and which accompanies enterprises working on a twenty-percent reduction of CO2 emissions within five years. To date, eleven Walloon enterprises acquired this label.

In China alone, the market of express parcels reached the amazing figure of 21 billion in 2015! Therefore Chinese companies are on the verge of outstripping such leaders as UPS and DHL on the European market. Similarly, the Internet of Things will play a key role in the evolution of logistics. Other factors, such as big data, should also impact logistics: several research projects certified by the Logistics in Wallonia cluster already utilize big data applications in view of improving the consistency of pieces of information, made increasingly miscellaneous by the ever increasing number of information sources. I also think of the “container concept” of “smart cities” and all it implies in terms of optimal mobility and cohabitation between the transport of construction materials and the transport of people in order to obtain more livable cities. This makes our research project UrbanZen all the more beneficial.

The Logistics in Wallonia cluster enjoys good representation at international transport and logistics trade fairs. Every year, it hosts a collective pavilion at the Transport & Logistics Fair in Munich and at the SITL in Paris Nord Villepinte, two biennial key events for the sector. In October 2016, it also held a collective Belgian pavilion, at the China International Logistics Fair (CILF) in Shenzhen. What changes lay ahead in the sector of transport, logistics and mobility? We are witnessing an acceleration of technologies involved. Doubtless, e-commerce stands as the major issue, which will heavily affect our consumption, buying and transport patterns.

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MecaTech: Hybridization of Technologies and Innovations to Mechanical Engineering An interview with Mr Jacques GERMAY, MecaTech Cluster

implementation of synergies among key players, some of which at first glance seem quite unlikely (for example, IBA cooperates with AMOS and the Ateliers de la Meuse in order to develop its new system of proton therapy to combat cancer).

hat are the key figures for the Walloon mechanical engineering sector and the MecaTech cluster? If we assess the first eighteen calls for projects, we count a total of 105 projects (72 research projects, 14 investment projects and 19 training projects) involving 283 players (45 large corporations, 135 SMEs, 77 university laboratories, 18 research centers, 5 higher schools and 3 competence centers; e.g., overall 536 participants). This represents an investment of €293 million, of which €100 million derive from private funding (€79,9 million for large enterprises and €119,7 million for small and medium enterprises).

MecaTech chose two main key perspectives to draw up its strategic framework. The first one consists in the development of finished products, machines, and various equipment for consumption or industrial production. The activities around finished products are very important, in so far as they generate greater added value; they are less dependent on order givers, and are more resistant to downturn than activities done as subcontractor. The second perspective consists in the development of technologies and new processes. The projects of the MecaTech cluster organized themselves around four technological areas (1. new materials and surface func tionalization; 2. global and additive shaping manufacturing; 3. micro-technologies and mecatronics; and 4. intelligent maintenance and production). These four sectors cannot be exclusive, since we often diversify the product value chains in terms of technologies and we must stay open to new technologies and ideas.

The companies involved in MecaTech have known an important growth as well in terms of employment as in added value. Employment developed from 2005 to 2014: + 66% for SMEs, and + 20% for large corporations, whereas the sector of mechanical engineering indicates a fall of 5%. The same applies to added value: + 107% for SMEs and + 76% for large corporations vs + 11% for the sector. Gross tangible and intangible assets reveal a healthy vitality: + 125% (from 1,285 to 2,889 million) for all member enterprises, and even + 152% (from 470 to 1,186 million) for SMEs alone. Furthermore, the MecaTech cluster participated in the setting up of 3 platforms in order to respond to the sector’s new opportunities: Symbiosis (use of molecular biomimicry technologies in functional coatings), Reverse Metallurgy (metals recycling lead by Jacques Pèlerin, the CRM and various industrials), and Proton therapy (IBA and various partners).

Could you give us some examples of cluster-certified R&D projects? Let’s start with IBA’s WIN-GTR project, which intends to develop a mechanical structure allowing full rotation of the radiation head around the patient under hadron therapy treatment. For its part, PHOENIX targets the development of an integrated global enhancement process of the organic matter contained in metal crushing waste, in order to produce alternative hydro-liquid carbons, metal and carbon concentrates to be used in steel industries. GREEN+ focuses on developing energy recovery groups on the stale air through an integrated, compact double flow system. ECOLAS’ objective means to save energy in the production methods by using the new, clean and efficient laser techniques. There are two objectives in this respect: to apply new semiconductor laser technologies (laser diodes) to the treatment of materials sectors still driven by classic technologies, and to develop new sources and interfaces in order to resolve the problems linked to particular applications. LIONEL’s objective means forming an innovative product and process for the production of soft intraocular lenses from a nano-composite type material.

Could you briefly resume the cluster’s mission and strategic axes? The Walloon Government entrusted MecaTech with the following objectives: create jobs and stimulate economic activity; act as a driving force for the Walloon sector of Mechanical Engineering; and contribute to the re-industrialization by structuring and implementing innovative projects with an international vocation combining large corporations, SMEs, universities, research and competence centers. Mechanical engineering relies on an increasingly varied base of knowledge as well as scientific and technological knowhow. The cluster encourages innovations and especially disruptive innovations via hybridization of technologies and

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Could you expand a little on your training activites? MecaTech’s nineteen training projects reside in partnerships with FOREM, Technifutur/Technocampus and the Automotive Campus. They co-exist in intimate association with technology development projects. The cluster also partners with some Agoria programs such as “Factories of the future.” It focuses on advanced technologies outside the competencies of the training operators.

What kind of services do you offer to your members? In order to support the development of their project(s), our cluster actively organized different services. Their setup and monitoring include search for partners and competencies (enterprises, laboratories, research and competence centers, higher schools and universities, etc.), assistance in the compilation of the dossier and of formalities with the administration, In addition, MecaTech has developed a mapping tool of the Walloon companies in mechanical engineering (more than 800). They are regrouped in different fields of application (medical devices, automotive industry; recycling industries, green energy,…) and different technologies. Each field of application and technologies has been covered by strategic analyses and market researchs. For those activities and international development, MecaTech entertained a special relationship with AWEX and its agents throughout the world.

At the same time, MecaTech takes part in a great number of coordination meetings dealing with the regional policies with other Walloon competitiveness clusters. Some projects have even been rewarded with a bipole and even a tripole certification. Examples of these are Legomedic (automatization and “continuous” processes with the BioWin cluster) and Thermam (additive manufacturing with the Skywin cluster). How do you implement your international development policy? Initially, our cluster concentrated on the neighboring countries, to avoid branching out: The Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Lorraine, Champagne-Ardenne, Lorraine, NordPas-de-Calais, Switzerland, Rhône-Alpes, Pays Basque (covering the” blue banana” area). MecaTech also takes part in the Vanguard project involving 27 Regions. In a second phase, after having attained the critical mass, MecaTech acted selectively in order to conduct more remote actions in Massachusetts, Québec, and Romania.

MecaTech encourages communication; for example, via networking events of the key players of mechanical engineering in Wallonia; the support given to members in their participation in AWEX’ action abroad; the publication of a newsletter; the organization of a kick-off meeting for each certified project; and a large number of relays with the press. The Cluster offers also services regarding intellectual property and consortium agreements, thanks to their special relationship with PICARRE, Innovatech. The cluster assists its members in their research for funding (access to specific fundings of the Walloon competitiveness clusters, familiarity with the various public funding sources, relations with public and private investors).

MecaTech was co-involved in different European Projects, such as for example the launch of Intermat, a Meta-cluster with Materalia (Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne) and Luxinnovation (Luxembourg) or the INTERREG INTERMAT GR

What partnerships did you develop? The cluster relies on a small team which wants to remain small. It networks with a variety of active agencies within the Walloon ecosystem (…). It is absolutely vital to have our specialty domains partners (market research, intellectual property, etc.) in order to develop our own area of specialization and cover a large span of technologies and business domains.

ATAC CONCEPT

Development of new concepts of auxiliary converters of electric power available on the catenary into usable electrical energy on board a train. Background: the conversion of electrical energy available on the catenary into usable electrical energy on board a train may be used: • for the traction of the train; • to power various auxiliary equipment: heating, air conditioning, lighting. The objective of Atac-Concept project: • develop new concepts of auxiliary power converters for better integration in their environment: o increased energy efficiency; o drastic reduction in the volume and mass for better integration into the body of a car; o reduction in noise. Partners: Alstom, Thales Alenia Space, Weisshorn, Cissoid, Cerdecam, Jema, ULG, UCL.

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the INTERREG GR (Grande Région) project “ROBOTIX Academy” gathering 5 partners. Another project on the topic of the Internet of Things is under revision. Last, but not least, MecaTech members (enterprises, research centers…) take part directly in European programs. MecaTech collaborates with NCP Wallonie to encourage the participation of its members in these programs. To summarize its international development strategy, the cluster follows several guidelines: focusing on actions that may lead to projects, relying on the selectivity of geographical areas while giving a priority to adjacent countries and on Industry 4.0/Digitalization/Automation. MecaTech is also collaborating with AWEX-Invest in Wallonia to raise awareness about Wallonia’s attractiveness among foreign investors.

