INNOVATE™ Antwerp 2

Volume 2

ANTWERP

InnovationsoftheWorld.com

IN ORDER TO SUCCEED, WE MUST FIRST BELIEVE THAT WE CAN.” – NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS

Lier, city at the heart of the Mechelen-Kempen region

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The “INNOVATE™ Antwerp” Team would like to give a special thanks to all the participants and the following companies for their support and assistance in making this project a reality.

Meet the people that are building a better Antwerp for tomorrow

O P E N M A N U FA C T U R I N G C A M P U S

Dr. David van Schaik

SPINE SURGEON ORTHOPEDICS - TRAUMATOLOGY

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INNOVATE™ ANTWERP: A MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE AND MORE.

SVEN BOERMEESTER, FOUNDER/CEO, INTERNATIONAL GROUP PUBLISHER Sven Boermeester, Founder/CEO, International Group Publisher with Callie Van Graan, President, Global Village Publishing

INNOVATE™ Antwerp showcases the best of the region’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Embedded in its pages, you will find augmented reality videos that accompany nearly every feature, and when you use the free GLOBAL VILLAGE AR app, the world of the future will open up before your very eyes.

open-minded folk who want to know more about the exciting changes that have recently transpired in the Antwerp ecosystem, and who play or want to play an active role in its growth and development.

This edition of INNOVATE™ Antwerp is part of a global series. We are currently launching volumes in cities throughout the GlobalVillage.world publishing partnership network.

But “INNOVATE™ Antwerp” is far more than a tech-enabled publication; it is a multimedia experience centered around the deluxe hardcover coffee-table book you are now holding, which includes AR videos, an online web platform, and multilevel social media networking. Online, the full e-book will be viewed in the millions through the InnovationsoftheWorld.com online library.

By experiencing INNOVATE™ Antwerp, you are part of our Global Village network, and we are happy to have you. I trust you will join us as we continue the journey of the INNOVATE™ series.

Sven Boermeester Founder/CEO International Group Publisher

This publication aims to celebrate those involved in the Antwerp innovation ecosystem, but it is also meant for all business leaders and decision-makers who can effect change in their industries throughout Belgium, Europe and the world. We publish INNOVATE™ Antwerp for the

Freddy Arnauts Associate Publisher

Sue Rooney COO

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Gia Bischofberger Production Director

Justin Jones VP Digital

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Peter Batistich Art & Design

Anita Naidoo Web Development

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LAUGHTER IS TIMELESS, IMAGINATION HAS NO AGE AND DREAMS ARE FOREVER.” – WALT DISNEY

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MECHELEN & KEMPEN: FERTILE GROUND FOR START-UPS, SCALE-UPS AND MARKET LEADERS TOM LAVEREN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER VOKA - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MECHELEN-KEMPEN The Mechelen-Kempen region is ideally located between the port and the airport and close to the two big metropolises of Brussels and Antwerp.

It is a place where it is good to live, work and do business. Where craftsmanship is a brand. The region is booming and many fine and innovative companies have established themselves here and are investing heavily in the future, including the country’s largest employers.

Rich economic network It is our mission as Voka Chamber of Commerce Mechelen-Kempen to help companies grow. We work to stimulate entrepreneurship every day.

It is truly an honour to represent the companies in this region as managing director. I am particularly proud of the rich economic network the region has to offer. The four major assets?

The central location, the labour productivity, the innovative mindset and last but not least the topnotch companies.

Central location Mechelen-Kempen has a very favourable geographical location between the largest ports and the national airport. As a transit region, four major motorways provide easy access across the country, the waterways ensure smooth inland navigation and an extensive rail network regulates the transport of goods. Goods are stored in numerous distribution centres and moved further in the European Union, and as far as the Middle East and Africa. In MechelenKempen you find the world within reach.

Labour productivity When you compare the gross added value in the region with the number of active employees, you immediately notice the high labour productivity in the region. On average, it is higher in this region than in the rest of the country.

Moreover, the manufacturing industry is particularly strong here and is among the best in terms of innovation and highly skilled personnel. Add these ingredients together and you get a region with exceptional economic strengths, know-how and employment.

Innovative mindset A smooth flow of knowledge and expertise from higher education to business is crucial for realising breakthroughs in innovation. The presence of leading knowledge institutions such as KU Leuven and Thomas More in the

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region and the extensive partnerships around entrepreneurship ensure smooth cooperation.

New ecosystems are being created every day.

Many (tech) start-ups did start in the region. The number of new businesses is rising to a record high and these start-ups are also proving to be robust. Seven out of ten companies are still active five years later.

Start-ups and icons As an entrepreneurs’ organisation, Voka represents not only (tech)start-ups, but also a lot of top names in the Mechelen-Kempen

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Tom Laveren has been managing Voka - Chamber of Commerce Mechelen-Kempen since 2019.

Before, he had a successful career at e.g. Nike and Tabaknatie in the Port of Antwerp. Now, he is committed to putting Mechelen and Kempen economically on the map. Tom is married to Lies and has three children. In his spare time he enjoys travelling, sailing and skiing, as well as spending time with family and friends. region. Pfizer was responsible for the first corona vaccine to come onto the market. Johnson & Johnson (based in Beerse with Janssen Pharmaceutica) quickly followed. Daf Trucks and Van Hool are icons in transport. Renewi and AGC Glass are pioneers in recycling and innovative glass applications respectively.

BelOrta is Belgium’s largest fruit and vegetable auction and the European market leader. No other European region has so many agro-food companies. And the Mechelen-Kempen region is also the base for multinationals, regional and EMEA distribution centers and European

Headquarters such as Mondelez, Griffith Foods, Cargill, Soudal, Nike, Dupont, Novartis and Aurubis. People work hard and embrace productivity here, and the many local small to medium-sized companies form a solid basis for a flourishing future.

There is only one conclusion: the MechelenKempen region is a particularly fertile ground for start-ups, scale-ups and market leaders. I am therefore very pleased that we, as the largest interest group, can defend, strengthen and connect these companies with each other.

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tom-laveren Email: tom.laveren@voka.be

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INNOVATION IS THE KEY TO CREATING GROWTH AND VALUE!

One of the most inspiring stories in Greek mythology tells how Prometheus, ‘the visionary’, out of love for mankind, stole the fire from the Olympian gods and gave it to mankind.

From that day on, the rise of human genius and technological progress was unstoppable. The human ability to bring light into the darkness, to keep searching creatively for more knowledge, for new solutions to create added value, that is exactly the essence of innovation.

Or, as a manager of one of the many innovative Flemish companies aptly puts it: ‘the beauty of

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innovation lies in the fact that it is within reach of everyone on our planet. It is man’s inherent capacity to create growth and added value. It is an intellectual exercise that eclipses all other competitive advantages because they are only temporary.

Innovation is the key to creating growth and value and thus increasing the productivity and competitiveness of our companies. They are the beating lifeblood of our economy, creating prosperity and growth. Together, they form a resilient economic fabric that responds

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proactively to new technologies and societal challenges. Innovation is therefore the common thread running through my policy.

In recent years, Flanders has been catching up in terms of research and development expenditure. In 2019, we broke through the 3% of GDP barrier for research and development for the first time. This put Flanders well above the European average and puts us in second place in Europe after Sweden. In the coming years, we want to continue this effort with an additional 250 million euros for research and development and another 195 million euros for research infrastructure.

In this way, we will further develop our science policy based on the excellence criterion and encourage promising start-ups to grow internationally and conquer world markets with their technology. The necessary ecosystem is already in place.

Because Flanders already has a lot of assets to be a European innovation leader. There is our strong ecosystem around biotechnology and new medical and pharmaceutical solutions, but also our unique research network for the most advanced chips and digital applications. And also in the climate transition of basic industry in Flanders, chemistry and steel, innovation is the key to success!

Important here is that we must bring innovation to the people. By bringing technology closer to the citizen, we want to achieve a better understanding and greater trust in the work of scientists and technology managers. Such trust is essential for the rapid dissemination and social acceptance of new applications, the COVID crisis was an eyeopener here. It strengthens belief in human ability and hope and confidence in progress, thus contributing to a cohesive society and sustainable world.

The ‘titan’ Prometheus was chained to the rocks of the Caucasus as punishment for his theft, but human fire has not been extinguished since. Together with the Flemish Government, we want to continue his titanic work and give our entrepreneurs, researchers and citizens the necessary oxygen and fuel to spread that inspiring fire further.

Hilde Crevits Vice Minister President of the Flemish Government Previously Minister of Economy, Science Policy and Innovation, Work and Social Economy, Agriculture and Sea Fisheries.

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DISCOVERING THE ECOSYSTEMS OF THE ENTIRE PROVINCE OF ANTWERP FREDDY ARNAUTS – ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

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Following on the recent success of INNOVATE™ Antwerp Volume 1, I am pleased to present the second volume, focussing on the entire province of Antwerp.

Where the first edition focussed on the innovators and innovation enablers defining the City of Antwerp, the second edition will focus on the vibrant Province of Antwerp. This region is recognized globally as an innovation hub and a European pole of growth and is well known for its rich tapestry of historical cities, thriving industries, and entrepreneurial spirit.

The province of Antwerp is indeed a dynamic and innovative region. The economic prosperity is supported by the companies: large concerns, SMEs and thousands of independent entrepreneurs. They are active in the construction and metal sector, the logistics sector, retail, business services, chemicals and life sciences, agro-industry, creative industry, etc... A large selection of these are featured in this Volume 2.

The province in numbers The Province of Antwerp is a densely populated region in the north of Belgium with 1.8 million inhabitants in an area of 2,867 km². It consists of the three districts of Mechelen, Antwerpen and Turnhout, and has 69 towns and cities.

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THE FLAG The flag of the province of Antwerp consists of 24 squares, in four rows of six. They are eight red, six white, six yellow and four blue ‘blocks’.

They are arranged diagonally, in such a way that each square has the same color as the ones on the top left and bottom right.

The colors are derived from the Antwerp cities (and districts): Antwerp (red and white), Mechelen (yellow and red) and Turnhout (blue and white).

An inspiring Landmark The Provincial Government Building is a compact and sustainable building that was taken into use in the autumn of 2018.

It is eye-catching because of the twist in the building, but its shape is also functional - the twist means that no shadows fall on the adjacent buildings. It also means that the large open storeys get less sun but more northerly light. The triangular windows add a special touch.

The design was produced by Xaveer De Geyter Architects (XDGA).

The Provincial Government Building has 14 floors and is just under 58 metres tall.

Around 860 staff members have been working there since the middle of October in 2018. The office space offers room for 660 office staff. They share different types of work stations, and no one has their ‘own desk’. This means the space is used efficiently.

About Freddy Arnauts Associate Publisher

ANTWERPEN

Everyone has an idea. But it’s really about executing the idea and attracting other people to help you work on the idea.” - Jack Dorsey

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Freddy Arnauts is a native of Antwerp. With a MSc in Applied Economics and PhD in Business Administration, he has spearheaded integrated health care systems for diabetes, stroke, schizophrenia and epilepsy patients, led numerous European projects in the health sector, and directed strategic group marketing for Johnson & Johnson.

As well as managing his own consultancy agency and serving on the board of the B19 Business Club, Freddy is known for fundraising for various projects.

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CHAPTER ONE

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CHAPTER TWO

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CHAPTER THREE

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CHAPTER FOUR

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CHAPTER FIVE

THOUGHT LEADERS

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

UNIVERSITY

ENTREPRENEURIAL HUBS

MEDICAL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

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INNOVATION CENTER

PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

PRODUCT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

PRODUCTION PROCESS INNOVATION

DIGITAL INNOVATION

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CREATIVE, DESIGN & MARKETING

SPACE

SOCIAL INNOVATION

LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

GLOBAL VILLAGE

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Global Village CEO: Sven Boermeester President, Global Village Publishing Inc.: Callie Van Graan Associate Publisher: Freddy Arnauts COO: Sue Rooney Production Director: Gia Bischofberger VP Digital: Justin Jones Art Direction & Design: Peter Batistich, Deep Fried Designs Web Development: Anita Naidoo Research & Selection: Freddy Arnauts

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Email: info@globalvillage.world InnovationsoftheWorld.com globalvillagepublishinginc.com © Global Village Publishing Inc ISBN# 978-1-949677-28-7

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CHAPTER NINE

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CHAPTER TEN

PHARMACEUTICALS

HEALTHCARE

MEDICAL DEVICES

BIOTECH INNOVATIONS & EDUCATION

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

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LOGISTICS

ECOLOGY

FOOD & BEVERAGES

FOOD RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

INTERACTIVE MUSEUMS

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

C O N T E N T S IT’S A KIND OF MAGIC...

DOWNLOAD THE GLOBAL VILLAGE AR APP TO VIEW 100 AUGMENTED REALITY VIDEOS IN THIS BOOK!

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Make sure your back camera is pointing at the page. Click the Play button that appears onscreen and immerse yourself in the latest updated content with reference to that page.

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in ‘Innovate™ Antwerp’ vol 2. Neither ‘Innovate™ Antwerp’, nor Global Village assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, nor submissions by participators. All rights reserved: No part of this publication shall be reproduced, copied, transmitted, adapted or modified in any form or by any means. This publication shall not be stored in whole or in part in any form in any retrieval system.

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CHAPTER ONE

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YOU CAN DO ANYTHING AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE PASSION, THE DRIVE, THE FOCUS, AND THE SUPPORT.” – SABRINA BRYAN

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CAMPINA CAMPUS MUST UNLOCK INNOVATION POTENTIAL

Photo: Jef Van Nooten

WARD KENNES, MAYOR OF KASTERLEE

In October 2019, together with the Regional Platform Kempen, we organised a two-day “Future Forum” on the future of our region Kempen. The Regional Platform Kempen is a socio-economic consultative body of Kempen MPs, provincial and local administrators together with social partners.

During this Future Forum some 80 people brainstormed intensively about the future of our region Kempen. As Chairman, I was quite proud of the dynamics present during these two days. The participative approach was a new way of working for the Regional Platform Kempen.

As a result, after a weekend of strong process management and active participation, we found a common horizon for our region: in 2030 the Kempen region will be a sustainable community, an inclusive,

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warm and caring community and an enterprising and innovative community.

Kempen an innovative region Today, the potential for an innovative region is already present in many places. An increasing number of large and small companies, already have innovation at the heart of the agenda.

In addition, the Kempen hosts a number of prominent knowledge institutions such as SCK and VITO. Also the KU Leuven university and Thomas More focus their attention on the Kempen region. However, in my opinion the actual knowledge and research results do not yet sufficiently lead to the creation of new companies: this remains an important challenge for the Kempen.