How would you assess your development strategy? A first phase focused on a broader strategic framework with a top-down approach, targeting finished products and integrated services, as well as four “key enabling technologies” (KET) set out above. In a second phase, the pole played an increasing role as a driving force (suggesting projects based on complementarity between enterprises, and creating a connexion between them). In a third phase, MecaTech decided to develop a more professional approach, connecting its members by setting up a mapping of the Walloon expertise (see above).

(Grande Région) project, based on materials and processes in partnership with four clusters and four universities. More recently, following MecaTech’s strategy on Industry 4.0/Digitalization/Automation, the cluster co-submitted 3 European projects related to this topic. Two of them are already accepted: the INTERREG France-Wallonia-Flanders project “FACTORY 4.0” which is gathering 7 partners and

Solar Perform New generation, tower type solar power plants, operating at temperatures above 700 ° C, are developing due to their high efficiency. These plants consist of a critical element that is the solar receiver. This consists of thermal absorbers which must withstand extreme operating conditions: high thermal gradient, day/night cycling... and this for a lifetime of 25 years whilst ensuring the highest performance.

Certainly maintenance operations are possible, but these operations should be strictly limited because of their difficulty (the tower has a height of 200m), and because of the cost that would be generated by the plant shutdown. Therefore, the resistance of the absorber tubes, face to the mainly thermomechanical constraints, is a key issue for the viability of the entire solar power plant. It is this question which is the primary purpose of this project. In parallel, we will consider a point which involves both mechanical and optical properties: how meet optimally the strict optical specifications by effects of mechanical shape. Partners: CMI, CRM, Lithcote Europe, ULG.

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o policy to promote the integration of digital in products (mecatronic) developed and marketed by the members of the cluster (those products cover different fields: maintenance, automotive, medical devices, connected objects...); o digitization of industrial processes to improve quality, productivity and competitiveness; o development of new skills within companies specializing on the digitization and automation of business and particularly SMEs. Among the skills to offer let us mention: simulation, automation, high computing, big data, addidtive manufacturing, actuator sensors, intelligent maintenance, microelectronics, power electronics, microfluidics, digitization of integrated chains.

This process of “digitization of the industrial fabric” must be based on enhanced cooperation between SMEs, large companies and leaders. To do this, we must match the needs of companies engaged in digitization of their products and processes with the expertises and services offered by companies specialized in those domains.

We implemented this approach to facilitate hybridization of technologies and synergies between players. This gave life to a fourth phase generating clusters of core competencies; e.g., materials, nanomaterials, surface functionalization, waste management, sustainable energy, safe and sustainable production and maintenance practices, medical devices, transport/automobile, construction, machines and equipment, and more. At the current stage of our development, we are working on the development of complete but fine-mesh value chains (additive manufacturing, automation, etc.) in connection with “Etude IDEA CONSULT” (commissioned by the Minister J.-C. Marcourt and DG06) in industrial sectors. We now integrate service economy with circular economy right from the start of a project (some twenty projects are already dealing with this issue with 158 major players including 76 enterprises), and we remain alert to seize new opportunities such urban agriculture, “reverse metallurgy,” and biomimicry. However, the priority for the future is linked to the main future challenges.

The second challenge concerns the transition towards service functionality and circular economy. This transition involves material and product recycling but also energy and materialsaving technologies, including additive manufacturing technologies. Unlike the substractive production process, which incurs great losses of materials, additive technology ensures material savings by depositing successive coats in order to create digitally the most complex shapes. The additive manufacturing technologies have their place in the automatization processes and the IoT. Doubtless, this technology promises excellent innovation and development prospects in the sector of mechanical engineering!

What are the main future challenges in mechanical engineering? The first big challenge is the numerical revolution. Consequently, the strategy and activities of the MecaTech competitiveness cluster will be placed, during the next three years, under the sign of digital and this at three levels:

At a time when companies increasingly argue in terms of flows, management has turned into the art of piloting an integrated set. MecaTech encourages automation among its member enterprises because it will help them to increase their competitiveness and turnover. Besides, automation provides a powerful tool for the transition to the digital management of SMEs. JTEKT, Procoplast, Citius, Technord and WOW beautifully reflect this tendency, which means adding intelligence and productivity to a “process” and to the products, but also developing the automation engineering. These five enterprises created in the last five years 350 new jobs, proof that re-industrialization promises a future even in high-wage countries.

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Consolidating the Research status of the “Université catholique de Louvain” An interview with Prof. Vincent BLONDEL, Rector of the “Université catholique de Louvain” (UCL) Regarding rankings, the UCL is 129th according to the Times (THE), 101 to 150th, according to the Shanghai Ranking and 153rd world university, according to QS Magazine.

ow is the UCL doing with its Louvain 2020 strategic plan in terms of research? UCL is a Research University and is committed to strengthening this positioning. Concretely, the actions in this area are organized around three main axes: the financing, the time and the talents required to ensure university-level research. For example, European funding obtained by UCL is growing significantly, notably because of the incentive policy for ERCs. © Jacky Delorme

What results has UCL achieved since the start of the 2020 plan? Every year, we get good results for the European Research Council (ERC) Grants: we got 7 Grants for the 2015 call, 7 for the 2016 call and 4 Grants for the 2017 call but we do not have still all the results. At the time I am talking to you, UCL holds 34 ERC Grants.

What are the key figures of research at UCL? € 231 million was awarded to research in 2016 (of which € 176 million on external contracts). 30% of the university’s overall budget is funded by external credits obtained by UCL researchers. In addition, the university awarded 258 PhDs in 2016-2017 and includes 21 research institutes, more than 3,000 researchers, 36 technological platforms, 34 ERC Grants and 21 Francqui Awards. UCL is the first university of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation for participation in European programs.

Could you introduce the areas of research excellence at UCL? The University excels in areas as varied as nutrition, pain management, mathematics, philosophy, microbiology, climatology, economics, oncology, political science, education, new materials. In terms of participation in the European Horizon 2020 program, UCL totals 174 FP7 projects in nanosciences, transport, security, science and society and 81 projects already funded under Horizon 2020.

Another reason for satisfaction is the construction, on the site of the Health Sciences Campus Gasthuisberg, of ParTICLe (Particle Therapy Interuniversity Center Leuven), the first Belgian center for proton therapy, whose first stone was laid in May 2017. The first Belgian patients to benefit from proton therapy will be treated in mid-2019.

Our university is coordinating five H2020 projects: LightKone (Lightweight Computing for Networks at the Edge - Prof. Peter Van Roy), REASSURE (Robust and Efficient Approaches to Evaluating Side Channel and Fault Attack Resilience Prof. François-Xavier Standaert), BETA3_LVH (A multi- center

The Guild, chaired by UCL, participated in defining the research and innovation missions envisaged by the Lamy report for the future FP9 framework program (post 2020), which respond to global challenges.

Prof. Eric Lambin conducted a randomized study in Uganda that shows that the implementation of an ecosystem services payment program (PES) is paying off.

Prof. Géraldine Laloux, new qualified researcher FRS-FNRS (UCL de Duve Institute), is interested in the bacterium Bdellovibrio basteriovorus, a kind of living antibiotic that destroys other bacteria to proliferate.

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randomized, placebo-controlled trial of mirabegron, a new beta3-adrenergic receptor agonist on left ventricular mass and diastolic function in patients with structural heart disease – Prof. Jean-Luc Balligand), Encircle (European Cbrn Innovation for the maRket CLuster) and eNOTICE (European Network Of CBRN TraIning CEnters, two projects of Prof. Jean-Luc Gala).