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Recently, however, a number of important initiatives have been taken to support innovation in the region. For instance, the Open Manufacturing Campus, located on the former Philips site in Turnhout, is growing into a hotspot for smart manufacturing (industry 4.0 and smart processing). And in Geel, the realisation of the Innovation Campus Geel is being prepared by our intermunicipal IOK. The intention here is to link up with the research of KU Leuven and Thomas More and their special fields of expertise in the health economy, agro-food, bio-based economy.

But as I said: it can all be done in a more coordinated way, with more power. We need to put more emphasis on the promotion our potential. In this respect, our Kempen’s modesty probably plays tricks on us.

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Campus Campina I was therefore delighted that the leverage project ‘Campus Campina’ was launched during the two-day event. With Campus Campina, we want to strengthen the branding of the Kempen as an innovative and entrepreneurial region. We want to stimulate, cherish and develop innovation and entrepreneurship within the Kempen, especially within the Kempen spearhead sectors: industry 4.0 - smart processing, health economy, agro-food and biobased economy.

Furthermore, we want to offer incubation and/or production space on the sites Open Manufacturing Campus (OMC) in Turnhout and the Innovation Campus Geel, giving innovative and starting entrepreneurs the opportunity to establish themselves in the Kempen. Around these two innovation poles, a network of

service providers will be developed to make their offer even more accessible for start-ups and scale-ups. At the same time, the transfer of knowledge from the research to the entrepreneurs needs to be realised. Around the Kempen spearhead sectors, we want to develop ecosystems, through which innovative startups, scale-ups and spin-offs can grow together, through and with each other.

Personally, I will be satisfied in 2030 if more start-ups, more scale-ups, more spin-offs are realised in the Kempen, including from the knowledge institutions, but not exclusively, and if the Open Manufacturing Campus Turnhout and the Innovation Campus Geel have become hotbeds of innovation. Students and young people with an innovative entrepreneurial spirit must be able to start their dreams there.

Ward Kennes Mayor of Kasterlee Chairman Conference of the Mayors of the Kempen region Chairman of the Regional Platform Kempen

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WE INNOVATE TOGETHER PROF. DR. BERT LAUWERS ACADEMIC DIRECTOR AT KU LEUVEN

Innovative ecosystems are a lever for prosperity. Their strength lies in the collaboration between partners, in joint creativity, mutual trust and the willingness to bring together information and insights. It’s no coincidence that we, KU Leuven, have found these qualities to be strengths of the Kempen-Mechelen region.

Our two fast-growing campuses in Geel and Sint-Katelijne-Waver are strongly embedded in the KU Leuven community. The ambition at these campuses is to train engineers and other professionals, to educate them to become people who know how to get things done - first rate problem solvers. Because research and innovation are not an end in themselves but a means of tackling societal challenges. Climate change, sustainable food production, environmental pollution, health and well-being all pose urgent problems that cry out for a solution.

One thing is certain: those solutions will not come out of the blue. They will require hard work. And collaboration. Because again: real innovators don’t go it alone. They work in teams and surround themselves with people from different disciplines. They make optimal use of a wide range of expertise without losing sight of the bigger picture. And most importantly, they don’t allow themselves to be thrown off balance. After a setback, they resolutely search for new approaches. That mindset, or rather passion, makes the difference between success and failure.

We are happy to be part of this socio-economic fabric alongside other educational institutions, local and regional government, companies and organisations. We’re ready to strengthen it further, to build a warm, caring and innovative region. And we’re open to partnerships with all actors in the region.

Use our infrastructure, call on our people. Working together, we can look to our shared future with confidence. With an open mind, self-assurance and, above all, enthusiasm. Let us put our creativity to work, because innovation is something we do together.

Prof. Dr. Bert Lauwers is a full professor at KU Leuven. From 2013 to 2016, he was campus president of the Geel and De Nayer (Sint-Katelijne-Waver) campuses. In 2016 he was elected dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology; since 2021, he combines this position with that of Academic Director for the De Nayer, Diepenbeek and Geel campuses. He is also responsible for the campus in Genk, where KU Leuven offers study programmes through the Associated Faculty of the Arts.

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LET’S BUILD A NETWORK OF/FOR TALENT. #WEAREMORE... ARE YOU IN? STIJN COENEN, CEO, THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES “The sky is not the limit anymore.” Quite a bold statement, likely to provoke more than a few raised eyebrows or some smug laughter. It is, however, the proud motto and goal of the students that enroll annually in Thomas More’s ICE honours programme, tailored for those students who want to go the extra mile, push their boundaries, and give their studies a boost by tackling real-life challenges in a multidisciplinary and international group and create real impact.

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION – WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER For me this programme for gutsy students embodies what higher education, in particular at universities of applied sciences, should be all about: transcending disciplines, offering plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurship and fostering an international and innovative mindset. Talent for innovation, that is our core business.

Stijn Coenen is CEO of Thomas More, the largest university of applied sciences in Flanders, offering a wide range of profession-oriented degree programmes for over 19.000 students and cuttingedge practice-based research on 7 campuses throughout the province of Antwerp.

Passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship, Stijn pioneered in setting up Thomas More’s Partners in Education network and laid the foundations for ICE Cube, the school’s entrepreneurial hub for students and alumni.

Why don’t we, to name just one example, join hands to create learning environments in which students and professionals in the field not only work together, but also learn from each other with a clear ‘return on investment’ for both parties? That could be a credit towards a degree for students or a microcredential, edubadge or certificate for lifelong learning professionals.

Let’s “get (sh)it done!”, to quote the tagline of one of our other ICE Cube initiatives. Let’s build this network of/for talent. #wearemore… are you in?

And frankly, it is no longer possible – not even desirable – to achieve that on our own. What we need is a new ecosystem of schools, companies, and other organizations to join hands – and brains! – as ‘partners in education’ to train the professionals for the 21st century and create a culture of experiment and entrepreneurship in which every stakeholder is involved as part of an inspirational and innovative community.

Thomas More University of Applied Sciences Zandpoortvest 60 – 2800 MECHELEN Kleinhoefstraat 4 – 2440 GEEL stijn.coenen@thomasmore.be be.linkedin.com/in/stijn-coenen

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INNOVATION IS THE LIFE BLOOD AT JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICA IN BEERSE DR. AJIT SHETTY, FORMER CHAIRMAN, JANSSEN BEERSE

My name is Dr. Ajit Shetty and I served as Chairman of Janssen Beerse from 2002 to 2012.

I was very fortunate to have been part of Janssen under the leadership of Dr. Paul Janssen.

We were the most productive pharmaceutical research lab in the world, bringing out two major new drug products a year from our highly innovative and productive R&D… a unique record in that period!

Innovation was clearly the life blood of our company, and it was the DNA of the Janssen culture.

“WHAT’S NEW” was the slogan of Dr. Janssen when he met you and it set the tone for everyone at the company.

Innovation depends on people and setting the right tone at the top was critical to motivate every individual. Innovation extended from R&D to marketing to finance as well as to the supply chain covering all aspects of the company. Value was created in every area…

Already at the end of last century we embraced ‘convergent technologies’ as impacting our industry. Today, as a Trustee of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA (a shared no.1 positon in artificial intelligence), I can see these new technologies affecting every segment of the life sciences industry. An OPEN MIND is a critical fertile ground to permeate the seeds of innovation and we should encourage the younger generation along these lines.

The innovation process encounters obstacles along the way but we should encourage people to pick themselves up and find new solutions to circumvent these obstacles. The saying “DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FAIL” is well known and practiced in all major innovative institutions.

With these personal thoughts, I wish the audience a great journey through the Field of Innovation to a ‘Better World’ tomorrow for all of humanity…

Email: shetty@skynet.be

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UNLOCKING OF A NEW WAVE OF BIOTECH INNOVATIONS IN FLANDERS DIRK REYN, CHAIRMAN, FLANDERS BIO

Dirk Reyn is a Pharmacist/ MBA with Sales and Marketing, Crisis Management, Business Development and CEO skills acquired in the international pharmaceutical industry over a period of 35 years. He is the co-founder of four biotech/ healthtech companies including Movetis (2006), EtheRNA (2016) and Spectricity (2018). He is one of the three Managing Partners of the Bioqube Factory Fund, a new biotech investment Fund that closed at 110 Mio euro. He is also President of flanders.bio the organization of small biotech companies in Flanders.

As the chairman of flanders.bio, an ex-CEO of four (4) start-up companies and an investor in the biotech scene in Europe, my heart and soul lie with Biotech. I have seen the Biotech landscape in Flanders grow to the absolute top in Europe. It is not without reason that the 2021 McKinsey study proclaimed Flanders as a leading region in a number of new life science patents and influential publications per capita, the ranking of its universities, the fast speed to approval for new clinical trials, rate of government non-dilutive grants and ability for start-ups to attract funding from local investors and/ or the local stock market.

Every day I am amazed by the unlimited possibilities that disruptive emerging technologies offer. Thanks to the recent advances in genomic research and new mRNA and viral vector technologies, we were able to unlock the secrets of the Covid-19 virus and vaccines were available within 12-15 months. But it doesn’t stop there. Other new technologies like therapies that

weaponize the patient’s own immune cells; molecules that deliver missing genes to treat rare but fatal genetic disorders, therapies that regulate our gut flora to stabilize diseases, are witnesses of the unprecedented scientific progress we have made over the last years. Also, everincreasing computational power is revealing unexpected correlations or predictive markers in huge healthcare datasets, resulting in new targets for cancer or other lifethreatening diseases, better selection of lead compounds and identification of the right patients to treat.

I strongly believe that the future lies in cross-sector collaboration. With flanders.bio, we were at the cradle of the Medvia cluster initiative for better health/care, where biotech, medtech and IT ideas can grow into new collaborations or companies. We are only on the eve of a new industrial revolution and innovation boom in the biotech sector. The future is bright – the future is biotech.

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OPEN INNOVATION: THE WAY TO PRODUCE LOCALLY MARC CORTHOUT, OPEN MANUFACTURING CAMPUS

The evolution of digital technology and the resulting exponential complexity increase in the products that we use all the time, also affects production technologies deeply and requires close cooperation between many companies, each delivering their unique process technology and modules. At the same time Industry 4.0 and the innovation towards product personalization - up to production lot sizes of 1 - and product servitization - where the producer remains the owner of their products during their full lifetime – and are bringing about the need for more local production and maintenance.

To solve these extremely complex puzzles timeously, companies need to innovate and work together closely based on mutual trust.

By sharing their problems and helping each other in solving the issues in an atmosphere of open innovation, working solutions can be created in the shortest possible timeframe and further improve continuously. After having experienced this open innovation in research and development in practice at the HTC in Eindhoven, I was convinced that this was and is the way to go - also between engineering and manufacturing companies - to enable more and more local production. Therefore I immediately accepted the challenge to build an Open Manufacturing Campus OMC at Turnhout and a related ecosystem on and around the premises of Philips Lighting (now Signify), while their activity would gradually decline in parallel.

Marc is a passionate engineer who has been active for more than 40 years in first-of-a-kind product development from the first multi-media computers to DVD recorders to smartphone chipsets and EUV light sources for the newest chip making machines of ASML. Marc spent most of his international career in The Netherlands at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven.

After renovating two large production halls, opened in 2015, more than 20 companies work together at OMC around themes like 3D printing and Renewable energy systems, as you can read on the following pages. Time to start the construction of a new space to keep innovation going at an even larger scale, next to the highway, half an hour’s drive from both Antwerp and Eindhoven and always open to welcome visitors!

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THE FUTURE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, IT’S ALSO ABOUT BEING HUMAN

ANK DE WILDE, FOUNDER & CEO, ABSOLEM

What are the first words that pop into your mind when someone talks about innovation? Chances are that you’re thinking about R&D, labs, concepts, prototypes, etc. Am I right?

As founder and CEO I lead an engineering company with my business partner Bruno Dejaeghere. Over the last 10 years I made it my ongoing mission to make our sustainable human centric approach part of our organisation. I envision Absolem as a company that puts people and society first, without having to compromise on technological skills and innovation. Our story over the last 10 years is the best example that a business can grow & flourish by putting people first.

Why? Is technology the real driver for innovation? Give two companies the same technology and resources, and innovation will thrive more in one than the other. Where’s the difference?

The differentiating factor for sustainable growth?

I strongly believe that a people centric and purpose driven company culture is the differentiating factor for sustainable growth. An innovative company culture starts with people and in the workplace. Yet, to realize such a culture, we have to dare question longstanding rules about growth and collaboration. I stand for a paradigm shift: pure economic growth should never be your only driver. But then what should it be?

Human skills The quest for purpose, self-expression and making meaningful impact in life and work is reshaping companies. And every company is a group of talented and skilled individuals working together to create value. Let’s start there, with so called soft skills. As more and more job activities become automated, these are the crucial success factors, which cannot yet be replicated by technology. The irony of soft skills is that they are often the hardest to learn. Communication and emotional intelligence, creativity and adaptability, resilience and integrity may not be technical but they are vital pillars to realize innovation. Not physically tangible like hardware but as essential, as critical. That is why I prefer to call them human skills. And I’m convinced that for real innovation in this complex world, you need a human centric approach, because the core of all innovation lies in the potential of human beings. How are you activating that human potential in your company? Feel free to connect on LinkedIn to follow my actions and ideas on human centric innovation.

in/ankdewilde

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HYDROGEN IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR ACHIEVING CLIMATE OBJECTIVES WOUTER BLEUKX, HYDROGEN ACTIVITIES, INEOS

Young people are concerned about the impact of climate change. I think it is our job to address their concerns about the future. This is the reason why I took the job in INEOS’ hydrogen activities. It’s important that we can tell our children that the industrial sector is leading the way towards a more sustainable, habitable and greener planet. There are things we can all do individually like flying less or eating less meat, but it will be the big collective changes that will get us there. The time is now.

Hydrogen will help us move to more sustainable processes which emit less CO2 emissions. Not all processes can be directly electrified with renewable electricity, and therefore low carbon hydrogen will be an important source of sustainable energy and feedstock. I also strongly believe in the role of green molecules, such as green methanol and green ammonia that can be produced with green hydrogen.

With hydrogen we can create climate-friendly chemical building blocks for our production processes and make consumer products greener. If you can recycle and reuse those end products afterwards, you have a fully circular process.

The next milestone that will make a step change in our society is without a doubt renewable energy, green molecules and sustainable products. Everything that has to do with sustainability will cause a turnaround in the same way that information technology and the internet did in the last century.

There is a lot of innovation in the industrial sector that is not always visible to consumers yet. We know what we need to do and we have the will to reach climate neutrality by 2050. The biggest challenge now is to make it happen. A lot of innovation will still be needed to make this turnaround affordable.

We need to form partnerships by putting the best minds together and combining the strengths of individual companies.

That is what we are doing with a consortium of seven companies in ‘Power to Methanol Antwerp’, to produce green methanol in Antwerp.