Could you give us an overview of the highlights of the research at UCL in 2017? In 2017, the university hired four new qualified researchers at FRS-FNRS: Frédéric Crevecoeur (Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, 30% of the university's overall budget is funded by external credits obtained by UCL researchers Electronics and Applied Mathematics, ICTEAM and Institute of Neuroscience, How does the Louvain Technology Transfer Office ensure the IoNS) studies how the brain composes to generate, in promotion of research at the service of society? everyday life, adequate movements. Amandine Everard The Louvain Technology Transfer Office (LTTO, www.ltto.com), (Louvain Drug Research Institute, LDRI) investigates the links which brings together Sopartec and the UCL Research between reward system, intestinal microbiotope and obesity. Administration, manages the financing of research contracts, Alexandre Heeren (Institute for Research in Psychological the identification of inventions in laboratories, the protection Sciences, IPSY), targets pathogenic cognitive processes and intellectual property management, technological maturainvolved in the development of anxiety disorders. Finally, tion and commercialization (through licenses and/or spin-offs). Géraldine Laloux (de Duve Institute) is interested in the More than 70 spin-offs, which today generate more than 2,000 bacterium Bdellovibrio basteriovorus, a kind of living antibiotic jobs, have been created: Ion Beam Application (IBA), IRIS that destroys other bacteria to proliferate. Group, IBT, Telemis, Viridaxis, Promethera Biosciences... The team of Prof. Benoît Van den Eynde, a researcher at the VIVES - Louvain Technology Fund (www.vivesfund.com) is a de Duve Institute and director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer multi-sector technology investment fund that invests in spin-offs Research Brussels, has identified one of the mechanisms that of UCL, start-ups in Belgium and neighboring countries. VIVES allows the majority of tumors to resist immunotherapy. Prof. II is financed by a dozen Belgian and European investors. The Jean-Christophe Charlier has obtained the mandate of funds (VIVES I - € 15 million and VIVES II - € 43 million) are Francqui Research Professor which allows him to focus more on managed by Sopartec, UCL’s technology transfer and investhis research on the properties of two-dimensional materials. For ment company. his part, in the fight against deforestation, Prof. Eric Lambin conducted a randomized study in Uganda that shows that the In terms of valorization, we are particularly proud of the implementation of an ecosystem services payment program agreement signed between ARGEN-X and ABBVIE in the field (PES) is paying off. Prof. Olivier Collignon has demonstrated, of immuno-oncology. The fruit of an intense collaboration with colleagues at the University of Trento, that when the brain between the ARGEN-X biotechnology company and the teams adapts to sensory deprivation by rearranging it, face recognition of Prof. Pierre Coulie and Prof. Sophie Lucas of the UCL de activates the brain zone normally devoted to voice recognition. Duve Institute, this collaboration has generated an innovative therapeutic approach to stimulate the immune system of As for Mathieu Avanzi, FNRS researcher, he is conducting patients with cancer, concretized by a license agreement. research on the geographical variation of the French language and has just published “The Atlas of the French Finally, in 2016-2017, UCL obtained the support of the language of our regions” which made a lot of noise. Prof. Brussels-Capital Region for 3 spin-off mandates (Launch Bernard Hanseeuw (Institute of Neuroscience, IoNS), has program): SpineDyn (Computer Assisted Surgery Planning received the André Simonart Prize for his research on Tools), ATS (Advanced Tracking Systems) and Fondytest (Piled Alzheimer’s disease. Emmanuelle Wilhelm, PhD student at foundations dynamic testing). Four First Spin-Off (FSO) IoNS, has won one of the three L’Oréal-Unesco scholarships mandates were supported by the Walloon Region: MaDeSo for Women in Science supported by the FNRS. And Olivier (Materials Design Solutions), Sensroad (Non Destructive Road Feron (Institute for Experimental and Clinical Research, IREC) Inspection), TopVac (Next Generation DNA Vaccines) and received the 2017 Alexandre and Gaston Tytgat Award for Inginious (Service Cloud for computer skills assessment). his work on cancer.

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UCL has also set up 9 “Louvain4” consortia that favor transversal research: Nutrition, Aging, City, Education, Energy, Water, Evolution, Space and Migration.

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The Walloon Public Service Science Institute (ISSeP) A Unique Expertise in the Service of Environment and Public Health A true sentinel of the environment for 25 years, the Walloon Public Service Science Institute (ISSeP) uses 3 tools to fulfill its task: a body of experts, a certain number of laboratories and specialized equipment. An overview of a leader in metrology and active contributor to European research.

“waste” and “water.” ISSeP welcomed with pride this new feather in its cap. Besides, ISSeP created a new cell for Earth observation in 2016 : this booming infrastructure enables the Institute to deliver satellite data on water, ground, air and risk prevention with a higher level of precision in terms of location and in time terms. Thanks to this cell, ISSeP remains at the cutting edge as a sentinel of the environment and data manager. It has also led to 5 collabotation agreements and ISSeP’s participation in 2 federal research projects.

SSeP relies on the expertise of some 300 agents (one third working on the ground, another third in the laboratory, and the last third on the analysis of results); 3 laboratories and an array of field equipment, specialized analysis equipment, and test benches. Covering the whole of Wallonia, ISSeP organizes its activities around 4 major axes: measurement and data collection; assessment of potential and future risks; research and technological development; and the reference laboratory, which is entrusted by the Walloon Government to check the competences and available means of private operators applying for approval. Currently, there are 28 approved laboratories in Wallonia.

ISSeP has also gleaned recognition for its fire laboratory, the only one in Belgium with its “Room Corner test” which focuses on the fire Benedicte Heindrichs, behavior of various materials and their compliance general manager with legal requirements, and performs postA leader in metrology accidents’ analyses on behalf of justice. Likewise, ISSeP can rely upon its laboratory dedicated to nanoparticles and As a successor to the Institute of Mining (INM created in nanomaterials : it helps industrialists formulate an appropriate 1902), ISSeP relies on 40 years of experience in the surveilpolicy with regards to production, storage and transfer, while lance of air quality. Today, the Institute intervenes on all performing analyses of flammability and explosiveness of environmental matrices. Its unique skills have led it to collect, nanoparticles for validation of new products. analyze, and interpret samples of air, ground, sediments and even waste products. It runs 30 sites for the measurement of air quality, and it deeply involves itself with issues of water A dynamic research quality: it performs a yearly mean of 1,800 samples and 350,000 measurements in surface waters. ISSeP’s research activities are in full spring : with 11 projects on own funds and as many projects on external funds, they ISSeP’s reference laboratory earned the ISO 17025 certification can take advantage of a budget reaching 1.7 million Euros in for its quality management system. In 2016 it extended its 2018. All these projects are related to 4 major areas for accreditation to ISO 17043, after 3 years of hard work to join further research: human exposure to traffic-related pollution, the very exclusive circle of six Belgian operators (and the first sustainable development, metrology expertise at European one in Wallonia) empowered to organize inter-comparison level and civil security in the framework of cross-border experiments between accredited laboratories for the domains cooperation.

Preparation of volatile chlorinated samples

Volatile compounds

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Hot oxidization analysis in groundwater and swimming pools

PROJET ICOS - Ecosystem station of Lonzee (BE-Lon), one of the three first labelled ICOS Class 2 stations in Europe

A research project on own funds launched for 3 years, OIE (Outdoor and Indoor Exposure) targets the accurate identification of air pollution due to traffic in ambient air and indoor air. The successor of successful project ExTraCar (Population Exposure to Traffic and Black Carbon) combines 3 additionnal pollutants (nitrogen oxide, fine particles, ozone) with black carbon and uses two tools (black carbon analyzers and multisensor platforms) in order to establish a digital modeling of the population’s exposure to this pollution. Moreover, OIE involves the participation of citizens, with a call for volunteers launched in winter 2018, and relies on 6 partners.

will be widened for the nonce. Similarly, ACTRIS (Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure Network) will make the most of ISSeP’s knowhow in data management as regards air quality. For its part, "ALARM: for a borderless security" is an INTERREG 5 project phased between 2016 and 2020. Enjoying a budget of 2.8 million Euros, it aims at working out a new generation of risk mapping at the scale of the pool of life made up of Hainaut and the Lille metropolitan area. Technological, environmental and accidental risks will be identified together with resources such as fire stations and their staff, technical and material support. ISSeP brings its expertise in database design and organization to this future platform of information exchange.

ISSeP is also involved in 2 research projects as regards sustainable development. WALLPHY (2017-2020) concerns the implementation of phytostabilisation experiments in Wallonia where many sites fail to be valued because of their being polluted. The Walloon Minister for the Environment Carlo Di Antonio therfore entrusted ISSeP with the mission of developing new technologies to degrade pollutants in situ. This 3-year long applied research project is designed to achieve 3 goals: improving knowledge to broaden the valorization offer; assess the performance of phytotechnologies; and contribute to sustainable development through a reflection on the use of biomass. Trees will be planted on the three selected sites and ISSeP will evaluate the impact of such plantations on the ground. About 1.2 million Euros will be allocated to this very concrete project.

Services to companies ISSeP has also developed an offer of services to companies based on its different areas of expertise. Those services encompass asbestos detection, the measurement of electromagnetic fields, the detection of legionella in swimming pools and the measurement of industrial emissions in the context of air quality related to urban development. A single objective links all these activities for ISSeP: to stay at the cutting-edge for all the environmental matrices and its specialty areas. This nexus implies the cooperation with academic and industrial partners and the development of own research programs. With the constantly renewed will to validate the processes and verify the environmental and health impact of new products and industrial processes. In other words, a genuine, public service mission!

An INTERREG project (2016-2020), VALSE focuses on the sediments present in the streams, now regarded as waste, with a view to check the feasibility of valorization of this material through two works, namely a bike path and a landscaped hillock. In both cases ISSeP will ensure that there is no unfavorable impact on the environment. Interestingly, the results of this research gathering 9 partners (among wich INERIS in France, universities, and the waterways of France and Wallonia) can be exploited for the establishment of a cicle economy.