Wouter Bleukx is responsible for INEOS’ hydrogen activities. After his bio-engineering and PhD studies at the KU Leuven, he started working in R&D. The last 10 years Wouter Bleukx worked for INEOS in various business functions. Since 2020 these two aspects come together in his new leading role in the hydrogen business.

Email: wouter.bleukx@inovyn.com Wouter Bleukx

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THE ROAD TO SUSTAINABILITY IS DRIVEN BY INNOVATIONS FROM THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY BARBARA VERANNEMAN, PRESIDENT, BLUECHEM NV

Never before in history, have our economy and society had to transform so radically so quickly. The industrial and societal transition we are experiencing is definitely about bits and bytes, but mostly about molecules: such as CO2 and H2, carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

Therefore, chemistry, as a science and as an industry, holds the keys to opening the doors to a more sustainable future.

Achieving climate neutrality, establishing a circular economy where waste becomes the new raw material, rethinking and greening production processes to minimise the impact on people and the environment. The challenges are significant and the ambitions are high, but the time is very limited.

Nevertheless, there is a growing conviction that more innovative power in chemistry will result in more sustainability in our society.

Why is that? Because we need chemical products – from all kinds of insulation and lightweight construction materials to the basic components for car batteries, solar panels or wind turbines – to meet the ambitious targets set out in the European Green Deal. It is as clear as day. Digitisation and chemical innovation are like inseparable twins in an unprecedented transition that will shape our common future. To put it in Darwinian terms: it’s innovating or dying.

Luckily, walking into BlueChem – the very first incubator in Belgium specifically dedicated to sustainable chemistry, and one of the very few in Europe – is like pushing open the doors to the chemistry of the future. Ideally located at the eco-effective Blue Gate Antwerp business park, at the heart of Europe’s largest chemical cluster, BlueChem rapidly has become the hotspot for groundbreaking chemical innovation in Flanders and far beyond.

BlueChem is home to many promising start-ups, spin-offs and scale-ups active in diverse research domains. But they all share the same goal: making sustainable chemistry a reality. For example, young entrepreneurs are working on converting captured CO2 into a valuable raw material. Laboratories are running full speed to develop specialised recycling techniques for the re-use of plastics. Advanced nanotechnology is being developed for self-healing medical applications. And chemistry is challenged to deliver sustainable food and meat alternatives, for humans and animals.

Thanks to the support of the city and the province of Antwerp, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), and the Flemish and European authorities, BlueChem offers the right accommodation in the right place to accelerate the much-needed chemical innovations. So if you want to discover the future of chemistry, you know where to go.

Olieweg 95 2020 Antwerp Tel: +32 3 435 98 50 Email: info@bluechem.be

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TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

RONNY VAN BROEKHOVEN, SITE MANAGER, AGC GLASS EUROPE MOL PLANT I am a civil engineer electronics by training. In 1997 I joined AGC Mol (then still Glaverbel) a glass manufacturer at walking distance from my home. At first I managed the general services such as plan maintenance, purchasing, miscellaneous projects and evolved to plant manager of the Mol plant in 2008. Over the years, apart from understanding the importance of the technological evolution, I familiarized myself with approaching business processes, negotiating with the Unions and creating a long-term vision. In that period I also acquired an MBA. Glass is perceived as a very common commodity… just melt sand and you have a window! The reality however is very different. Glass has known an impressive evolution in the building, the automotive and not the least, the electronics industry. Indeed, most of the products we manufacture today were not even thought of 10 years ago, and in the future, innovations will accelerate this process even more.

I have always been convinced the AGC plant in Mol has an important innovative role to play in the future of our industry. To be able to cope with this innovative process, we needed a complete new float line, with a furnace capable of producing 400 Tons of extra thin (up to less than 0,5mm) glass per day, on a 24/7 basis all year long. In order to achieve the huge investment this would require, I had to submit a very detailed business plan for the coming 10 years. To build up this new line, our production needed to be stopped for seven months, while external specialists were installing the new device. During this period, I involved the whole team (blue and white collars) in this motivational exercise. At the end of 2019 the line was ready, beginning 2020 we could start to produce and we had fulfilled the four challenging objectives: • timing, keeping the seven months as a maximum of stopping the line • not a single accident (own people and contractors) causing no leave of absence • closing the operation within the allocated budget • having a great start of the new production process It was a great project, and a great experience where innovation is key.

Personally, I believe innovation can only happen when ideas are shared and clearly communicated. It’s not only about huge projects, it also has to be included in your daily way of thinking, of working.

This is the purpose of INNOWIZZ a kind of idea box we maintain to involve all our employees. As a result, innovation gets into your genes and helps the company to move ahead and in the right direction.

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FOLLOWING NEW TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS IN ALL FIELDS IS A MUST FOR EVERY ENTREPRENEUR CLAUDIA DE MOOR, HR & FINANCE MANAGER, VOSSCHEMIE BENELUX & V-SURE

Get to know your neighbour - entrepreneur and get out. I’ m active in Voka Lokaal Neteland, Lier4business, JOL (youth entrepreneurship Lier) and I also do voluntary work.

The region of Lier supports entrepreneurship and we like to support this with interesting network events. It is important that everyone does not sit on their own island but that there is a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit and support, because by working together you can achieve much more.

Determine where you are now and map out where you want to go. Living, learning and working will look completely different in 2050. It is important that you and your staff pay sufficient attention to this.

Invest in digitalisation and in a more sustainable future.

In our sector, we are strong in advising composite solutions to the problems of every do-it-yourselfer and professional. The possibilities with composites are endless. Besides workshops, we also offer webinars. In these, just like in the classic workshops, we explain the techniques and applications in detail to our clients.

EXPERIENCE, INSPIRATION, CONNECTION AND TOP QUALITY ARE WHAT I STAND FOR. Picture by Johan Cusseneers

Be a good employer: give your staff autonomy, respect and good training.

Give enough attention to our young people, our future of tomorrow, so that they can grow into entrepreneurs with a strong creative and innovative vision who will further shape our economy.

Claudia De Moor heads, together with her brother Marc De Moor, the family business Vosschemie Benelux & V-Sure in Lier, which specialises in coldcuring plastics and composite materials. At the end of June 2020, the company was awarded the Voka Lokaal Neteland Prize for Entrepreneurship.

Email: cdm@v-sure.eu demoorclaudia claudiademoor

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NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT IN THIS ERA THE COMBINATION OF INNOVATION & ANTWERP REPRESENTS SUSTAINABILITY WALTER EEVERS, DIRECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, VITO

algorithms for mobility solutions, etc. find rapid deployment thanks to the close collaboration of our researchers with businesses that see market opportunities rising rapidly.

Clearly, sustainability connects the different technology domains more than ever; and it leads to great interest of the strong chemical industry in the Antwerp region to adopt many of the principle technologies that are developed within VITO; strengthening the Antwerp position as a leading chemical cluster in the world.

© Sterck

VITO’s role in applicative research also helps to bridge the various innovation players, for example University of Antwerp, Catalisti, BlueChem and industries; with our drive to demonstrate innovation on pilot level we de-risk the new technologies for industries to adopt them in their processes much easier.

The understanding of market needs coupled to technology development is a core driver for VITO to support the economic fabric in Antwerp (and the whole of Flanders) via supporting existing companies as well as via the vibrant startup community in the region.

And when we speak of sustainability, VITO is the key player in this arena. With about 1,000 employees, VITO is an independent Flemish research organization with top researchers working on cleantech and sustainable development. Antwerp is a place where innovation is also massively translated into business opportunities. From science to applications contributing to the transition towards a more sustainable world. For more than 30 years we at VITO work on this

transition with a strong contribution in various domains such as chemistry, materials, energy, land use and personalised healthcare; this cross sectoral approach is creating great space for innovative sustainable business creation and helps existing companies to rapidly adapt to the challenges they are facing in the fight against climate change.

Membrane technologies, smart integration in process chemistry of renewable energy, smart

Along the lines of these technological innovations, VITO also contributes to the development of human talent. Researchers from both local universities and abroad are trained in applied research, linking their skills to an industrial market understanding and value based working allowing them to grow into future careers in our vibrant industry in the Antwerp region.

By running the applied research cycle quicker than ever, VITO contributes to the Antwerp’s lively society not only by technology and cleantech development but surely with smarter people contributing to our region becoming the most sustainable economic space in the world and making it a great place to live.

Email: walter.eevers@vito.be @WalterEevers

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YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN AND CERTAINLY NEVER TOO OLD TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS FABIENNE VERBEEK, CEO, GLOBAL NEW AUTOMATION (GNA) If you had said this to me 10 years ago, I might have laughed it off. But today, I am upgrading my company, watching it grow, and taking on new challenges. There is a passion in me that may not have been there before, which is why I’m giving back to society. On a voluntary basis I help young entrepreneurs in difficult times as they do not have experience yet, but I do!

I come from a working class family and we certainly didn’t have a lot of money at home. We only knew one thing: “work”. So I started working weekends from a young age. It was not a punishment; I was driven and enjoyed it. But after receiving my degree in Business Administration, I realised there were further steps I was aching to take. Together with my partner, an electrician, I set up the company GNA from scratch. A combination of electricity and software soon led us to automation, which is what we are committed to as a company today.

One of my passions is cooking. Although time does not always permit me to, attending cooking workshops is something I enjoy. It’s nice to meet like-minded people in such a gastronomic setting and has also resulted in a wonderful little tradition at work: I make delicious fresh soup for everyone at work every week.

Another of my passions leans more towards the professional. I like helping young entrepreneurs to understand their back office and, above all, to stay ‘healthy’ and grow in a well-thought-out way. Accompanying them in this process is important to ensure their continued success. After more than 30 years of experience, I can really help them with this. And my own contacts and networks also benefit. I have joined several organisations aimed at experienced entrepreneurs, giving my input and receiving information has been added value. Everyone wins!

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Dare to take on a challenge.

Don’t stand still;

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Surround yourself with the right people in the right place (both internally and externally);

However, the Corona pandemic has brought social contact to a standstill.

The coaching, workshops, networks and so forth have all come to a stop.

We will hopefully be able to socialise normally again by the end of this year. Fingers crossed!

• What I have enjoyed in the past year—against all expectations—is the peace that the pandemic has brought. It’s been good for me. With my batteries recharged, I’ll be ready to move ahead at full steam for the company, the employees and the big investments that are planned for this and next year.

From my experience, I would like to share some tips on employee motivation, whether to boost your business or give you food for thought.

It’s up to you what you do with them:

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Attract positive motivators, repel negative ones; Do not underestimate the importance of a good back office, and always manage it well;

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Stay in control of the company—financials, sales and customers—but delegate as much as possible;

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Continuously stimulate your employees and show them you are proud of them;

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Create a flat structure with open and direct communication; and

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Dare to take risks. It’s the only way you’ll grow.

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YOU CAN’T BRING ABOUT CHANGE ON YOUR OWN

GEERT VERACHTERT, DIRECTOR STRATEGY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, GROEP VAN ROEY

You can’t bring about change on your own. I believe it’s important to work together closely with promising young colleagues so that they too promote the importance of change and guarantee this for the future.

What innovative solutions can we as Groep Van Roey provide as the engine for sustainable growth?

As a group we want to improve the quality of people’s lives by creating liveable sustainable environments where people enjoy living, working, learning and engaging in sports. We aim to achieve this vision by means of our sustainable strategy that aims at both optimisation of our business processes and innovation.

By means of industrialisation and digitalisation (BIM), we are seeing a significant increase in productivity on our sites. Modular construction (such as Skilpod) makes high-quality living affordable. To achieve the climate goals by 2030, CO2 emission must be reduced drastically. This is possible with green affordable decentralised energy solutions (with IFTech) at building and district level, and also the offering of Maintenance and Energy Performance Contracts (OEPC) to make the existing patrimony sustainable.

“Our Iceberg is Melting”, the book by John Kotter on change management was given to me as a present from my mentor at Philips.

The need for a climate-neutral economy is accelerating the speed at which circular construction is being adopted. The lifecycle cost is more relevant than the investment cost of a building on completion.

I’ve always associated myself with the mindset of Fred the penguin: someone who creates a feeling of urgency by helping others realise why change is necessary and why it’s important to take action immediately.

Due to the complexity of these challenges, we can only solve them successfully by working together actively with various partners within our group and with various external complementary partners.

I gained the necessary experience in a number of positions and sectors.

After 13 years at Philips (the last six as country manager Philips Belux), I’ve been working now for seven years at Groep Van Roey where I am responsible for strategy, marketing and sales at group level.

In my opinion the key to success lies in co-creation and asynchronous reciprocity.

What gives me energy is helping organisations to implement change successfully in difficult times. Not only to create the ability to stand out, but also to grow in a sustainable way in a world that is changing more and more quickly and becoming more complex.

So, together with my team, I continuously invest time in a better understanding and following of the main macro social-economic, ecological and technological trends that impact the construction sector in which we are active. Examples are urbanisation, an ageing society, climate change and industry 4.0 (IoT).

Geert Verachtert

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DISRUPTING THE GLOBAL BOOK BUSINESS

FOUNDER/CEO, INTERNATIONAL GROUP PUBLISHER - GLOBALVILLAGEPUBLISHINGINC.COM How is the commercial book publishing world being disrupted?

Some clients joke with us that we are bringing back a dying art form, printing hard cover books for business which are cool again. The business model however has changed completely, gone are the days of pay to play by selling advertorials or advertising. A great book on an ecosystem or industry needs to be authentic and all encompassing of all the major players sharing their story, not just whoever paid to be in there. To finance that we moved to a crowd funded book buying model where the market and the participants buy the books in bulk to use as gifts to clients, visitors, investors and employees. You also need to add technology to the printed book by embedding augmented reality videos into its pages, we do that by hiding QR codes behind the images that a mobile phone can read to activate a video. The books also need to be available online as ebooks, a blog and ultimately a forum where all the participants can communicate with each other.

How do you set up your business in new cities and countries?

We look for skilled marketing professionals in each city that know their community well and form 50/50 partnerships with them where they collect the stories and we design and print the book. We are a fast growing tribe of fun and energetic publishing entrepreneurs, partners and friends. We all share a passion for innovation, beautiful places and cultures that we want to embrace, share and showcase with the rest of the world. We are always looking for marketing entrepreneurs to join our team, please reach out to me on LinkedIn or info@globalvillage.world.

How has COVID-19 changed your business?

We have been very fortunate and seen significant growth over the pandemic as events and exhibitions have had to reinvent themselves. We see ourselves as an exhibition of innovation in book form. Everyone is now innovating some part of their business and with face-to-face contact moving to zoom calls our books have been a great connector and touch point for companies and their clients.

Sven Boermeester is a global publishing entrepreneur with a career that spans over 20 years with stops in more than 100 countries. He was born in Antwerp, Belgium and grew up in South Africa. After completing his business studies in Cape Town, he opened his first media company and started publishing the trade and industry directories for South Africa followed by the launch of the Best of the World publishing series in Dubai.

Fast forward 20 years and 183 ‘Best of’ editions across 60 countries, Sven now lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife and young son. He is working on disrupting the publishing business by mapping out the Innovation ecosystems of every major city in the U.S. and around the world, through his latest Innovation books and augmented reality video series.

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Email: info@globalvillage.world sven-boermeester-8605823 Globalvillagepublishinginc.com InnovationsOfTheWorld.com 29

CHAPTER TWO

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

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SUCCESS IS WHERE PREPARATION AND OPPORTUNITY MEET.” – BOBBY UNSER

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VOKA-CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MECHELEN-KEMPEN YOUR TRUSTED PARTNER. LET’S GROW YOUR BUSINESS.

With more than 13,000 chambers worldwide, the Chamber of Commerce is the largest entrepreneurial network in the world. In Flanders, too, the Voka Chambers are the largest network. Voka represents 18,000 businesses, 70% of added value, 65% of private employment and 80% of exports. With a globally ramified network of 130 bilateral Chambers of Commerce, we are literally your gateway to the world.

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Voka defends your interests, connects you with fellow entrepreneurs and strengthens your enterprise. Three pillars which ensure that entrepreneurs and businesses feel heard, defended and supported in their growth.

Voka Defends Whether you have just started or have been an entrepreneur for years, as a Voka member you always have someone on your side.

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3 Someone who strongly defends your interests as an entrepreneur everywhere: with local authorities, but also at regional, national and European level. “Our entrepreneurs are our antennae,” says Tom Laveren, managing director Voka Mechelen-Kempen. “If we identify a problem, we quickly carry out a diagnosis. How big is the impact? How many entrepreneurs are affected? On the basis of these criteria, we will lobby locally, or continue at the Flemish, Federal or European level.”

Need help with a difficult tax file or a permit?

Based on up-to-date information but also advice from experts, entrepreneurs can quickly make the right decisions. Voka searches for the answer which really helps you as a company. “The Voka Hotline runs very well,” says Tom Laveren. “Last year, we were able to answer no less than 1,700 questions from our members. Companies with a question can contact us free of charge on our Voka Hotline: 0800 30 232.”

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1 Voka is a strong and influential voice in Flanders that represents the interests of the business community (picture: CEO Tom Laveren) 2 The Voka Hotline focuses on effective answers to company’s questions 3 Voka organizes a permanent dialogue between the various authorities, government and politicians (picture: Annelies Verlinden, minister of Internal Affairs)

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Voka Unites Entrepreneurship is not something you do on your own. A dynamic and large network is essential for staying on track and growing as an entrepreneur. Voka broadens your view and your network by organising activities for entrepreneurs and policy makers from the political and academic world. “People find each other thanks to our network,” explains Tom Laveren. “The better people know each other, the greater the confidence to do business and to help each other. It is Voka’s role to facilitate this as a matchmaker. By meeting the right people, you speed up your

business. You no longer have to figure it all out yourself; at Voka, someone from the network can help you further.” As a Voka member you can participate in network events. With the Voka New-Year’s party, we set the tone for the coming year with powerful messages. With the “Enterprise Award” we honour entrepreneurship in the region. During the Voka Match, we put our new members in the spotlight. “But we are also present locally with local networks,” adds Tom Laveren. “We constantly create networking opportunities. Interaction is in our DNA. 2

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1 Every year, Voka organizes traineeships for politicians at our companies. (Picture: Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs.)

2 At the “Enterprise Award” we honour entrepreneurship in the region.

3 Various network activities bring entrepreneurs closer to each other.

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Voka Supports The business world is constantly changing.

That is why Voka keeps you informed about all developments, new measures, and legislation which are applicable to your business.

Through Voka’s extensive thematic offer you will work on your own knowledge and skills, and your personal growth will get a boost. Voka also guides you in every phase of your entrepreneurship. Thus, almost 14,000 companies have already participated in one of our many programmes or attended the community and inspiration sessions. “In the Mechelen-Kempen region alone, entrepreneurs can take part in 285 unique trainings and programmes,” Tom Laveren clarifies. “The programme is fully tailored to the business reality of the entrepreneur. We only work with top trainers who know the business world inside out.

We are also very proud of the Voka Charter for Sustainable Entrepreneurship. For this we work together with the United Nations. Thanks to the charter, companies can truly embed sustainable business in their corporate strategy. If you check off ten actions per year, you get a charter that eventually can lead to an internationally recognized title in the field of sustainability.”

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2 1 You can contact our advisors for personalized advice.

2 Do you want to launch or expand a business?

We help you from concept to reality.

3 From international business topics to cyber security and the do’s and don’ts of sustainability… ask for an overview of the trainings that fit your business.

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Guiding Start-ups More and more people decide to start their own business. Research shows that the number of start-ups in the Mechelen-Kempen region has never been so high with 3,751 in one year. “It is Voka’s task to support these entrepreneurs and allow them to grow into resounding brand names,” says Tom Laveren. “With our Voka Bryo programme, we are fully committed to providing better support for these start-ups. We bring them into contact with other entrepreneurs who know which challenges you can encounter. That too contributes to the greater chances of survival of the new businesses”. And that seems to work: with a survival rate of 70%, start-ups in the Mechelen-Kempen region do better than the rest of Flanders (66%).

Voka offers programmes for standups, startups and scaleups.

Innovation and Digital Transformation Voka helps your company reach a higher level in the field of innovation and digitalisation. The digital quick scan (www.voka. be/digitale-quick-scan) is available to companies free of charge.

This way they can test how digitally mature they are. We also offer companies the chance to test their digital project before investing in it. After all, research by Gartner shows that 70% of IT implementations are not successful. Through the Voka Digihub we bring companies in contact with the high-end test infrastructure of one of the 28 partner knowledge institutes. This way, you can test the feasibility of new technologies or systems in realistic circumstances. And that at only 30% of the cost price. “The Digihub is the ideal tool to test something new in an accessible way before investing in it”, concludes Tom Laveren.

And there is more. Do you need guidance on innovation subsidies or are you looking for advice on how to transform your company to the next technological level? Would you like to get in touch with inspiring leaders from the business world in the field of innovation or with researchers from colleges and universities? Or just keep up with the new trends in digitisation and innovation? At Voka you will find what you are looking for.

Via the Voka Digihub you can test a new technology in realistic circumstances.

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Your Gateway to the World 3

Voka has everything in house to make your company grow internationally. For example, we organise guidance programmes in groups on foreign markets and international themes. We help you draw up a strategic business plan to strengthen your company and make it competitive abroad.

We organise economic missions so you can explore and conquer new foreign markets, or strengthen your local position across the border. Our international operation brings you into contact with entrepreneurs from all over the world. Thanks to our network of experts, we are at your service to advise and assist you in all your international questions and concerns. “As an international chamber, we are part of the largest business network in the world,” adds Tom Laveren. “We bring hundreds of entrepreneurs into contact with foreign entrepreneurs, experts and authorities, but also help them take concrete steps in terms of export or doing business abroad.”

Voka – Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mechelen-Kempen Onze-Lieve-Vrouwestraat 85, 2800 Mechelen Kleinhoefstraat 9, 2440 Geel Email: info.kvkmk@voka.be

1 Voka guidance programmes help you conquer foreign markets.

2 On our Voka missions you get to know new markets.

voka.be/mechelen-kempen

3 Voka has a worldwide branched network .

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CHAPTER THREE

UNIVERSITY 38

IF OPPORTUNITY DOESN’T KNOCK, BUILD A DOOR.” – MILTON BERLE

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INNOVATION PARTNER PAR EXCELLENCE IN THE MECHELEN-KEMPEN REGION

The Geel and De Nayer (Sint-Katelijne-Waver) campuses are part of the Faculty of Engineering Technology at KU Leuven. Here, high-quality education and research go hand-in-hand: not only do these campuses train passionate engineers, they also offer many opportunities for companies that want to innovate.

Our campuses play an active role in the Mechelen-Kempen region, and anchoring the two campuses in the surrounding socioeconomic fabric provides mutual benefits to all parties involved.

This relationship ensures that the research conducted here will not remain locked up within the university walls – the applicationoriented dissemination of research results is part of our institution’s DNA. At the same time, numerous professionals from various

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fields work as teachers, trainers, evaluators or supervisors and enrich our programmes with their practical experience. In addition, companies propose topics for student projects, including master’s theses and innovation internships; in this way they give young, motivated engineering students the opportunity to get started with practical, real-world challenges. Innovation internships are the vehicle par excellence for innovating with limited resources.

This two-way traffic between education and research is characteristic of our academic programmes. Research feeds education with new insights and education trains students to become master of science in (bio) – engineering technology with a broad scientific background and an inquisitive, critical mindset – researchers, in short, who take nothing for granted. These problem solvers know how to get things done and, through their innovations, make our daily lives easier, safer and more efficient.

142 spin-offs

Innovative project engineers

Scientific research undertaken in Geel and Sint-Katelijne-Waver formulates answers to major social challenges and helps to realise the Sustainable Development Goals, from clean water to sustainable industrialisation, from food security to responsible production patterns. To make this happen, our professors and researchers organise themselves in large, cross-campus research departments that are always closely intertwined with their industrial counterparts. The resulting ecosystems guarantee much-needed innovations in each of these areas.

For our campuses, collaboration with companies, local and regional government and other educational and research institutions such as VITO is essential. Whether it concerns initiating an innovative project or developing a new product, KU Leuven researchers, teachers and students work together to find solutions. Project engineers are responsible for an important part of this work. In fact, most of them are following a doctoral programme at our institution. This is both unique and important, as their academic trajectory allows them to develop both research competencies and innovation skills such as: dealing with complexity, uncertainty and change, developing business cases, project management, taking responsibility in multidisciplinary teams, entrepreneurship and more.

Our university has a long tradition in the field of high-tech entrepreneurship. KU Leuven Research & Development (LRD), founded in 1972, was one of the first tech transfer offices in Europe. This success has its rewards: KU Leuven, named by Reuters as Europe’s most innovative university for several years in a row, now can boast 142 spin-off companies.

Our campuses have already produced several success stories. In Mechelen, Inopsys focuses on water purification in industrial processes.

Among other positive outcomes, the company has succeeded in recovering valuable metals such as palladium, platinum and zinc from waste water. MAGICS Instruments from Geel designs semiconductor chips and intelligent sensors that can withstand extreme conditions such as nuclear environments, space travel and offshore locations.

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Range of technological topics KU Leuven campuses in the MechelenKempen region cover a wide range of technological topics. Research and education yield concrete applications that benefit our society.

Research in the life sciences, which is specific to the Geel campus, examines the entire chain from soil, plant and animal production to food processing. For example, there is a great deal of attention for biotic and abiotic threats to food production in both plants and animals,

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including insects. Whether insects will ever become a daily food staple in our regions is an open question, but in Geel we have already developed insect mincemeat; consumer panels are now being organised to voice their views on this topic. But that’s not all we do, of course.

Other researchers are active in the field of precision livestock farming, and we also monitor nitrogen concentrations in agricultural areas.

In the field of civil engineering, we research how to optimise materials and the use of materials. We focus on the design and analysis of concrete, metal and hybrid components and structures. We make use of numerical modelling and extensive experimental (real-scale) campaigns in our own laboratory or in situ. We use these insights to develop new theoretical models and innovative construction techniques that we translate into practical guidelines and tools tailored to the construction sector.

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challenging conditions imaginable, such as ionizing radiation and extremely cold temperatures. In doing so, they provide highly reliable electronic systems for space travel, particle physics, and for all kinds of nuclear and medical applications.

Joining forces The message is clear: companies and organisations that get stuck on a technological issue, that want to develop a prototype, or that want to optimise their production process find what they need at the Geel and De Nayer campuses. We are also actively cooperating with our partner Thomas More University of Applied Sciences at these locations. We share sites and expertise. Among our other partners, you’ll find the Open Manufacturing Campus (OMC), Campus Campina, Kempenpact2030, Blenders, IOK and VOKA Mechelen-Kempen,...

Wide range of lifelong learning

In the broad field of electromechanics we focus on a multitude of applications in the Kempen-Mechelen region, such as the design and automation of machines, devices and systems and the development and optimisation of energy systems and production techniques (manufacturing). For the latter, its expertise in modern welding techniques gives Campus De Nayer a unique advantage. We also develop production processes for lightweight carbon composites, which leads to a wide range of applications from hydrogen storage tanks to unbreakable bicycle frames.

can be found in orchid nurseries, where smart cameras monitor the quality of these fragile flowers. Researchers at the Geel Campus design, model and test hyper-robust microchips that can withstand the most

Research in chemistry focuses on techniques needed for a circular economy. We are, for instance, working on advanced purification techniques that remove toxic products from water, recover raw materials from residual flows and keep nitrate concentrations in agriculture and horticulture within acceptable limits.

Linking computer vision to artificial intelligence is the core business of the electronics and ICT group at the De Nayer Campus. Researchers have worked with an outside company to successfully develop a handy reading app for the visually impaired that has already been downloaded more than 100,000 times! Another application

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In the current environment, lifelong learning is an absolute must. That’s why KU Leuven offers an extensive range of continual training programmes, also for experienced engineers.

Companies in the region that want to train their employees can contact KU Leuven.

Advanced Master programmes, postgraduates or shorter certificate modules are also part of what’s on offer.

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DE NAYER, SINT-KATELIJNE-WAVER CAMPUS • Technologies for a circular economy • 12,000m2 advanced lab space • Annual job fair with more than 1,000 students and 300 companies • Entrepreneurship hub Het Eiland • Unique expertise in modern welding techniques Use our QR code to find campus study programmes via the KU Leuven website.

GEEL CAMPUS

Whatever shape it takes, every collaboration between KU Leuven and the business community in the region bears fruit. To start, companies are given an insight into developments and research within the university.

Additionally, they are at the head of the queue when it comes to recruiting

new employees, an attractive asset now that the shortage in the labour market is becoming increasingly apparent. The annual Technology, ICT, Engineering and Management job fair, a joint initiative of KU Leuven and Thomas More, brings no fewer than 1,000 students into contact with 300 companies.

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• Pioneers in agriculture and horticulture and in the world of food production and processing.

• Life sciences programme unique within KU Leuven • SymBIOnt building with Insect Pilot Plant (additional test greenhouses are planned) • Innovation Park next to campus • Provincial Test Centres • Entrepreneurship hub cocoon2440 Use our QR code to find campus study programmes via the KU Leuven website.

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SymBIOnt: pilot plant investigates the sustainable potential of insects Are insects the new game changer in a sustainable food chain? A pilot plant from KU Leuven, Thomas More and VITO is already looking at how we can grow, harvest and process them more efficiently.