ISSeP Liège Headquarters Rue Chéra, 200 - B-4000 Liège Tel.: +32 (0)4 229 83 11 Fax: +32 (0)4 252 46 65 Email: direction@issep.be http://www.issep.be

In the field of metrology, ISSeP takes part in 2 projects that enable it to integrate permanent European networks of measurement. ICOS-WB (Integrated Carbon Observation System in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation) aims at proposing super sites combining different kinds of measurment at the same place; one of ISSeP’s air quality measurement stations

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Liège Space Centre – CSL Developing space technologies A research centre of the University of Liège, the Liège Space Centre (CSL) employs 110 people, leads almost 60 projects and has an annual turnover of €13 M. It has the advantage of being a non-profit organisation, which means that it gets 100% funding from industrial contracts and R&D collaborations.

ounded in 1959 as part of the Astrophysics Department of the University of Liege, the CSL owes its existence to its forerunner, the ESA, which wanted to have tests carried out and scientific optical instruments calibrated. Its reputation soon gained momentum and it became, from 1976, the chief centre for tests coordinated by the ESA. All scientific optical satellites must pass through the CSL, which tests their spatial qualification. These tests are carried out under vacuum in very large vacuum tanks up to 6.5 m. Many industries have used these services, such as Thales Alenia Space. In parallel with its testing activities, the CSL designs optical instruments for use in space for the ESA and NASA with the support of BELSPO. It also develops thermal, mechanical and electronic engineering skills in conjunction with the manufacture of these instruments. Finally, the CSL forms technological partnerships for R&D projects with Walloon and European industries as well as with research centres. The aim of these upstream research projects is the development of technologies that can be used in space. The CSL is involved in several of the ESA’s scientific missions. One of these is PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) which is a space observatory with one of its main aims being the detection and characterisation of Earth-type exoplanets orbiting nearby stars. In this context the role of the CSL, in close collaboration with KULeuven, is to design the ease of assembly, alignment and performance verification of all 24 cameras that make up the telescope.

The fact of having to repeat the tests in a series constitutes an unprecedented challenge for the CSL, accustomed to individual instruments. This is an important phase in the context of developing the management of space projects (Space 4.0 or Newspace). The R&D is supported by doctoral theses. These are diversified and include laboratory expertise and expertise upstream of space instrumentation. This very close contact between research and instrumental purpose is one of the motivating characteristics of our environment.

NESSIE : the near-infrared spectrometer designed for the observation of massive stars in the frame of a Ph.D. Thesis (Ch. Kintziger)

The knock-on effects of the research are numerous and varied. The CSL has just developed a test facility for resistance to electron flows in the context of the design of a spectrometer for the NASA mission “Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer” (JUICE). The environment close to Jupiter is, in fact, much harsher than earth orbits. A miniaturised version of the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer is also being studied for the analysis of ores during lunar, Martian and asteroid missions. Space mining is certainly a domain that is flourishing and one the CSL wants to be involved in.

COROT baffle

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Centre spatial de Liège Université de Liège Liège Science Park Avenue du Pré-Aily B-4031 Angleur Tel.: +32 (0)4 382 46 00 Fax: +32 (0)4 367 56 13 Email: shabraken@uliege.be http:// www.csl.uliege.be

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Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules – CERM Polymers to serve coatings, biomaterials and energy As an integral part of CESAM (Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials) and of the department of chemistry of the University of Liège, the CERM develops proven expertise thanks to its academic strength, its three permanent FNRS researchers, its three senior scientists, its three post-doc researchers, its twenty-two postgraduates and four technicians and administrators.

ith its twelve nationalities, the CERM produces some thirty-five publications and two patent registrations per year. It specializes in the synthesis of polymer materials along two main lines: the development of innovative materials (controlled radical polymerization, ring-opening polymerization); the development of polymer chemistry more respectful of the environment based on the supercritical CO2 – with a unique platform in Europe that allows synthesis, implementation, foaming process, extraction and polymer impregnation in the sector of functional coatings, biomaterials and energy.

The CERM enjoys a wide range of research partnerships, starting at European level with the INTERREG BioMIMedics project (development of biodegradable innovative biomaterials for biomedical applications). It is also very active in the field of heart valves. In this context, he participates in the ERC “PV-Coat” European project on the coating of heart valves and in the INTERREG PolyValve project targeting the development of new materials for heart valves. In addition, the CERM cooperates with all Belgian universities, especially through its participation in the IAP network via the fundamental research project “Functional supramolecular systems” (development of polymers self-assemblies of application in adaptive responsive systems, energy devices and porous materials) which was completed in December 2017.

Nanocomposite hydrogel film combining transparency and high mechanical resistance

based on the development of drug-eluting implants for ocular pathologies. The CERM currently remains involved in seven collaborative research projects, two of which concentrate on the development of a new kind of chemistry to synthesize polyurethanes from carbonates, obtained from and with a lower degree of toxicity on the environment, in comparison to the molecules used at present. The CERM also involves itself in projects related to the implementation of biomaterials which have already passed clinical tests, as well as the development of new processing methods such as electrospinning, to design scaffolds stimulating cellular regeneration or various medical implants. Finally, the CERM goes into greater depth on the green technology of supercritical CO2 to design sterile medical devices (suture threads or implants) with anti-inflammatory properties.

The CERM can capitalize on important industrial partnerships with Solvay, Solvin, ArcelorMittal, Saint-Gobain, UCB, Dupont, Bayer, and a great number of SMEs. Particularly, the CERM co-conceived a patent intended for the development of a biomedical implant eluting a contraceptive agent (the patent is being exploited by Mithra), it ensures the preparation of one of the components of intraocular yellow lenses produced by PhysIOL and develops new trends for future products on the basis of patents against royalties. Incidentally, the CERM initiated startups such as EyeD Pharma,

Doubtless, the CERM stands well equipped and ready to address the five major challenges which confront it. From developing synthesis techniques to implementing greener processes (organocatalysts, solvent-free processes, chemical reactions based on atom economy), to help advance chemistry, and develop polymer materials for energy or multifunctional coatings with aqueous processes or without solvents, or develop competitive biomaterials, the CERM seizes upon any opportunity to deepen and make relevant its expertise.

200-milliliter and 50-liter reactors allowing the use of supercritical CO2 for synthesis, impregnation or foaming of polymer or composite materials

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Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM) - Université de Liège (ULg) Institut de Chimie (B6a) Agora, Allée du 6 Août, 13 B-4000 Liège, Belgium Tel: +32 (0)4 366 34 91 Fax: +32 (0)4 366 34 97 Email: c.jerome@uliege.be http://www.cerm.uliege.be/

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The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines – CIRM New therapeutic targets, nanomedicine, bio-pharmaceuticals and personalised medicine With 13 laboratories, 152 researchers, 23 principal investigators (PI), 65 current doctoral students, 639 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and 56 thesis in the past five years, the objective of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines (CIRM) is to promote and synergise research activities at the University of Liege in the field of medicine.

he expertise of the CIRM is organised around three platforms. The “medicine discovery and therapeutic targets platform” brings together activities that deal with the synthesis of medicines, isolation of natural products, molecular pharmacology and in vitro and in vivo monitoring of metabolic disorders. The “analytic and medicine formula platform” deals with quality control, medicine formulas and bioanalysis. Finally the “clinical platform” focuses on clinical biology, clinical toxicology, microbiology and clinical pharmacology. These platforms cover the entire chain, from fundamental research to clinical research.

Due to the high level of skills and the cost of certain state-of-the-art technologies, four interdisciplinary technology hubs were created to support the research to ensure sharing of equipment and expertise (mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, vibrational spectrometry and supercritical fluids).

are the mouthpieces of this project, which aims to strengthen the GMP platform based on three strands of research: the improvement of bioavailability of BCS II and IV medicines; the development of nanomedicine and microfluidics in the pharmaceutical sector and the fight against medicine counterfeiting. In addition, two of the CIRM’s laboratories (LBIC and LPG) are working together on the FEDER/TROPICAL PLANT FACTORY (2014-20) project to develop the first pilot production of plants in an aquaponics greenhouse at a former industrial site in Herstal. The CIRM is also involved in the European project C4L FP7-Health (Chips for life, clinical microbiology laboratory) to develop a panel of dedicated rapid diagnostic tests in order to allow medical staff to link antibiotic prescription to evidence-based diagnosis. These are great opportunities for promoting its expertise.

Beyond the skills within the different units, the CIRM defined four areas of interdisciplinary research priorities on the platforms, meeting genuine pharmaceutical and clinical requirements. The first area, the discovery of targets and medicines is based around three strands which are the development of original pharmacological tests to monitor the activity of an assumed target, libraries for the identification of active and selective ligands and assessment of their pharmacological properties and finally their preclinical validation. The second area, biopharmaceutics, has two objectives: to improve bioavailability of BCS II and IV medicines and to improve the bioavailability and quality control of biopharmaceutical products (peptides, proteins, siRNA and “virus like” particles). Nanomedicine is the core of the third area of the CIRM: it is divided into two sections which are the targeting of medicines and nano-vectorisation in order to transport an active molecule to a given therapeutic target. The final area is personalised medicine (diagnosis, prognosis, follow-up and exposure) so as to characterise and “stratify” patients, to monitor and improve the effectiveness and safety of treatment (TDM).

CIRM Institut de Pharmacie Quartier HOPITAL - Av. Hippocrate, 15 (Bât. B36) Sart-Tilman - B-4000 Liège Tel.: +32 (0)4 366 43 45 - Fax: +32 (0)4 366 43 47 Email: marianne.fillet@ulg.ac.be http://www.cirm.uliege.be

The CIRM is currently involved in a FEDER/PHARE project (2014-2020): three of its laboratories (LAM, LCA and LTPB)

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Laboratory for the Analysis of Medicines – LAM For tighter quality control and better monitoring of medicines With 15 people including 1 professor, 2 post-doctoral staff and 8 PhD students, the Laboratory for the Analysis of Medicines (LAM) specialises in the analysis of medicines and bioanalysis. It has been accredited by the AFMPS (Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products Agreement) for quality control of medicines since 1997, by GMP (good manufacturing practice for drug quality control) since 2014 and by the WHO since 2016.

To this end, the LAM has based its research activities around four areas: capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry approaches, in order to check biopharmaceuticals and biosimilar medicinal products, including the monitoring of aggregation phenomena; the developLAM analytical platform focused on microfluidics and mass spectrometry to achieve high sensitivity ment of lab-on-a-chip with a and specificity from low amounts of biopharmaceuticals and/or biological fluids view to detecting counterfeit Beyond these academic research works, the LAM implemented, medicines; the design of target-ligand interaction studies and in collaboration with LCA, an analytical platform that offers activity in controlled conditions mimicking the in vivo environment; high-quality services to industry to support the development, and research through proteomics and metabolomics, diagnostic optimisation and validation of analytical and bioanalytical and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic monitoring of methods (qualitative and quantitative methods). The key word different pathologies (rheumatoid polyarthritis and graft-versusis flexibility: it is a question of developing real partnerships with host disease: GvHD, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, acute manufacturers, start-ups and other spin-offs in order to lead coronary syndromes, primary mitral insufficiency, colorectal custom-made projects. In addition, the compliance of the cancer and ARMD). platform with ICH/FDA recommendations within the context of a GMP environment (a restrictive standard for manufacturers) As an example, the LAM is currently involved in a PDR-FNRS speeds up the transferability of data considerably. A strategic project in cooperation with CHU of Liege in order to validate advantage for the LAM. the clinical importance of diagnostic biomarkers for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid polyarthritis thanks to microfluidic chromatography and triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The LAM is also involved in a fluxomics project (COFUND EU-ULg) developing a microsampling system enabling the collection of 10 µl of blood for pharmacokinetic Laboratory for the Analysis of Medicines analysis on small laboratory animals in a 3 Rs context (reduce, University of Liege refine and replace). Finally, the LAM has contributed its Quartier Hôpital, Avenue Hippocrate, 15 expertise to the FEDER/PHARE (EU/Walloon Region) project: Sart-Tilman campus, B36, Tower 4, 3rd floor its target is the development of a new microfluidic system to B-4000 Liege control the quality of biopharmaceuticals, nanoparticles, Tel.: +32 (0)4 366 43 45 counterfeit medicines and to performe PK studies on fewer laboratory animals. Email: marianne.fillet@ulg.ac.be - http://www.lam-ulg.com

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he LAM’s expertise lies in the development of new approaches and new analytical tools in microfluidics (electrophoresis and chromatography) in order to tighten quality control of medicines, which are more and more complex and therefore more and more difficult to analyze, and to provide more reliable diagnostic tools (biomarkers).

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Antioxidant Nutrition and Health Platform (NAS), expertise devoted to the effects of antioxidants on health The university-hospital Antioxidant Nutrition and Health Platform (NAS) of Liège University Hospital was set up to meet the needs of agrifood industries, manufacturers of food supplements and the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries wishing to promote the use of their antioxidant products.

or over 25 years, the Cardiovascular Surgery Department of Liège University Hospital (Pr. J.O. Defraigne) has been gaining unanimously recognised international expertise (over 200 scientific articles) in the area of cardiovascular preventive measures using antioxidants. Recently under the impetus of Dr of Sc. J. Pincemail employed in this department, the NAS platform was created and brings together over fifteen university laboratories and hospital departments involved in research on oxidative stress and antioxidants. This enables the NAS platform to offer industries who wish to assess the antioxidant effects of their natural or synthetic products a vast array of techniques from in vitro to in vivo (animals and humans), including cell culture. The NAS platform has cutting-edge equipment such as electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), spectrophotometry and HPLC tandem mass spectrophotometry to measure antioxidants in food matrices (fruit, vegetables, green tea, red wine and olive oil) or their extracts. As well as the metabolic detection of polyphenols in blood samples or through incubators imitating digestive mechanisms from the stomach to the end of the colon, the NAS platform can also carry out the routine clinical assay of thirty blood markers of oxidative stress in humans according to three strands of research (level of enzyme or other antioxidants, mineral assay, assessment of oxidative damage to lipids, DNA and proteins, identification of sources of production of activated oxygen species). Finally, the NAS platform also has a CRO to carry through clinical studies on antioxidants, especially polyphenols, in relation to their bioavailability or their capacity to maintain a healthy endothelium. In this context, the NAS platform sets up consultancies in order to guide manufacturers towards potential authorisation to state health claims. Finally, the NAS platform works in close collaboration with SportS2 (Multidisciplinary Department – Orthopaedics – Rehabilitation – Traumatology – Athlete’s Health) of Liège University Hospital, notably by including highly detailed questionnaires about antioxidant intake. © Luc Viatour

The NAS platform can be proud of important research projects like the POLYCARDI project (Beware, Walloon Region 2017-2019) called ‘Comparison of the effect of various natural polyphenols on the endothelial function and the regulation of blood pressure. In vitro and in vivo approaches.’ This project, carried out in close collaboration with the Tilman Laboratory, specialists in phytotherapy, aims to target a series of vegetable extracts rich in polyphenols with a view to demonstrating their cardio-protective properties. The NAS platform has also applied its expertise to other projects such as red wine (collaboration with the company Grafé-Lecocq in Namur) and the syrup of Liège (collaboration with the company Meurens in Herve).

Plateforme Nutrition Antioxydante & Santé (NAS) CHU de Liège Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège Domaine Universitaire du Sart Tilman Bâtiment B 35 - B-4000 Liège Tel.: +32 474 83 80 71 E-mail: j.pincemail@chu.ulg.ac.be www.chudeliege/nas

Now, the NAS platform is seeking to advance the use of its applied research in the area of antioxidants in the context of preventing cardiovascular diseases and cognitive decline and to demonstrate the benefits and viability of this for manufacturers in the pharmaceutical and agrifood world. For this, they have designed an Internet site (www.chudeliege/NAS) and created a video that can be viewed on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hNjQqheqQsc. An excellent way to promote science at the service of health.

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Centre Terre et Pierre – CTP Belgian specialist in mineral processing CTP (in operation since 2016) offers expertise and services to mining companies exploring and developing deposits as any other company in charge of the transformation and recycling of industrial or urban post-consumer waste (‘urban mining’) up to and including their valorisation into “new material” with strong added value. Its expertise takes it roots in the traditional disciplines of ‘mineral processing’ and mining (i.e. fragmentation and physico-chemical separations), first-stage transformation extractive metallurgy (hydro- and pyrometallurgy) and civil engineering.

research, the CTP is currently studying the development of “ecobinders” for soil treatment, waterproofing and roads, as well as resistant technologies (eco-design units for sustainable energy, etc.). In addition, the CTP participated in 3 projects of the Walloon competitiveness cluster Greenwin on the extension of the recycling of post-consumer plastic waste with the Suez Group, the recovery and mining of former landfills with the Shanks Group and the recovery of flat glass and fibreglass from deconstruction and industrial production with the AGC Group. The CTP can be proud of its success stories among which the

he centre employs 40 people and has an annual turnover of around €3.5 M, among which 60% comes from direct contracts with the world of industry (60% with foreign companies in 2017). At the same time the CTP is leading 16 projects subsidised with funding from FEDER, INTERREG and DGO6 (Walloon Region).

The CTP provides many services through its Studies and Tests department (drawing up economically viable solutions) and through its Analytical and Profiling department. The various laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art techniques and pilot plants enable to meet the requirements of processing large amount of material. Its specialists provide tailored consultancy upon request for plant start-ups or mining projects development.

The CTP designed and drew up the plans for a treatment plant processing 175 kT of dust per year in South Korea for Zincox Belgium.

The IMPRoVE platform (Industrial Mineral and Plastic ReVErse processing) of the CTP

Since 2015, the CTP set up what is known as a collaborative platform, called IMPRoVE (Industrial Mineral and Plastic ReVErse processing) composed of a selection of “mineral processing” equipment sized at an ‘industrial pilot’ scale – TRL 5 to 8. This platform, unique in Europe by its size (more than 6,500 m2) and the huge range of equipment available in one place, enables manufacturers to raise their R&D project towards an industrial pre-project and to assess the CAPEX and OPEX, as well as fine tune their business plan.

collaboration with an English company, with subsidiary in Belgium (Zincox Belgium), that aimed to develop a disruptive technology to recover the zinc contained in the dust produced by electric arc furnaces (EAFD) operated in the field of steelmaking. After eight years of R&D at the CTP and trials carried out in its pilot facilities located in Tournai, a treatment plant processing 175 kT of dust per year was built in South Korea in 2013-14. The blueprint for the plant was designed and drawn up at the CTP. After two years of commissioning, the plant is now producing zinc oxide of quite exceptional quality at the highest added value, particularly useful for ceramic applications. It proves obvious that the recovery of industrial waste has a bright future ahead!