Insects have many advantages. Not only are they a potential food source for humans and animals, they can also process waste and be converted into biochemicals. KU Leuven’s Geel Campus has been a pioneer in research into the use of insects.

In the SymBIOnt building, the breeding of various insect species such as mealworms, fly larvae, crickets and grasshoppers, is being researched and optimised. These insects can feed on the residual flows of food processing companies and therefore form the missing link in a sustainable circular economy’s food system.

In Geel, research is also being conducted into the processing of insects. Using innovative techniques, they can be dried and processed into powders and pastes. This way they can be used in new foodstuffs and animal feeds, but also in chemical and pharmaceutical applications as so-called biochemicals.

Here, our researchers also study the interaction of insects with bacteria, fungi and plants. There’s also a link to plant research, another spearhead at the KU Leuven Geel Campus.

Plant research mainly focuses on the optimisation of cultivation methods and climate control. An emphasis is placed on the cultivation of plants with an increased resilience, the reduction of chemical crop protection and the reduction of the use of water and fertilizers.

SymBIOnt is a textbook example of collaboration. Various research groups conduct multidisciplinary research in the fields of soil, plants, micro-organisms and insects. Thomas More’s colleagues at Geel Campus and VITO are also involved. In addition to an area of 800m² for insect research, the building also contains four greenhouses and three 450m² airconditioned growth rooms for plant research.

KU Leuven has invested 3.4 million euros in the project.

KU Leuven was founded in 1425 and is not only one of the oldest but also the most innovative university in Europe (Reuters). With almost 60,000 students and more than 20,000 employees, it is also the largest university in Belgium. 15 faculties offer bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and additional academic programmes at 10 locations in Flanders. The courses are based on the work of more than 7,000 researchers.

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CHAPTER FOUR

ENTREPRENEURIAL HUBS 46

SELF-CONFIDENCE IS THE MEMORY OF SUCCESS.” – DAVID STOREY

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KU LEUVEN ENTREPRENEURIAL HUBS BUILD BRIDGES Innovation is closely intertwined with entrepreneurship – of that, the KU Leuven Faculty of Engineering Technolog y is firmly convinced. That’s why entrepreneurship gets a great deal of attention in the training of our engineers. Het Eiland and cocoon2440, the entrepreneurial hubs at Geel Campus and De Nayer (Sint-Katelijne-Waver) Campus respectively, further refine the entrepreneurial skills of our budding engineers.

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Entrepreneurship is trainable. That’s why all our Engineering Technology students are introduced to the opportunities offered by innovative technological applications as a part of their training. They learn to cope with complex issues and uncertainty in a team setting.

BUSINESS COACHES Our students are thoroughly familiarized with the world of business. They go on company visits, make research trips and are given the opportunity to get started on challenges presented by companies and other organisations – under the supervision of expert coaches. And companies and organisations naturally find their way to our campuses when they are looking for innovative solutions to technological problems.

Researchers, lecturers and students work with them to find the right answers.

This interaction between university and business is not only stimulating, it also benefits both parties.

FOOD BARS WITH INSECTS The entrepreneurship hubs in Geel and SintKatelijne-Waver are further strengthening the connections between science, technology and entrepreneurship. Het Eiland (De Nayer) and cocoon2440 (Geel) are primarily coworking spaces. Students with a business project meet start-up entrepreneurs and begin collaborating on their innovative projects or designs. At Het Eiland, we work in partnership with colleagues from Thomas More University of Applied Sciences; Cocoon2440 also has a strong link with the unique bioscience engineering technology degree: in a modern kitchen, students experiment with trendy drinks such as kombucha and healthy food bars based on chickpeas or insects.

EDIBLE STRAWS Aspiring entrepreneurs are supported by faculty-trained business coaches. The coaches provide input and practical assistance and encourage these young people to participate in innovation challenges: working as a team on a tangible (bio-)technological solution for a social or industrial issue. This often results in surprising inventions, such as an edible straw that makes recycling superfluous.

EUROPEAN UNION Het Eiland and cocoon2440 are themselves textbook examples of synergy between local government and education. The city councils of Geel and Mechelen joined forces with KU Leuven, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences and a local youth organisation.

With the support of the European Union (ERDF) and the Flemish government (VLAIO), they build communities for young go-getters.

The partner organisations have their own entrepreneurial hub, but a common mission: to give entrepreneurial young people a boost.

The success stories follow.

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INNOVATION, CREATIVITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP MUST HAVES FOR TOMORROW

“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” John Dewey’s famous advice for educators, although over a hundred years old, seems more relevant than ever, as we find ourselves faced with a wide range of extremely difficult – even wicked – challenges like climate change, overpopulation, a pandemic, ... to name but a few. At Thomas More, we take Dewey’s advice to heart and search for new ways to train our students for jobs that do not yet exist. ICE Cube, our entrepreneurial hub, is a good example of how we bring together future professionals of all backgrounds to work in multidisciplinary teams with a focus on creativity, backed by a strong business model and a result-driven attitude. Inspire and be inspired. Get (sh)it done and create impact.

That’s ICE, that’s what we stand for.

We inspire, train and coach our students, lecturers, and partners to become daredevils in tackling small and major challenges and to create a positive social, ecological and/or sustainable impact in the world.

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We and our business partners firmly believe that inspiration is the key to tomorrow’s innovation. We inspire students with a wide range of entrepreneurial events and activities. One example is our ‘Night of the Entrepreneurial Student’, during which students take on a real-life challenge provided by a real company. After a long night of brainstorming, business modelling and pitching, students deliver their high-end solutions.

Another example is SOON: a full-blown digital/hybrid innovation festival with a focus on ‘Innovation for Humanity’. Inspiring keynotes, workshops, pitches and showcases demonstrate that there can be no future without innovation. In addition, we have a pitch contest for potential start-ups to give them an extra launch boost.

T R A I N

We build and foster entrepreneurial skills through training.

We offer a wide range of electives, such as future sketching, speaker’s academy, start-up bootcamp, … that students can

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and bachelor’s theses, and often leads to other opportunities as well. On the one hand in (local) ecosystems such as the cooperation between local governments (Geel and Mechelen), education (Thomas More and KU Leuven) and local youth organizations, with support from the European Union (EFRO) and the Flemish government (VLAIO). On the other hand, we collaborate with our cutting-edge research groups at Thomas More where more than 200 professional researchers tackle the world’s challenges of tomorrow.

Wendy Agyin, student-entrepreneur, ICE start-up Gold Butter

choose as part of – or even on top of – their study programme. Through our train-the-trainer sessions for teachers we facilitate the integration of ICE skills in regular courses. And finally, with our own ICE Tube and ICE Spotify channel, all ICE content is permanently available for all students, lecturers, and network partners, who can easily find tutorials on entrepreneurial topics such as tips for better pricing, business validation, influencer marketing, social entrepreneurship, and so on.

C O A C H

We coach our students, lecturers, and alumni. Get the real shit done! We want them to become real entrepreneurs, take control and create impact.

ICE Cube is there for those students who want to go the extra (s)mile… for students who want to follow a specific Honours program, or for students who want to start their own business. We coach, provide tools, and offer a large and relevant network. We make them succeed and help them to rise above themselves.

If you want to be part of Thomas More’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, don’t hesitate to contact us so we can find out what we can do for one another!

Entrepreneurial regards ICE Cube

C O M M U N I T Y

ICEcube.ThomasMoreBE weareicecube company/ice-cube-thomasmore Check out our tutorials on our ICE Tube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCAZdRZIrJ7rowL_tZ_4ATlQ

In the spirit of ‘alone you go fast, but together you’ll get further’, our ICE community and ecosystem is vital. Everything within our ICE Cube is set up as a collaboration between students and (inter)national professionals.

Our ICE team, ICEbassadors (lecturers) and Partners in Education (companies) bring specific expertise, while our students provide a refreshing perspective. This collaboration also transcends the boundaries of our entrepreneurial hub. It connects with our regular student projects

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PROGRESS IS NOT IN ENHANCING WHAT IS, BUT IN ADVANCING TOWARD WHAT WILL BE.”

– KHALIL GIBRAN

CHAPTER FIVE

MEDICAL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT 52

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SHOWPIECE VACCINOPOLIS OPENS ITS DOORS

VACCINOPOLIS, THE NEW VACCINE RESEARCH CENTER OF UANTWERPEN, WAS BUILT IN RECORD TIME AT CAMPUS DRIE EIKEN. ALL CLINICAL VACCINE STUDIES ARE NOW MOVING TO THE MIRRORED COMPLEX. FOUR VACCINOPOLIS LEADERS TALK ABOUT THE INNOVATIVE STUDIES THAT WILL CONTINUE HERE.

A container village on Campus Drie Eiken, in which 30 volunteers took up residence to test polio vaccines, that was the setup for Poliopolis, a study at UAntwerpen conducted within a closed container village on campus, in 2017. To ensure proper follow-up, participants remained in quarantine for 28 days. The study led to a new oral polio vaccine that is now being used in a growing number of countries to further combat infantile paralysis.

Afterwards, the containers of Poliopolis were broken down, but the vaccinologists at UAntwerpen dreamed of more. Led by Prof. Pierre Van Damme, the idea was floated in 2018 to develop a building tailored to Controlled Human Challenge Studies (CHIM),

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More than corona

trials in which test subjects are first vaccinated with a candidate vaccine and then after one or two months exposed to a weakened version of a pathogen, to see how the vaccine works. The idea for the building was presented to the then Michel government in 2018, but the fall of that government caused further negotiations to fall through. At the beginning of the corona pandemic, the Wilmès government picked up the plan again.

It usually takes four to five years to construct a building that meets all the security measures, but thanks to the smooth cooperation of the various partners - and the catalyzing factor of the corona crisis - Vaccinopolis was ready in 14 months. On March 25, 2022, the center has opened its doors.

Numerous studies are needed during vaccine development, as COVID-19 has now demonstrated, although much more research will be done at Vaccinopolis than on COVID-19 vaccines alone. New vaccines, for example against whooping cough or influenza, will be tested there, but there will also hopefully be better answers to diseases that still cause major problems on a global scale, such as dengue, RSV or malaria.

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Vaccine move As the climate changes, we live closer together, get older and travel more, germs such as viruses arise and spread faster than ever, as the corona pandemic has aptly made clear. The federal government invested 20 million euros in new vaccine research. In addition to Vaccinopolis, specialized infrastructure at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) was set up, which specializes in research into vaccine-induced immunity. Initially, the existing vaccine studies of UAntwerpen will move to Vaccinopolis. In a second phase, the CHIM studies will also be set up there. For that purpose 30 beds are already available.

The academic center is, for the time being, unique on the European continent. The main driving force behind Vaccinopolis is Prof. Pierre Van Damme, vaccinologist at the UAntwerpen. According to him, Vaccinopolis is entirely appropriate here. “In conducting vaccine studies, we have the right expertise all over Belgium. Our university has 30 years of experience in vaccine research and there is also a lot of know-how in the UZA, the Institute of Tropical Medicine and the hospitals in and around Antwerp. We can be an enormously strong link in a larger whole and collaborate with many partners.”

What makes the research opportunities at this center so innovative compared to the current infrastructure? Head physician of the clinical trial team Ilse De Coster clarifies. “Before a vaccine reaches the market, it has to go through a whole development process. First it is done in the laboratory, then there are animal tests and finally it is tested on people. First on a very small group, then on a larger group, where the vaccine is constantly being refined. The even larger phase 3 studies involve testing on a very large number of people. This is now done mainly in outpatient form, but the problem is that you then have to vaccinate a lot of people, wait until they are exposed to the pathogen and only then can you see whether the vaccine works. That takes a long time. In CHIM studies, on the other hand, you can test whether the vaccine works in a very short period of time, but you can’t just run them in every facility. This is because it’s important that the pathogens don’t spread into the outside world.

On the other hand, you have the advantage that the test subjects can be closely followed up in this way.”

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Personalized vaccine

by no means just about vaccines against dangerous diseases. “We are also researching vaccines that we still want to refine, such as the flu vaccine, but we are also looking for the right intervention for diseases such as RSV, malaria or dengue. These are diseases that are less in the spotlight here, but for which people have been looking for the right vaccine for years. Now that we have the appropriate infrastructure in place, hopefully we will be one whole step closer to the right answers.”

“In people who are staying at the center, you can take blood, urine, or nasal and oral mucosa samples every day, which allows you to map out an enormous amount, before and after the intervention with the vaccine,” Van Damme points out. Based on the characteristics, you can even make predictions about how certain population groups will respond immunologically to a particular vaccine. In this way, we can even move towards personalized vaccines in the future.”

Altruism

Of course, all envisaged studies must first be approved by the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP), which has strict rules. For example, CHIM studies may only be done with pathogens for which a clear treatment already exists. De Coster adds that Vaccinopolis is

Bart Van Meerbergen, head of operations at Vaccinopolis and a specialist in biosafety, assures that the facility is more than safe. “Because of the pandemic, there was pressure from the beginning. We moved quite fast, within a very strict framework. The building obviously had to meet

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strict standards, and in this our technical partners had the right expertise. For example, all incoming and outgoing air goes through powerful HEPA filters that stop all pathogens; there are strict decontamination procedures; the rooms are completely under pressure of minus 35 pascals; there is double glazing everywhere; everything is completely sealed; and there is testing for leaks. There is really nothing that can get out.

All those validation stages, of course, we had to submit to the government for approval.”

Van Meerbergen is very appreciative of the collaboration between the various partners who helped get the building up and running. “If you communicate openly, you can achieve a lot in a very short time. Ironically, the COVID-19 pandemic did throw a spanner in the works of the supply chain at times, but through strong partnership and a sense of urgency about the building, we have created a world-class facility in 14 months.”

The outpatient studies, which currently continue at the Center for the Evaluation of Vaccinations (CEV), are moving to Vaccinopolis, but that will be joined by the CHIM studies at the end of this year. De Coster explains how these will work. “On average, the participants are there for 14 days. Moreover, they are not only isolated from the outside world, sometimes you also live together as a group in a department. That requires quite a lot of people - and so we do an intense screening. We screen not only their health, but also their psychological well-being.”

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “The people we screen usually have the profile of a blood donor,” Van Damme points out. “There’s a lot of altruism, they’re doing it to advance science and public health. They do receive fair compensation for covering costs and time, but that doesn’t seem to be the deciding factor with anyone.”

“We did see in Poliopolis that certain people used their stay as a timeout,” adds Martina Bamberger, head of innovation at Vaccinopolis.

“Someone wrote a book, a student finished his master’s thesis and an architect converted his office with telephone instructions.” Bamberger is responsible for Vaccinopolis’ business development. She ensures Vaccinopolis’ presence at scientific fairs, establishes contacts with companies that want Vaccinopolis to conduct their tests and answers their questions. “There is, especially since corona, a lot of interest from the corporate world to collaborate,” she says. “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI ) are also in regular contact with Vaccinopolis.