Centre Terre et Pierre – CTP Chaussée d'Antoing, 55 B-7500 Tournai Tel.: +32 (0)69 88 42 51 Fax: +32 (0)69 88 42 59 Email: info@ctp.be http://ctp.be/en/

The CTP runs many industrial projects on diverse subjects such as the sustainable valorisation of end fractions from the treatment of light and heavy ordinary industrial waste, a new integrated treatment process for industrial sludge containing organic and mineral matter, studying the concept of on-site treatment of streams from demolition activities, etc. In terms of collaborative

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EPHEC Institute of Higher Education Innovative applied research projects in the technical field Located on three campuses (Woluwé, Louvain-la-Neuve and Schaerbeek), EPHEC offers its 6,400 students eight initial training programmes (EPHEC University College) and eight evening course programmes (EPHEC School of Further Education), not forgetting the in-service training programmes of the EPHEC. All these courses are taught by 350 lecturers and a large number of independent trainers. on household energy consumption. It is being conducted in collaboration with the town of Ottignies-Louvain-La-Neuve which has committed itself to a process that aims to reduce greenhouse emissions. Another project will feuture as part of an international project week and it will deal with researching solutions to enable the start-up Share My Park to manage parking spaces.

An interdisciplinary project called “Makers” was started in 2016, and it was intended for about thirty 2nd-year students of Electromechanics, Information Technology and Marketing at the EPHEC, helped by ergotherapy students. Their task was to use their creativity to tackle the challenge of creating a prototype validated by multidisciplinary specialists in the FabLab of Louvain-la-Neuve.

Véronique Gillet, director of the Technical School and director of the EPHEC LLN campus

s well as business-related courses, EPHEC is developing several technical courses, two in Informatics and Systems (one oriented towards information technology in LouvainLa-Neuve and the other oriented towards automation in Brussels) and an electromechanics course in Brussels. The technical department of our institute has been showing a strong increase in student numbers over the last five years, now exceeding 600, and the increase is particularly noticeable in electromechanics and automation.

Finally, the electromechanics unit is working on a rather long-term project. Students supervised by their professors are setting to work on building a car with a view to taking part in the Shell Eco-marathon Europe. This mythical race is a competition between several hundred teams of students with the aim of minimising fuel consumption, by way of, among other things, optimisation of the frame and an adapted engine.

The EPHEC is focused on several areas of research linked to the technical courses it provides, notably with research on virtual reality and EEG (electro-encephalographics), security and the Internet of things (IoT). Projects on applications of virtual reality and analysis of EEG signals are conducted in collaboration with a university laboratory of neurophysiology and biomechanics of motion.

An in-service training course on security is planned and will be organised at the beginning of 2018 with a view to preparing candidates (former students, partners or staff members) for Cisco certification.

EPHEC’s Electronic laboratory

To develop our skills in the IoT, we have made some contacts with groups such as the Microsoft Innovation Center, Econocom specialists in support for the digital transformation of companies, the start-up Share My Park, the Sustainable Development Centre of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, the Infopole of the Walloon Region and, in particular, the IoT cluster.

EPHEC Avenue K. Adenauer, 3 - B-1200 Woluwe-St-Lambert Tel.: +32 (0)2 772 65 75 E-mail: ephec@ephec.be - http://www.ephec.be/

This year two concrete projects were started. One of the projects involves the configuration of mechanisms for the collection of data

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HELMo Gramme

Recognizing the Capacity in Technological Research of Industrial Engineers An interview with Mr Juan HERRERA, Director of HELMo Gramme

hat are HELMo Gramme’s key figures? HELMo Gramme welcomes some 600 students, divided in two cycles, and totals some sixty to seventy graduates per year. Moreover, it builds on about a hundred teachers, i.e., forty FTEs.

Would you briefly describe your training offer? As part of the technical division of the HELMo University College in Liege, HELMo Gramme organizes a three-year, transitional Bachelor’s Degree in industrial science, and a two-year Masters in industrial engineering science with two orientations: industry and sustainable power engineering, in collaboration with the ULg. In addition, HELMo Gramme plans bridging paths for professional students desiring to become engineers, and organizes, in coordination with the ULg HEC, a Masters named “Industrial & Business Engineering.” At the end of a three-year masters’ period, the graduates obtain two qualifications: that of industrial engineer, and that of managing engineer. Our training courses build on five major points: versatility with a special focus on soft skills; industrial firms’ awareness of our reputation; the EUR-ACE labelling following the receipt of the CTI certification (the French Commission des titres d’ingénieur) by our graduate engineers; and the many learning courses per project which, combined with several participations in competitions, contribute to the development of skills appreciated by companies.

What partnerships did you develop with industrialists? In the second training year, we organize visits to industries; in the third year, we plan six-week immersion courses; in the fourth year, we organize technical visits and cultural tours abroad; and, finally, in the last year, we monitor thirteen-week professional internships which lead to an end-of-studies work. We have also established an advisory board of ten industrialists, which will have an active role in the governance of the school. Finally, we organize company forums in which some fifty engineers, mostly graduates from HELMo Gramme, convene to talk to third-year undergraduates about their experiences in the industry. Lastly, I mention that we have a database of some hundred enterprises that openly welcome our trainees.

Would you give us a brief overview of your applied research activities? HELMo’s CRIG (Centre de Recherches des Instituts Groupés) defined seven key strengths: optimization, numerical simulation and calculations; mecatronics; measurements and data processing; manufacturing processes; programming; materials chemistry; and medical biotechnologies. Currently, HELMo undertakes five FIRST Haute Ecole projects, which last two years. RESPHAN dedicates itself to the development of a phantom which reproduces the breathing motions of patients, and the movements undergone by the tumor in the context of lung cancer. This project falls within the thematic pole of mecatronics. GRADATION aims at the development of a mathematical method for the evolution of the patterns of a model to a panel of ascending or descending size, while keeping all the specific characteristics of the model (“simulation and numerical computation” thematic pole). “Intelligent heating glove” targets the design and development of a glove offering solutions to the faults of existing heating gloves (“measurement and data processing” thematic pole). “Uniform” concerns the development and evaluation of a laboratory ensuring the creation of a value chain around the joint expertise in styling and medical biology for the benefit of the reception staff of a hospital service (“manufacturing processes” thematic pole). Lastly, “Simustress” aims to objectify the state of stress within a simulation session and to identify the origins of stress to obtain useful information in order to adapt these sessions and to make them promising tools for the development of professional skills and stress management skills (“biotechnology” thematic pole).

Which are the main challenges that industrial engineers will meet in the future years? I can identify three challenges. The first one focuses on enriching technical skills with managerial and economic skills. The second challenge concerns learning foreign languages against the background of increasing labor mobility. The third challenge will be the recognition of the technological research capability of industrial engineers alongside their practical skills.

HELMo Gramme Quai du Condroz, 28 - B-4031 Angleur Tel.: +32 (0)4 340 34 30 - Fax: +32 (0)4 343 30 28 Email: gramme@helmo.be https://www.helmo.be/CMS/Institution/Instituts/ HELMo-Gramme/Accueil.aspx 111

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Haute École de Namur-Liège-Luxembourg – HENALLUX Continuous Training, Applied Research and Development of Services At the start of the Academic year 2017, HENALLUX counted 6,500 students divided into 5 categories: economy, paramedic, pedagogy, social and technical (including IT). With its 800 teachers (part of whom are local professionals), e.g., 450 FTEs, the Haute Ecole currently conducts some 20 academic and industrial research projects and trains 2,220 persons per year (1,700 of whom in the paramedical category) as part of the continuous training.

ENALLUX organizes 17 bachelors (including two new bachelors: one in Mechatronics and Robotics, the first alternating bachelor of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, whose program it defined in partnership with Agoria benefiting from a European funding, and a Bachelor in Computer Science and Systems - Orientation Systems Security), three masters (sciences of industrial engineering; computer systems architecture; engineering and social actions) and four specializations: three in the paramedical category (perioperative care; SIAMU; community health) and a new specialization in Management of Multimedia Documentary Resources for archival purposes in institutions.

In terms of continuing education, three certificates meet important professional needs: a Certificate in teaching French as a foreign language and in intercultural pedagogy, a Certificate in Education in Philosophy and Citizenship, and a Certificate in Innovative Management of Organizations and Networks of Care (MIORS) which meets the training needs of hospital and non-hospital executives. With the same objective, the SCES - Collective structures of higher education - have obtained the approval of the Walloon Region and the Wallonia Brussels Federation. The participation of HENALLUX will allow the development of innovative continuing education projects, oriented towards the trades in tension, in shortage, or emerging trades. In Marche-en-Famenne, in conjunction with the Master in Computer Systems Architecture, the Haute Ecole will participate in the Companion Committee of the Center for Digital Creativity.