At the moment our branding is being fine-tuned, we are presenting ourselves with our new logo and corporate identity at various trade fairs. Fortunately, we already have very good contacts with our outpatient studies. But of course, we are now adding the CHIM trials. Companies that want to have certain vaccines tested have a lot of interest in a collaboration, but they still have questions about, for example, the right level of biosafety and whether there will be approval for that.” Van Damme also says that they are establishing

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contacts with colleagues in Leiden in the Netherlands, who have a small unit, to strengthen each other. “Because that way we can help each other if a particular study requires a large testing capacity.” What if a particular vaccine candidate turns out to be suitable? “If a vaccine turns out to work well, then the company in question will make the next step to bring the vaccine to the market by submitting a marketing authorization application to the responsible authority. In Europe that is the European Medicines Agency.

A rewarding job And what if no new infectious diseases emerge at all in the near future, will the building be there for nothing? “As long as there are people, there will be infectious diseases,” Van Meerbergen replies. De Coster adds. “Because of climate warming, parasites or mosquitoes in tropical areas bring diseases here over time. Moreover, as the corona crisis illustrated this nicely, pathogens adapt. But even if there are no more new ones, we still don’t have an answer to a lot of diseases in the world. There are still a lot of vaccines that need to be refined or developed.”

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Pierre Van Damme is a vaccinologist at UAntwerpen. At the beginning of his career as a general practitioner, he was regularly confronted with HIV and AIDS, which aroused his interest in infectious diseases. He wrote a PhD on hepatitis B vaccination and built his expertise on vaccines at UAntwerpen.

Bart Van Meerbergen is head of operations and is responsible for the proper functioning of Vaccinopolis. He studied biochemistry and has been interested in the prevention of infectious diseases ever since his studies.

Ilse De Coster is chief physician of the clinical trial team at Vaccinopolis.

She is currently doing a PhD in polio vaccine studies and was also closely associated with Poliopolis.

All four are incredibly grateful that Vaccinopolis came to be. “When you know that with one or two shots you can prevent so much suffering and keep people healthy, that’s fantastic, isn’t it? Being allowed to participate in vaccine research is a very rewarding job,” concludes De Coster.

Martina Bamberger is head of innovation at Vaccinopolis. She studied microbiology, wrote a PhD in immunology and builds the bridge between academic research and industry within Vaccinopolis.

Text: Arkasha Keysers Photos: Jesse Willems

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SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES FOR A HEALTHIER WORLD

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OUR RESEARCH DOESN’T STOP AFTER WRITING THE CONCLUSION GUY HENDRICKX, FOUNDING MANAGING DIRECTOR, AVIA-GIS

None of us is as smart as all of us

Ever heard of the proverb ‘better safe than sorry’? Well, Avia-GIS sure has. Even better: they built their entire business around it. Founder and CEO Guy Hendrickx started Avia-GIS in 2001 as a company with a global reach that conducts and translates research into spatially explicit solutions that improve human, animal and crop health in a sustainable way.

Or, in other words: Avia-GIS wants to be part of their client’s team – and conduct the contracted research as partners. They believe that only by joining forces, they’ll get the best results possible and stay focused on a highly specialized set of services.

‘We have a clear view on user needs and requirements and on how this can be translated into cost-efficient operational and sustainable tools.’’

By doing so, they increase the capacity of their clients to deal with spatial risk, which in its turn adds to their vision and purpose of working towards a healthier world.

Bridging the gap between academic research and decision making

First of all, Avia-GIS has expertise in the development of spatial risk maps: either based on existing data sets – or on newly collected data using VECMAP, their in-house built software. Such maps serve a wide variety of purposes ranging from dealing with a health risk to planning focused marketing campaigns. Next, you can count on Avia-GIS to support the development of your products: as an example they help with the site selection for clinical trials to test new products and vaccines and develop disease vector population dynamics and disease transmission models to run ‘what-if’-scenarios and test prevention and treatment schemes.

Finally, you can ask them to develop ad-hoc spatial decision support systems and mobile applications that fit your needs.

Avia-GIS helps researchers to understand the spatial risks of vector-borne diseases, public authorities to better protect the public against such risks, the pest-control industry to remove those risks in a sustainable way and the pharma-industry to implement clinical trials to test new products and vaccines against such diseases.

“We enjoy a unique market position. Only a few companies operate in our domain – and none have developed such close contacts with the academic, decision support and industrial world as we have.”

And, as said before: all of these comprehensive services – ideally – are to be executed with Avia-GIS as part of your team. Because only by close collaboration, you’ll get the results you’re aiming for. Ready to amp up your team with the Avia-GIS specialists?

Their experts specialize in environmental engineering, biology, entomology, spatial epidemiology, meteorology, spatial modelling and ICT. The main objective of their research is contributing to the state-of-the-art and bringing these solutions to the people who need them.

Connect with Avia-GIS And this exactly is the difference between Avia-GIS and an academic research group: Avia-GIS’ input doesn’t stop with writing a paper.

Following the successful conclusion of a research project, they offer the capacity to invest into the next stages, such as studying the technical and economic feasibility of a potential product, and conducting demonstration pilots for the final finetuning of the marketable prototype to bridge the gap between research and operational tools.

Risschotlei 33 2980 Zoersel Tel: +32 3 458 29 79 Email: info@avia-gis.com

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CHAPTER SIX

PHARMACEUTICALS 62

THE ONLY WAY TO DISCOVER THE LIMITS OF THE POSSIBLE IS TO GO BEYOND THEM INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE.” - ARTHUR C. CLARKE

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JANSSEN IN BELGIUM Creating a future where disease is a thing of the past At Janssen, we never stop creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We aim to transform lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease. Together with external partners, our researchers strive for new medical breakthroughs and develop treatments and vaccines for some of the most devastating disorders and complex medical challenges. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology and Pulmonary Hypertension.

OUR HERITAGE Our founder, Dr. Paul Janssen (1926-2003), was one of the 20th century’s most innovative and inspiring pharmaceutical researchers. He and his research teams at Janssen Pharmaceutica discovered more than 80 new interesting molecules.

Breakthroughs that changed entire medical fields. At the time of his death in 2003, he held more than 100 patents and was a listed author on more than 850 scientific publications.

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His successful breakthroughs soon brought Janssen Pharmaceutica to the attention of Johnson & Johnson. Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. has been part of the Johnson & Johnson group of companies since 1961. Currently, the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson are a global leader in healthcare and employ more than 43,000 people worldwide – with deep investments in dozens of R&D centers and manufacturing sites, allowing us to tap into talented people across the globe.

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STRONG BELGIAN FOOTPRINT, GLOBAL IMPACT Over 5,000 employees (+ 70 nationalities) of which 2,458 researchers are working at Janssen Belgium. The activities on our seven (7) Belgian sites encompass the entire pharmaceutical life cycle: from early discovery through development, manufacturing and distribution to patient access. As a Center of Excellence in small molecule discovery and development, our therapeutic areas are fueled by world-class functions including our Discovery, Chemical Development, Clinical Development and Regulatory engines. Our highly differentiated R&D strategy reinforces our strong position as a partner and accelerator at the center of the biopharmaceutical ecosystem. In 2021 Janssen in Belgium once again received the award for “Most Attractive Private Employer”, according to the Randstad Employer Brand Study.

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INNOVATING FOR PATIENTS Our worldwide investments in R&D range among the highest in the pharmaceutical industry. In 2020, Janssen in Belgium invested €2.2 billion in the research and development of innovations and technologies for urgent, yet unresolved medical needs.

We invest in new platforms and modalities, using our expertise in small molecules, cell and gene therapies, RNA therapeutics, and vaccines to develop transformational medical innovations.

We have had a remarkable track record, delivering 20 new medicines since 2011 and have redefined the treatment paradigm for many serious diseases.

With JLABS, a worldwide network of incubators, we help promising enterprises

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and entrepreneurs to get important innovations to the patient faster. JLABS helps young companies to turn their scientific findings into breakthrough therapies by giving them access to the expertise, funding, educational programs and facilities that they need. The Janssen campus in Belgium houses the first JLABS in Europe.

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KEY PLAYER IN WORLDWIDE ECOSYSTEM In addition to our research and development site in Beerse, our campus includes pharmaceutical plants in Beerse and Geel that play a central role in the worldwide Supply Chain. Our international distribution facilities in Courcelles and La Louvière play

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a pivotal role in ensuring that our medicines are sent quickly and safely to pharmacies and hospitals around the world. And our Clinical Pharmacology Unit in Merksem contributes significantly to Belgium’s top position in clinical trials.

From early research and development, through supply chain to patient access – our people

SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP Innovating for patients is what we do, sustainable entrepreneurship is how we do it. That is why we are committed to making the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals an integral part of our business strategy.

This way, we want to ensure that every business decision we make in the future is in line with the objectives of the SDGs. With our investment in geothermal energy, for example, we aim to reduce carbon emissions by 30%.

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Janssen-Cilag NV - EM-81062 – 08-nov-2021– vu/er Luc Van Oevelen, Antwerpseweg 15-17, 2340 Beerse.

are making an important contribution to the health of many.

NOTHING WE DO CAN CHANGE THE PAST, BUT EVERYTHING WE DO CAN CHANGE THE FUTURE.”

– ASHLEIGH BRILLIANT

CHAPTER SEVEN

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INNOVATIONS IN SPINAL SURGERY DR. DAVID VAN SCHAIK, CONSULTANT SPINE SURGEON AZ RIVIERENLAND (RUMST) AND UZ BRUSSELS (VUB)

STATUS QUO IN SPINAL SURGERY IS NOT AN OPTION! No status quo is synonymous with innovation. Innovation must transform the way we deliver care to patients. On one side this has to involve patient centered improvement by careful listening and precise information. On the other hand, surgical procedures must apply the principle of less is more - apply state-of-the-art techniques, put less energy into unnecessary elements and focus on the patient.

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In Belgium, we can always offer specialised care to our patients. However, we must never forget that every patient is also a human being. Not only super-specialist physicians are needed, but also specialists who keep looking for the reasons why this person is suffering at this moment.

During my work as a physician in the tropics (Tanzania), I became a great admirer of the body’s power to recover.

Not every “abnormality” of the back gives rise to complaints. In other words, if someone has back problems, it does not have to be because of a defect that we see on an MRI or CT scan. The challenge then is to find a solution together with the patient. Often this means: more healthy exercise (sports or just walking), doing small daily activities differently, reducing your total sitting time etc. Sometimes a procedure is necessary to get the patient back on track.

In the past years as an orthopaedic surgeon, I have specialised more and more in the treatment of lower back problems. Never forgetting to look at the patient as a human being rather than the illness.

Let’s look at the various innovations Dr. van Schaik has introduced in both the hospitals where he is working.

He has invested in innovation in communication with the patient and the technicalities of surgical procedures.

PATIENT COMMUNICATION INNOVATION Open and transparent advice In addition to many technical surgical developments (minimally invasive back surgery), I continue to be interested in patient-centred developments, especially with digitisation in mind.

Like our Patient Application, which gives the patients information about their operation and their pre/post-operative course at appropriate times. Through this patient app, we can monitor the patients’ pain score, their activities, their medication use and many other things. The patients themselves have continuous access to all relevant information regarding their diagnosis, intervention and post-operative course.

Goal: • Provide clear information at the right time • To inform the patient well in a clear and understandable language • Reduce the pre and post-operative stress This application is not a substitute for the regular explanation by Dr. van Schaik, but an addition to allow reflection in the patient’s own environment and time, and in the early days of post operative surgery it allows monitoring from a distance.

Central messages in our application are: • Eat and drink healthy • Try to exercise every day for at least 30 min, non-stop at a slightly elevated heart rate: walking/cycling/swimming/…

• Above all, stay positive, surround yourself with open minded and positive people • Small steps at a time will improve the quality of your life

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THE “EXPERIENCE COACH” PROJECT The surgeon can answer many questions, however, a first-hand patient story is more relevant and is the reason why Dr. van Schaik started the ‘Experience Coach’ project.

We started the patient experience programme in 2021. When a specific operation is required, Dr. van Schaik offers contact with a patient who underwent the same procedure, so inclusive discussions will occur providing insight of outcome and expectation. In other words, more information in addition to what we, caregivers, already do. All these patients form the team of “Experiences Coaches”.

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SPINAL OPERATIONS INNOVATIONS

INNOVATIONS IN THE BETTER USE OF EXISTING RESOURCES

Operation Room Efficiency

The great thing about our profession is that sometimes we can help people with a “simple” tip to sit differently at their desk or to do an additional sport exercise. At other times we perform an operation on the spinal vertebrae in order to get the patient mobile again even better and faster than traditionally.

Dr. van Schaik’s goal is to maximise resources by minimising unnecessary requirements.

Our regular meetings with the surgical teams have the following results: • Open and direct communication • Rule out “pointless” actions resulting in more procedures without extra effort • Reduction in the number of surgical sets meaning: less draping time, significantly shortening changeover time, with minimal patient disturbance • Shorter total procedure time

1. Single Position Technique Dr. van Schaik was the pioneer in the Benelux to perform a Single Position Surgery on a patient with chronic lower back and leg pain (disc lesion/degenerative disc disease/collaps of the intervertebral disc at L5-S1).

The patient lies on the operating table in the side position and is operated on through a small incision in the abdominal wall. This position provides the surgeon with a precise view of the disc to be operated on.

At the end of the procedure, the patient does not have to be turned on their supine position to insert the screws into the vertebrae, we can do it in the same lateral position. Very often a cage with screw fixation in it is sufficient.

This technique considerably shortens operation time thus reducing the period of sedation, ensuring faster patient recovery, less post-operative pain and sooner hospital discharge.

Anterior L5-S1 fusion and lateral L4-5 fusion, percutanius L4-S1 fusion in Single position Surgery

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Anterior view: fusion between the last lumbar vertebrea and the sacrum. Stand alone cage with screw fixation

Lateral view: fusion between the last lumbar vertebrea and the sacrum. Stand alone cage with screw fixation

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This new technique offers many advantages, both for the doctor and for the patient

2. Integration of 3D rotational angiography using GE Healthcare IGS 7 with Navigation (Stealth Station) from Medtronic The IGS 7 system is a hybrid operating room and today is widely known to vascular surgeons. However, in other surgical disciplines, and more particularly in spinal surgery, its usage is limited.

Dr. van Schaik has worked with GE Healthcare and Medtronic on integrating 3D rotational angiography (GE Healthcare) with optical navigation (Medtronic) for placing screws and cages in back surgery.

One of the most valuable attributes of the Hybrid OR is its ability to generate high quality 3D images throughout the surgical procedure. High-definition CBCT is made easy with the IGS 7 wide-bore C-arm and large field-of-view detector for wide anatomical coverage in one fast spin. New additional degrees of freedom enable intra-operative CBCT even with table tilt and gantry translation, to perform imaging in complex patient positions. With IGS 7, the 3D rotational angiography produces slices which are compatible with the DICOM CT format for export to all major navigation systems such as Stealthstation.

Then, the surgeon can operate on the patient using optical navigation and benefitting from the High definition 3D images.

Now, both vascular surgeons and spinal surgeons can take full advantage of a single device with two high-performance modalities.

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3. Rod bending techniques Until recently, a major challenge when patients have to undergo back surgery in which several levels of the spine have to be fixed, was to bend the rod in the right way to fit properly in the screw heads. Thanks to a clever combination of various techniques, we can now have the computer calculate the rod bending and obtain an exactly correct folded bar.

The spinal rod bending system offers tools which can assist in complex degenerative deformity cases. The procedure is designed to benefit both surgeons and patients by providing intraoperative flexibility and restored alignment.

In 2017, we made the news because we were the first in Belgium to use this new technique during an operation. Result: decreased Operating Room Time, customization of the Rod, and less stress on the construct.

Unfortunately, we did not make the news fast enough with information that would be useful for a much larger group of people:

Prevention remains the key to success A surgical procedure is often only one step in the treatment, afterwards a patient will have to continue working on their health (just like everybody else).

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SMALL STEPS AT A TIME WILL IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE!

Testimonial of Ms. Najat Harrouch, patient of Dr. D. van Schaik.

From June 2019 I started to have pain in my back and my legs. This pain was worsening every day especially as nightly leg cramps made sleeping hell.

We have a healthy obsession with time management, cost reduction, increased patient outcomes, reduction of complications, reducing re-admissions and increasing efficiency (in the operating room) and talking the language of the patient for their best possible understanding. All of these increases the quality of care.

I made an appointment with Dr. van Schaik who, in the first instance prescribed physiotherapy and MRI – CT and RX examinations.

My mission is that we, as care providers, should increasingly speak the same “language” with our patients and among each other.

Najat underwent an XALIF operation at level L5-S1 on February 20, 2020. Aged 34 at that time.

After nine sessions of physiotherapy, the pain was still there and even worse.

Meanwhile the additional exams were performed and I had a new appointment with Dr. Van Schaik who took well over an hour to explain to me everything there was to see on the images from the exams. The cause was spondylolisthesis of the intervertebral disc. I had neurological complaints as a result of nerve entrapment and/or instability of the vertebrae. The explanation was in patient-friendly language.

As long as healthcare professionals remain too stuck in their own pigeonholes, change is still far away. That is why I am glad that more and more colleagues and caregivers realise that if we work together, everyone will benefit, especially the patient.

In the end the ultimate goal is: Bringing the patient back on track.

According to Dr. van Schaik, an operation was necessary. Meanwhile he prescribed more advanced physiotherapy, but without improvement.

Before deciding on the surgery, I went for a second opinion. The second physician confirmed the diagnosis and the unavoidable operation, but recommended I undergo a series of peridural injections of cortisone. I did not follow that recommendation and returned to Dr. Van Schaik.

During this new consultation, Dr. Van Schaik took the time to explain the procedure and made an appointment for the surgery. He also gave me some literature and links to websites. Meanwhile I had an injection to kill the pain.

The day of the procedure, the doctor came to my room to ask how I felt and if I needed any additional information. But I knew exactly what was going to happen in the Operation room and when I would return to the room.

Shortly after the operation the physiotherapist urged me to get out of bed as soon as possible and to start walking. I also had the visit of an ergotherapist who explained to me how to handle daily tasks such as dressing myself, household chores, picking up things from the floor, climbing stairs, etc. After three days, I was discharged from the hospital.

The rehabilitation at home took approximately three months during which I trained intensively by walking (1 hour two or three times a day), climbing stairs and caring for the household. Now I feel extremely well and have absolutely no pain. However, this experience taught me to care for my back e.g. the way to get out of bed in the morning, bending the knees when picking up something, etc.

A while after the operation, Dr. van Schaik asked me if I would agree to coach patients who had to undergo the same operation. He explained to me that I am the living example that this kind of procedure has the expected result and, more importantly, that I can explain how the period after leaving the hospital works.

Private practice Hazeweg 15 Rumst, Belgium Mobile: +32 48 909 7117 Email: info@derug.be drdavidvanschaik

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Since then, I have been apart of the “Experience Coaches” team.

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ATHOMA

STANDS FOR “AT HOME IN ANTWERP” ATHOMA is the name of the building where Antwerpen Zuid Kliniek is located. It is a new construction project with a central location in a very visible place due to its distinctive architectural design. It is easy to reach by car, bike, train, tram, bus and even Antwerp airport is nearby.

With this concept, the goal is to achieve pleasant and personal therapies for our patients. To do this, a relaxed environment is created where not only the patient feels welcome and understood, but the therapist as well.

This new building meets all the current building standards with regards to energy consumption, heating, ventilation, fire safety and IT. For the design of the practices, it was decided to work with renowned firms. The sterilization is set up by Tuttnauer and Steribel and the operating rooms are equipped by Dräger with the most recent up-to-date devices.

There are elegant waiting rooms on the first and second floor which can be reached by stairs or elevator. In this way, they are also accessible for people with disabilities. The furnishing of the waiting rooms and the presence of a lot of natural light, creates a relaxing atmosphere. The patients can use WIFI, work on a large table if they wish or just relax in a cozy seat. The small outdoor terrace also gives a touch of serenity.

Founders of Athoma Clinic Dr. K. Chapelle and Dr. J. Hintjens

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This modern facility also has common spaces and a break room where you can take a break or where presentations can be given.

On the ground floor there is free parking for about 10 cars.

There is the opportunity to hire a practice room or operating room full time, half time or one day a week. In this way, everything is taken care of for the mindset of the new generation doctors, dentists and paramedics who like to work on a temporary basis and on their own timetable.

In this way, they share the rooms and the available facilities, and only pay for their rented time span, as a result of which the cost becomes more interesting. Besides that, it also gives the possibility to escape from their daily practice, creating new opportunities.

ATHOMA clinic Mechelsesteenweg 49 B-2650 Edegem Tel: +32 3 369 2481

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HERAN PARTNERS & THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE HERAN PARTNERS WAS LAUNCHED IN 2020 WITH THE MISSION TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE BY FOCUSSING ON DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION ON THE VERGE OF LIFE SCIENCES AND DATA

HERAN empowered and took the investment experience and track record of its founders into the future. As an investment firm active in the Venture Capital space, HERAN aims to fuel growth of innovative technologies by supporting start-ups & scale-ups. HERAN’s sole focus lies within the healthcare market with investments ranging from tangible medical devices such as lab equipment, to AI solutions for improved diagnosis, patients monitoring and disease prognosis, and unlocking value from data.

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As part of its mission to become the go-to preferred investor for MedTech and HealthTech ventures, HERAN actively scouts for visionaries who want to leave a mark on the world and strive to have impact. This by bringing to market highly disruptive innovations, both in technologies and business models, to the benefit of patients, healthcare providers, and payers.

Additionally, HERAN strives to contribute to ESG beyond bringing life changing solutions benefitting patients, by measuring and improving the social and governance side.

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Team, network & partnerships The team of HERAN operates as a strong partner who not only supports ventures with financing, but also with knowledge and experience on the scientific and commercial front, as well as strategic input on how to maximise the venture’s potential in the longterm and build the best teams and cultures possible to get this done. HERAN always aims to grow the company hand-in-hand with the founders and management.

Investments are made alongside other Venture Capital firms to form a strong investor syndicate with complementary skills, knowledge and networks.

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growing need for insightful data – needed for personalised and precision medicine – creates the necessity for innovations in devices and tools. Escalating healthcare costs, a growing older population, new generations of expensive treatments and medications all ask for a transition towards more stringent but right patient selection and additional monitoring.

Together with new views of reimbursement for example: outcome vs. treatment. Society’s mindset is bound to move from a “cure & care” approach towards more prevention as this will be key to keep rising healthcare costs in check.

Founders HERAN Partners: • Annie Vereecken – Serial Life Sciences entrepreneur/investor, founder Medhold • Katleen Vandersmissen – Managing Partner HERAN Partners • Herman Verrelst – CEO Biocartis • Joris Mortelmans – CFO HERAN Partners

Portfolio Company: Icometrix

Investment strategy

Icometrix has developed artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to quantify brain structures based on MR and CT scans to allow for diagnosis, disease progression, outcome prediction with a mapping of potential side effects, and treatment response. Their cloud-based solutions can be easily implemented in a hospital’s existing radiology suite and used in multiple clinical trials.

HERAN’s investment strategy is based on key drivers in the healthcare space. The

As a technology leader, Icometrix enables not only cost savings to the healthcare system

Over the years, HERAN has developed an impressive, across-borders network with key people in the investment space and also within large strategic corporates and relevant ecosystems.

but also improves patient care and treatment outcome. Patients receive a more personalised diagnosis and tailored treatment, whilst at the same time facilitating a more efficient workstream for healthcare providers.

Portfolio companies MedTec Hardware

Combination MedTech & HealthTech

HealthTech Software

HERAN Partners Managing Partner: Katleen Vandersmissen Email: info@heranpartners.com

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INNOVATION IS TAKING TWO THINGS THAT ALREADY EXIST AND PUTTING THEM TOGETHER IN A NEW WAY.” – TOM FRESTON

CHAPTER EIGHT

MEDICAL DEVICES 82

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FROM IDEA TO ECOSYSTEM IN THE HEALTH SECTOR AT THOMAS MORE We stimulate & support innovation For years, Research @Thomas More has been actively working on innovation in the health and welfare sector with its research groups Mobilab & Care and CEBUD, and the living lab research by LiCalab. We are the driving force behind the Health & Care Network in the Flemish Kempen region.

OUR GOAL: TO INNOVATE AND IMPROVE SO NOBODY IS LEFT BEHIND

Research @Thomas More: joining forces to stimulate innovation in the health & care sector

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We let everyone participate fully in our society Thomas More’s research group Mobilab & Care revolves around improving the quality of life of people who need care and support.

We seek to let everyone participate fully in society by prevention, rehabilitation, and ongoing support.

We develop, evaluate, and implement innovations for evidence-based care from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Our team consists of experts from different fields so we can look at improvements from various angles. An occupational therapist, an orthopedist, a nurse… they all look for solutions in a different way and all those different views ensure that our innovations are of the highest level. We work closely together with a broad network of governments, the professional field, education, and end users at home and abroad.

innovative entrepreneurship, knowledge institutions and the care and welfare sector will lead to future-proof and high-quality care & health in the Kempen, Flanders and Europe.

We are experts in living lab research To valorise a new product, service or concept, it is important to put the enduser at the centre of the development and to define wishes and needs in co-creation. LiCalab – Living & Care Lab – supports companies and organisations in the care and welfare sector with living lab research. We co-create, evaluate, and test innovative solutions with users in their own living and working environment. The focus is on improving care technology and finding new cooperation models.

We build ecosystems We are proud to have built an ecosystem in healthcare, the REVAlution Centre in Herentals, where people who have finished revalidating are still welcome to keep exercising. Our team keeps offering mental and physical support, but

we also provide a lot of services that are linked to revalidation. A tailor to make adequate clothes, an insurance specialist, a bicycle mechanic… they all create a complete ecosystem around the revalidation, making the REVAlution Centre a direct link between innovation, technology, research, and therapy.

We connect Get in touch The Health & Care Network Kempen strengthens entrepreneurship and partnerships in the field of health & care with the aim to boost care innovation. We are convinced that strong cooperation between

Health & Care Network Kempen: healthcarenetwork.be LiCalab: www.licalab.be Mobilab & Care: www.mobilabandcare.be REVAlution Center: www.towalkagain.be

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ULTRAZONIC

MEDICAL SCOOP TACKLES CURRENT CONTAMINATION WOES ‘Cleaned’ endoscopes – an underestimated threat to patient safety Every year, thousands of patients still contract an infection during often simple procedures.

In many cases this is due to insufficiently cleaned instruments. More specifically concerning endoscopes, hospitals do not meet the main conditions for proper manual precleaning. Nine (9) out of 12 hospitals fail their test, study finds. Almost no other medical device is as difficult to clean as an endoscope, partly due to its complex design (its long, narrow channels). Flexible endoscopes which are inserted into the lung, stomach, intestines or bladder for examinations and treatments, come into contact with all kinds of bodily fluids.

Education is needed to raise awareness on the correct pre-cleaning of surgical instruments UltraZonic has received a true (medical) world premiere. This Belgian company, specialized in innovative medical cleaning devices, has developed the first semi-automatic pre-cleaner for flexible endoscopes. Not the biggest luxury invention, knowing that endoscopes are popular hotbeds for several bacteria. “Due to great time pressure, staff often miss important cleaning steps. Resulting in contaminated instruments that can possibly infect the next patient. By automating the cleaning process, human cleaning errors are eliminated.” according to Nancy Steenbakkers, UltraZonic’s Founder & CEO.

Decent cleaning and disinfection between two examinations is absolutely necessary to prevent germs such as bacteria and viruses from transferring from one patient to another - all the more so now that dangerous resistant bacteria are also on the rise globally. If done incorrectly, patients could develop bladder infections and even life-threatening blood poisonings. Patients’ lives’ are in effect at stake.

ENDO device: semi-automatic pre-cleaner for flexible endoscopes

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UltraZonic seeks solutions: automation and traceability is key Apart from the known cleaning struggles/ complexities, Nancy explains there is a more prominent issue causing these outbreaks. “Precleaning” steps are often performed incorrectly due to time-pressure and a lack of knowledge and/or work-enthusiasm.

A former OR-nurse for 20 years, Nancy witnessed these problems from the front row.

“Up to this day, there is no control whether all steps are being performed correctly.

Everything is performed manually, with only one visual check afterwards. No traceability and no guarantee whether the steps are being performed correctly. Pre-cleaning is often only carried out very briefly. Greater awareness and adequate solutions were needed as these poorly cleaned instruments posed a real-life threat for the patient”, underlines Nancy Steenbakkers.

Nancy decided to take matters into her own hands. She shared her thoughts on how the ideal cleaning should look like. Thanks to the output of her husband - UltraZonic co-founder Serge Wellens - who loves to design new devices from scratch, the UltraZonic ENDO device was born. This is the first device ever to semi-automatically clean multiple endoscopes at the same time.

UltraZonic’s pre-cleaning furniture contains sinks with programming, so that - whether

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you are motivated/well-educated or not - it is impossible to skip a step in the process. “In terms of time management, it is also interesting for hospitals. With the double basins, it is possible to let the device clean two endoscopes at the same time. Meanwhile, staff are free to perform other tasks. On top of this, the entire cleaning cycle is traceable afterwards. We even have an integrated camera to record the only manual step in the procedure. No other manufacturer offers these features.