Simulation Center - Hénallux Paramedical Department

Among the ongoing industrial collaborations of the Technical Category are long-term projects such as ENERGRID (modeling, design and implementation of a prototype of distributed management of nano-grid systems) financed by the DGO4 and three technical support studies: PrimEnergy (design of a domestic pellet-making machine), CESI Power Exchanger (solar thermal and photovoltaic energy storage in a heat exchanger made of solid refractory material) and FXGroup (design of a microcapsule spraying machine on coconut fiber mats), all three funded by the DGO6.

A proximity establishment, the Haute Ecole splits its 11 sites among the provinces of Namur, Luxembourg and Liège. Its bachelors and masters intend to be decidedly vocational, in direct connection with a strong involvement of the economic world. By means of their final dissertations, the students analyze real life situations or respond to projects proposed by professional circles. As for master students, they involve themselves with HENALLUX research activities via the writing of their dissertation. These applied research activities are carried out by the FoRS center (Continuous training, Research and Services to society). With its knowhow related to the training of industrial engineers, to the Master in computer science, to social engineering, nursing services and pedagogy, FoRS also benefits, in the technical sector, from the experience of vocational bachelors in electromechanics, maintenance, automation, and computer sciences.

In addition, short-term subcontracting projects such as the creation of an e-learning platform (OSCAR), a sensor system for riders (Manège De Rosière), a sensor system for smart- farming (Warnier Pesage and CTA Ferme de Strée) or the development of a global technical co-biking solution (Connect2Move). This is proof that continuing education, applied research and the development of services are one of the priorities of HENALLUX. These activities also give rise to publications and papers at symposiums both in Belgium and abroad.

Moreover, these activities are also oriented from an international perspective. Among the many projects underway: a World Bank funded project to strengthen human development systems in DRC, an ARES funded project to strengthen the skills of health personnel in Morocco, an INTERREG project to support SMEs in the development of technological and scientific resources for the use of aerial drones and finally another ARES project in Cuba using distance education in agro-industry.

HENALLUX Rue Saint-Donat, 130 B-5002 Namur Tel.: +32 (0)81 46 85 00 E-mail: info@henallux.be http://www.henallux.be/ 113

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Does academic research impact our regional economy? An interview with Dr Michel MORANT, President of the LIEU Network, Vice-President ASTP-Proton

hat are the aims of the LIEU Network and Knowledge Transfer Offices (KTOs)? The universities and higher education institutions in the Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles have a great deal of potential for innovation, which they want to use for the development of the region. This is the aim of KTOs (Knowledge Transfer Offices).

Since 2003, KTOs have been working together, through the LIEU Network, which is set for four objectives: • to promote the scientific resources of universities & let the access to them easier for companies; • to develop research collaborations between companies and research units; • to operate the tech transfer, from scouting inventions to licensing and spin-off creation; • to support the teams in a continuous process of professionalisation.

What are your services for industry? The LIEU network offers six sectoral gateways to the labs for companies seeking access to university expertises. In close collaboration with relevant partners, their missions are to: • visit companies to understand their innovation needs; • analyse the requests from industry and direct them to the academic teams who are in the best position to handle the technical challenge;

• assist industry in setting up collaborations; • promote new results, new technologies which are available for companies; • organise dedicated events between research & business.

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What services do you offer the 10,000 researchers of the WallonieBrussels Federation? It is the responsibility of the LIEU and KTOs to mobilise researchers and support their efforts into the innovation process and also to contribute to the regional development. This mobilisation ranges from awareness-raising actions and intellectual property, to research contracts and funding. Responsibility of LIEU members is to help researchers to bring projects from TRL (Technology Readyness Level) 2 to TRL 4 or 5 even TRL 6. This includes managing IP (Intellectual Property), achieving the proof of concept, looking for relevant partners, setting up agreements, and finally transferring properly the technology to the more suitable partner to get the market. Additionally, LIEU brings some support for promoting the laboratories among companies, using industrial language and standards, instead of pure scientific approach.

What has the LIEU Network achieved so far? Since the nineties, more than 250 spin-offs have been created, of which about 80% are still active. However the development of research is not limited to the creation of spin-offs and the transfer of research results. University trainings or master classes in high tech sector, or people exchanges with the private sector are also key factors for connecting industry and universities. The same applies for research collaborations, which are significant factors in the joint generation of knowledge in close collaboration with the companies. Open Innovation is the base of all interactions with companies, and the core aspect of the funding system in Wallonia, as it is in H2020.

Universities, societal impact and regional development. LIEU Results in 2016:

www.reseaulieu.be - director@reseaulieu.be

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gestures and bio-signals. Its activities fall into the category of Creative and Cultural Industries (ICC), a sector that represents 4.3% of the GDP of the European Union and brings together different markets linked to the visual and performing arts, video games, music, cinema, architecture and advertising.

The University of Mons has 10 research institutes, of which two - INFORTECH and NUMEDIART - specialise in digital technology.

MONS and Digital Technology signify several decades of research, new courses developed, projects obtained and spin-offs created. For example, the first spin-off of the university was the company Acapela (formerly called Babel Technologies and set up in 1997). This is still active mainly in vocal synthesis, developing flexible solutions for all clients, including individuals.

The main strands of research are the Mr Calogero Conti, collection and transmission of data, big rector of UMONS data and cloud computing, data mining, software and algorithm engineering, capture of movements and analysis of resulting data, intelligent spaces, navigation in multimedia data, the natural human-computer interaction and vocal technologies, virtual reality and augmented reality.

The INFORTECH Institute is developing its research and training activities with information technologies and information sciences, more specifically with technologies that enable detection, formatting, transmission, storage, analysis and exploitation of data and signals. It maintains close relations with the approved research centres of the Walloon Region that are operating in the field of information technologies, namely MULTITEL and the CETIC which, in fact, had its origins in UMONS.

UMONS and Digital Technology

Some important flagship projects UMONS is a partner of the Wal-e-Cities portfolio led by research centre Multitel, funded by FEDER and the Walloon Region (RW), which aims to meet the challenges of Walloon cities, following the “Smart Region” philosophy. The main objective of this portfolio is to develop mechanisms and software that would enable the provision of services and

The NUMEDIART Institute is involved in the field of creative technologies. It benefits from acclaimed expertise on an international level in the area of processing sound, image, video,

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The CBBL project (Cross Border Living Labs) is an Interreg project led by UMONS, through the intermediary of the NUMEDIART institute. It aims to establish a cross-border network of living labs using partly existing physical structures in the three regions involved in the project, in the subjects linked to digital creativity. Within the context of the FEDER project DIGISTORM, UMONS is developing CLICK: a Walloon Living Lab in the field of creative technologies and industries. At the heart of the Walloon creative ecosystem and benefiting from the expertise of the NUMEDIART Institute (UMONS), CETIC and Multitel, CLICK is a partner of choice for project leaders wishing to develop innovative products and/or services.

Some examples of spin-offs operating in digital technology

meeting needs in four areas: mobility, energy and environment, transparent data exchange market, the living environment and citizen wellbeing.

UMONS has also created several digital spin-offs in recent years. Here are some examples: • Hovertone which offers a variety of services for the creation of innovative interactive experiences; • Ittention which develops solutions for forecast views for graphics and communication professionals; • Acapela which is innovating to give everyone a voice. Their proprietary technologies and vocal solutions are designed to deliver natural, intelligible and pleasant audio information; • Xperthis which has positioned itself as a hospital IT partner in its entirety and full complexity, based on its experience in areas as varied as pricing, patient files and ERP; • Creaceed which is developing and marketing creative, intuitive and convivial applications for users of Mac and iOS platforms, both individuals and professionals; • B-Sens which works with solutions related to health and safety using tools based on fibre optic technology: • It-optics, with over 15 years experience in systems engineering and solutions and services, is working on the creation and development of infrastructures based on open source or proprietary solutions; • Acic, which automates video surveillance, thanks to a range of video analysis products.

The InOGRAM project, developed within the framework of the Logistics in Wallonia competitiveness cluster, aims to explore new technological axes to meet the needs of non-European market of ERTMS. It relies on a partnership between railway operators that must improve the internationalisation of traffic and interoperability between operators and infrastructures. The ERTMS standard, developed for Europe to meet this need, has spread throughout the world, highlighting on the one hand a need for development towards new functions and on the other hand the risk of sectoral competition emerging outside Europe. NUMEDIART is one of the partners of the DeepSport project that aims to develop algorithms based on automatic learning for the retransmission of sports competitions and for use in systems processing video data. The aim is to fulfil the functions of assistance and automation of the annotation and editing of the content, whether for broadcasting or semi-live. The aim of the ParkAR project is to develop innovative solutions for the capture of interactions in augmented reality of a limited group of people.

A true nursery for spin-offs, the FIRST Spin-Off call of the Walloon Region led to many entrepreneurial endeavours among UMONS researchers in the digital field. Here are some examples: • Mapin, which is working on the creation of low-cost 3D interactive mapping solutions using rear projection video; • vCycle, which aims to use and adapt deep learning methods to simplify searches in image banks; • Tangerine, whose aim is to facilitate and promote the learning of programming through tangible (non-virtual) games; • EGC, which aims to develop a tool for automatic recognition of guitar playing based on articulations between the notes and expressiveness; • Cleo, aimed at developing a method of rebuilding in three dimensions for the internal structure of a bone using simple x-rays.

In the project Reidpazo developed in the context of video surveillance, the objective is to supply a robust module of reidentification of an unlimited number of people and/or objects. This generic module makes it possible, for example, to follow a person over a long time even on images from several different cameras. The IGLU project brings together scientists from 8 partner institutions (including UMONS), experts in speech and language technologies, in deep learning, neuro-morphic information, affective information and developmental robotics. Natural language is one of the singular talents of our learning environment. Research on grounded language understanding is a real challenge in the area of artificial intelligence.

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Promoting interdisciplinarity in research An interview with Ms Carine MICHIELS, Vice-Rector for Research Policy and International Positioning of the University of Namur (UNamur) Finally, Professor Guy Cornelis has just obtained an ERC Proof of Concept for his project CANITEST: Proof-Of-Concept of a PCR test designed to identify the dogs carrying the more virulent strains of Capnocytophaga canimorsus. Already awarded an ERC Advanced Grant, the additional funding should enable the verification of a feasibility test to identify dogs that are carriers of the C. canimorsus bacteria cells which are dangerous for humans. CANITEST is the third ERC POC project funded in the the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The objective is to consolidate the innovative potential of ideas resulting from the ERC Advanced Grant project. The total could reach €150,000 for 18 months.

hat are the key figures for UNamur? Without full university status as it does not award all existing diplomas, UNamur has 6 faculties, almost 6,800 students and 370 doctoral students. Besides, its reputation is based on about 1,000 researchers, 106 new research projects were obtained in 2016 and its research budget funded by external contracts is €26 million, not including investment of own funds. What are the strong points of UNamur research? The research landscape was recently redesigned with the creation of 11 research institutes focused on the strong points of the University: Narilis (Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences), PaTHs (Heritage, Transmissions, Shared Heritage), DeFiPP (Development Finance and Public Policies), ILEE (Institute of Life, Earth, and Environment), NISM (Namur Institute of Structured Matter), Transitions, IRDENa (Institute of Research in Didactics and Education of UNamur), NAlTT (Namur Institute of Language, Text and Transmediality), esphin (Philosophical Space of Namur), naxys (Namur Institute for Complex Systems) and NADI (Namur Digital Institute). More visible, these institutes promote interdisciplinarity in research through strengthening interactions between researchers who know each other personally. They also enable the development of niche research which gives UNamur a particular strength. Moreover, exceptional equipment has been regrouped on 8 technological platforms, which promote expertise associated with experimental approaches developed in support of the research institutes.

How does the policy of exploitation of research in UNamur manifest itself? The University has a research administration (ADRE) that employs, among others, 4 advocates: one for social and human sciences, one for life sciences, one for materials science and one for ICTs. These persons help researchers to identify the results of research that can be exploited, to prepare projects, to research funding by the Walloon Region and to create spin-offs. On average there is one spin-off created per year thanks to the research work of UNamur. For example, two spin-offs were created in 2017: Innovative Coating Solutions and QualiBLOOD, a contract research organisation (CRO) that performs blood tests that comply with the EMA and FDA standards for the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, providing in vitro diagnosis (IVD) mechanisms, CROs, and for hospitals or companies involved in making nanomaterials. The ERC Proof of Concept for the CANITEST project is also planning exploitation of results soon. There is no question about it: UNamur is very creative!

Could you give us a few examples of European research projects that UNamur is involved in? UNamur is involved in 17 FEDER projects in the 2014-2020 programming period. Moreover, 6 H2020 projects submitted since October 2016 were accepted. Karine Van Doninck, Professor in the Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, received an “ERC Consolidator Grant” of almost €2 million which will enable the funding of “RHEA” for “Rotifers Highlight Evolution of Asexuals”. It studies the reproduction the bdelloid rotifers, a small invertebrate that seems to evolve in the absence of sexual reproduction and would be capable of surviving extreme conditions such as total absence of water and high doses of radiation.

Catherine Guirkinger, Professor at the Centre for Research in Economic Development (CRED), received an “ERC Starting grant” of €1.5 million to undertake the research project “African Women” on the situation of women in Sub-Saharan Africa. The aim is to have a better understanding of the processes, economic strengths and constraints that explain discrimination towards women, from a historical viewpoint (analysis of long-term trends in the evolution of wellbeing for women) and from a contemporary perspective (detailed analysis of the distribution of resources and work loads in Burkina Faso households).

The 11 research institutes that make up the research landscape at the University of Namur

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Electron Spectroscopy Interdisciplinary Laboratory – LISE Specialist in material surfaces and interfaces Part of the “Namur Institute of Structured Matter” (NISM) at the University of Namur, the Electron Spectroscopy Interdisciplinary Laboratory (LISE) has produced almost 1,000 publications since its creation in 1972. Its 15 physicists, chemists and engineers are running five to ten projects at the same time. with the University of Kyoto in Japan on the development of new mass spectrometry analysis methods.

Situated upstream from the TRL chain (2-4), the LISE uses the SIAM technological platform of the University of Namur as its interface with industrial partners in TRL 6 or above. It has developed close contacts with the CRM Group (ArcelorMittal research activity), stakeholder of projects funded by the Walloon Region on the design of intelligent self-cleaning types of steel or with photovoltaic properties, AGC Glass, for whom they do the deposit and characterisation of multi-coloured glass, intelligent or luminescent, IMEC and the CEA… The LISE has also worked for a large German automobile parts manufacturer on aluminium-nylon laser bonding and the Lafarge Group on the covering of concrete with plasma to create specific properties. So many ways of putting its expertise to good account.

Inside the ToF-SIMS spectrometer and sample holder

he LISE carries out two main activities: the characterisation of surfaces and interfaces by electron (XPS) and ion (ToF-SIMS) spectroscopies; the deposition of thin layers (polymers, oxides, nanoparticles, etc.) by low pressure plasma. These two activities contribute to its three strands of research which are energy (development of new generation organic solar cells, assessment of the deterioration phenomena of the layers by characterisation of the interfaces; developing proton-exchange membranes for fuel cells through plasma synthesis of metallic nanoparticles used as catalysts, new coatings covering the bipolar plates to limit corrosion), hybrid materials (with recognised expertise in organic/inorganic interfaces such as those between an oxide or a metal and a polymer, depositing nanoparticles on carbon materials); and cutting-edge characterisation methods (study of physical interactions between photons, electrons, ions and matter to reach a better understanding of and optimise ToF-SIMS and XPS methods). Electron microscopy image of carbon nanotubes coated (“decorated”) with platinum nanoparticles for applications in the field of catalysis in fuel cells

Buoyed by these special features, LISE is participating in three European research projects. The M-ERA.NET project “Laser Stamp” aims to develop expertise in laser welding of metal-polymer materials with promising applications in the automotive and biomedical industries. The LISE is also a stakeholder in 2 FEDER projects: “Inoxypem”, for the anticorrosive coating aspect of stainless steel electrodes that can be inserted in PEM-type fuel cells, and “Clean Air”, which aims to develop filters made of hybrid materials for the destruction of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the home. At the same time, the LISE is involved in several applied research projects funded by the Walloon Region. These include projects on solar cells, fuel cells, CO2 conversion, design of biosensors for the detection of pathogens, etc. Thanks to funding from the WBI, the LISE is also involved in a long-term collaborative project with Laval University in Quebec on the covering of coronary stents by layers of molecules preventing inflammation and thrombosis. Finally, the LISE has developed fundamental collaborative research

LISE University of Namur Rue de Bruxelles 61 - B-5000 Namur Tel.: +32 (0)81 72 45 12 E-mail: laurent.houssiau@unamur.be http://www.unamur.be/sciences/physique/lise 119

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INDEX OF COMPANY PROFILES AND ADVERTISERS

Becetel vzw ................................................................62, 63

Jabil Circuit Belgium N.V. Hasselt Research & Design Center ......................60-61, cover 4

Belnet............................................................Cover 2, 16-17 BIRA-IASB - Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy .....12-13

Laboratory for the Analysis of Medicines – LAM ..............107

Liège Space Centre – CSL ...............................................104

Electronic Spectroscopy Interdisciplinary Laboratory – LISE............................................................119

Centre Terre et Pierre – CTP.............................................109 Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules – CERM ...........................................................................105

Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics – LNMB ......................................35

The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines – CIRM .............................................................................106

N E

Antioxidant Nutrition and Health Platform – NAS .............108

EPHEC Institute of Higher Education .................................110

Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis and Medicines .......................36

Department of Gastroenterology, Hepato-pancreatology and Digestive Oncology – Erasme Hospital ........................34

SCK•CEN ...................................................................46-47

HELMo Gramme.........................................111-112, cover 3 Haute École de Namur-Liège-Luxembourg – HENALLUX .....113

Howest University of Applied Sciences ...............................53 Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital – HUDERF .....33

Thales Alenia Space Belgium .........................64, 86-87

I INFOPOLE Cluster TIC.......................................................77

The Walloon Public Service Science Institute – ISSeP.....102-103

Vlerick Healthcare Management Centre .....................50-51

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