This is unique technology, yet highly needed given the current contamination woes. By automating the process, unintentional human errors are eliminated, and the process is accelerated, procedure after procedure. “This is patient safety at its highest level”, says Nancy Steenbakkers.

Unique cleaning technology packed in a state-of-the-art design Having a focus on pre-cleaning in general, UltraZonic has also developed a device for advanced ultrasonic cleaning of surgical instruments. With its MED device, it is guaranteed that all surgical instruments are cleaned thoroughly. With two unique cleaning concepts on the market, and a third one on its way, it is an understatement to say that constant innovation runs through UltraZonic’s DNA. Our devices are not comparable with other devices in the field. Most other devices are just regular sinks made of stainless steel. Ours

have that characteristic look and are also very user-friendly to work with. Through the height-adjustable platforms, and most steps being performed automatically, work-pressure is reduced enormously.

International game changers As so often the case with start-ups, the development of the pre-cleaning device began in the double garage of Nancy and Serge.

What started with a bold dream to eliminate avoidable cleaning mistakes developed into reality with a prototype. Meanwhile they moved to a spacious company building on the outskirts of Antwerp where the entire development takes place from design to production.

“It is quite the challenge, offering a product that is so innovative that the field first needs to understand why they need it. Yet, I keep going because I know that we are making a big improvement in healthcare. I know a case of someone who developed symptoms after an endoscopy. Investigation revealed that foreign bowel movements were at the root of his complaints. It is obvious that we do not produce extravagant luxury, actually quite the contrary. Poorly cleaned instruments are a worldwide problem, and this stretches far beyond Belgian borders. UltraZonic is rapidly extending its frontiers to tackle these widespread contamination woes. Our journey towards a worldwide conquest is still in full swing, with new regions such as the Middle East, Scandinavia and South America. Exciting times are ahead for patient safety”, Nancy Steenbakkers says exuberantly.

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NOBI

FUTURE-ORIENTED SMART LAMP ‘NOBI’ HELPS ELDERLY CARE TO PREPARE FOR THE SILVER TSUNAMI

Meet Nobi An Antwerp scale-up known for its AI-driven smart lamps, used for fall detection, fall prevention and lifestyle monitoring. When founding their company, Roeland Pelgrims, Stijn Verrept and Bert De Haes believed that everyone on this planet deserves to grow old in a dignified, safe and happy manner. Pretty ambitious in a world where an increasing number of elderly rely on a decreasing number of caregivers.

The sector currently has more than 6,000 vacancies that remain unfilled. Agetech will play an increasingly important role in the coming years.”

Roeland Pelgrims, CEO of Nobi

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immediate assistance by care staff. That speed is crucial: 50% of the elderly who lay on the floor for longer than one hour die within six months of the fall. The quicker people are helped, the more qualitative years of life can be saved.

Guide in residents’ lives Nobi not only detects falls, it also prevents them.

When older adults sit up in bed at night, Nobi switches on soft lighting. This helps prevent disorientation when waking up and a fall when getting out of bed. Nobi is also a guide in residents’ lives. During the day, the lamp reminds residents of their daily activities and visits. Soon, Nobi will also measure loneliness and encourage family members to come and visit. This can have a major impact on health and happiness.

Its artificial intelligence will eventually enable Nobi to detect changes in behaviour, such as when someone suddenly has difficulty walking, displays cognitive decline or becomes depressed.

Nobi also helps to monitor the general safety with built-in temperature and air quality measuring instruments.

2022: from innovation to implementation

Therefore, Nobi not only aims to support older adults at home, but already partners with care staff in care homes, health care centres and assisted living facilities. They contribute to even more targeted care for the elderly and relieve busy care workers from repetitive tasks.

This way, their limited time can be spent on those tasks that really make a difference to the lives and happiness of older adults. Nobi currently has about 30 employees and operates in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, the UK and Canada.

In 2022 Nobi made the switch from startup innovation to scaleup implementation by installing Nobi’s in several Belgian care homes.

The coming months, more installations will follow all over the world. The results of the very first pilot in ‘ALF Gerstjens’ (Aalst) were very promising: in just a few weeks, Nobi detected more than 40 falls in the 15 rooms in which it was tested. The residents were helped within 5 minutes on average. For some residents, this meant the difference between life and death.

For others, this speed saved several qualitative years of life.

24/7 guardian angel; immediate assistance after a fall Nobi wants to provide a solution to one of the leading causes of death in older adults: falls.

One in three people over 65 fall at least once a year. Even in assisted living facilities, 50% of residents fall at least once a year. 66% of all the older adults who fall are seriously injured.

With the help of artificial intelligence, the Nobi lamp detects when a resident falls and ensures

Responding to the many unreported falls But there is more. During the pilot, we discovered the number of falls detected was much higher than the officially reported average. Roeland Pelgrims, CEO Nobi:

We are excited to discover that our smart lamp Nobi not only saves as many qualitative years of life as possible, but also helps caregivers to detect fall incidents that would have remained under the radar until today. We know that many older adults who were able to get up independently after a fall do not always report their fall to their caregivers. Either out of shame or because they do not realize that smaller seemingly innocent - incidents can sometimes have major consequences. With Nobi, caregivers can now provide help more quickly after a fall. They also have a good overview of all falls, including the smaller incidents that would otherwise only have come to light months later when it’s often too late.”

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DELTA CARE

THE SOLUTION FOR MORE EFFICIENT HEALTHCARE IS NOT TECHNOLOGY ITSELF, BUT HOW IT IS INTEGRATED AND EMBRACED BY USERS European countries have been facing enormous pressure on their healthcare systems. The recent acute problems were resulting from exponential increases in the number of active COVID-19 cases, but there are several underlying challenges that the healthcare sector has been facing for some time now.

These include the aging population and associated increase of people with chronic health problems, rising healthcare costs, and an acute shortage of medical staff. But some of the challenges also stem from innovation itself: In the current tech landscape, dynamics of both hardware and software is changing. For instance, according to the UK Center for Health Solution report, 48 percent of medical devices are connected through IoT, which is expected to rise to 68 percent in the next five years.

Credit: Mia Uydens

To harness the potential of healthcare technology to transform the health systems and develop a connected healthcare environment, healthcare institutions must be able to streamline and consolidate all this innovation into their processes. Healthcare staff must be able to fulfil their core tasks and be discreetly supported by technology, rather than being actively involved with technology, which only increases the workload. Not obvious since every manufacturer has its own ecosystem, with its own application.

Nurse call systems rarely leave much room for third party integrations and cause a vendor lock-in. As a result, technology integration is quickly turning into a disjointed set of additional systems to monitor, that generate a lot of data that only increases the burden on

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healthcare staff. And to make things even more complex, everything must also comply with the Medical Device Regulation (MDR EU 2017/745) Delta Care’s mission is to provide the right innovative support, entirely on a human scale. They have a unique methodology that is based on the care process. This brings together the infrastructure, the processes, and the people.

This coherence ultimately determines the success of each implementation.

Delta Care integrates a brand-independent alarm server which makes it possible to deploy any available technology. This IQ Messenger alarm server is the only one in the market which is medically certified as class IIb. Regardless of the sensors, systems or technology used: everything comes together nicely in one clear app, with the right information at the right time.

This makes it possible to do even complex integrations without compromise and which fit seamlessly with existing systems and processes.

By means of full chain monitoring and guaranteed reliability of 99.99%, Delta Care achieves safe and reliable medical alarms. They help healthcare organizations to greatly reduce the number of alarms, distribute them, make them more recognizable and mark them with the right priority. This even allows for silent medical alarming, meaning the acoustic signaling of the source device (usually a medical device like a monitor, infusion pump or respirator) is switched off, which allows a quiet environment so that the patient can rest and sleep undisturbed. The alarms will still be visible on the source device and are sent via a monitored link to the alarm server, which in turn delivers them to a device or smartphone of your choice.

Delta Care actively searches the market for technology that also has potential in the healthcare sector. This is how the Smart Sensors were created, that watch over residents of residential care centers at night, providing support to the night nurses who can conduct virtual night rounds and respond in a targeted manner when necessary.

The added value Delta Care offers to their customers is a more efficient operation and more security. Patients who experience a better care experience. Less work pressure and more space for effective care. Less alarm fatigue and targeted interventions instead of walking around in circles. This is possible for every care branch and every type of institution. Even for people who want to live independently at home for longer.

Delta Care – Delta Technics NV Industriepark B 24-11 2220 Heist-op-den-Berg Tel: +32 15 25 11 27 Email: info@deltacare.be deltacare

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SAM

SENSORY-FRIENDLY CLOTHING THAT LOWERS STRESS

An Luyten, Founder

Every day we experience an overload of sensory stimuli: we see, hear, feel, smell, and taste a lot.

Whenever our brain has a hard time filtering and processing all those stimuli, this can lead to overstimulation. Children who are highly sensitive, have ASD, ADHD, mental limitations, or brain injuries are particularly sensitive to this.

Coping with constant stimuli can be exhausting and as a consequence cause stress, difficulty concentrating, or even learning disabilities.

SAM was founded from the personal experience of founder An Luyten who was looking for fun clothing for her highly sensitive son. Clothing designed to limit sensory stimuli was hard to find, and it became obvious that other parents were

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struggling to find the right clothing for their kids as well. That is why An decided to get to work and develop SAM, her own label of sensory-friendly clothing that also looks good. The collection has no sensible seams, itching labels, or other aggravating elements, thus compensating or dampening the overload of sensory stimuli.

“Finally a soft design, quality in color and fabric, with the promised effect; namely really and literally seamless. This means getting dressed without tears. The mornings when SAM is the outfit for the day for our little man are no longer a battle, full of frustration or chagrin, but instead palpably peaceful.” Says Mom Sarah Thomassen

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Photography by fiks-studio.be

For those who need extra stimuli, SAM has a solution that can be added to the clothes. Accessories to bite, fidgets or weighted add-ons contribute to better process stimuli and result in the children having less stress and for them to concentrate better.

A bright future

Fashionable, wearable, wellbeing

SAM’s success is also not limited to its home country Belgium; there is an increasing interest in sensory-friendly clothing from abroad.

The sustainable clothing of SAM has a big and positive impact on the wellbeing of sensory-sensitive children. The brand positions itself at the cross-section of fashion and healthcare, taking on a unique position in the market.

All SAM’s products are developed in Belgium in close collaboration with experts. Child psychologists, ergotherapists, and coaches for people with autism provide ongoing feedback, thus contributing to the successful creation of sensory-friendly clothing and accessories.

“We developed a scientific method to test SAM’s designs and research if and how this clothing line can make a real difference for sensory-sensitive children. In order to do so, we put together a team of experts who looked at the designs and fabrics in detail and also let highly sensitive children try out the products.” Says Prof. dr. Wim Tops – Coordinator of Therapy Practice De Kronkel and Professor of Clinical Psychology

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Today, SAM focuses on products for children ages 4 to 16.

Because of high demand, a clothing line for adults will be developed as well.

“Calming Kids Australia is very proud to be the Australian distributor of the SAM Sensory Clothing. I was so excited when contacted by An as we have such a need for beautifully made and designed clothing, made from the heart and with first-hand experience on children’s sensory needs.

Making life a little easier for sensory kids is what SAM is all about and finally having someone who understands and cares will make all the difference.” Adds Diana Young - Calming Kids Australia.

SAM Sensory & More Email: hello@samsensoryclothing.com

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THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO CREATE IT.” - ABRAHAM LINCOLN

CHAPTER NINE

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PUXANO

ACCELERATING STRUCTURE-BASED PROTEIN RESEARCH OUR OBJECTIVE IS NOT TO SOLELY DETERMINE ONE SINGLE PROTEIN STRUCTURE, BUT TO BUILD A PLATFORM WHICH ENABLES OUR CUSTOMERS TO RESOLVE THEIR NEXT TEN STRUCTURES TEN TIMES FASTER WOUTER VAN PUTTE FOUNDER & CEO

PROTEIN STRUCTURES

Proteins are key building blocks and fulfill many essential roles within all living organisms. They are involved in processes such as immunity, metabolism, perception, etc. As many diseases are the result of malfunctioning proteins, understanding what they look like and how they work is essential to develop better therapeutic treatments.

Obtaining a blueprint of a protein at the atomic level is a very tedious process that requires specific experimental methods such as cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).

OUR MISSION

PUXANO’s mission is to accelerate structure-based protein research across all fields and industries by using a combination of bio-, nano- and computational technologies. By aiming to eliminate the trial-and-error process of standard structural biology research, PUXANO can help anyone engaging in protein research to obtain access to their specific protein target.

START-UP

PUXANO was founded by Wouter Van Putte in May 2021, together with Sam Detry and Marie-Aline Mattelin. In search for the ideal location to innovate, grow and succeed, PUXANO chose the BlueChem incubator in Antwerp, the first incubator for sustainable chemistry in Belgium, from where they develop new technologies and provide services for cryo-EM.

SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES

PUXANO is a platform-based biotech company focusing on streamlining the overall workflow of structural biology. This includes protein construct design, expression, purification, binding studies, quality control and structure determination by cryo-EM. Our platform of innovative nanotechnology, biotechnology and computational tools enables us to overcome bottlenecks such as low protein yields and sample volumes, and reduces the time, effort and resources normally spent in protein research.

SAM DETRY

WE COMBINE THE BEST OF BIO-, NANO-, AND COMPUTATIONAL TECHNOLOGY TO STREAMLINE THE ENTIRE STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY PIPELINE FROM SEQUENCE TO STRUCTURE

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USING OUR TECHNOLOGIES, WE CAN DRASTICALLY REDUCE TIME AND RESOURCES OTHERWISE WASTED ON ENDLESS CYCLES OF TRIAL-AND-ERROR MARIE-ALINE MATTELIN

CO-FOUNDER & LEAD NANOFABRICATION

PARTNERS

Our customers are mainly pharma and biotech companies in the EU, UK and US, which can benefit from structural models of their protein targets or scaffolds during drug development. While PUXANO can provide straightforward services like other contract research organizations (CROs), PUXANO strives to be a partner that can address throughput bottlenecks or resolve problems where standard protocols fail. Our aim is to establish long-term partnerships with our customers, whereby we become part of their R&D environment and provide them access to our constantly improving platform. The objective is not to solely resolve one single protein structure. It is enabling our customers to resolve their next ten structures ten times faster by finetuning our platform to their specific protein target class.

THE FUTURE OF PUXANO

PUXANO is a tech-oriented company where continuous innovation is key. Our interdisciplinary team of structural biologists, nanoengineers and bioinformaticians are always developing as well as tracking novel tools and technologies that can accelerate structure-based protein research.

Our current future trajectories focus on combining miniaturization and parallelization in experimental structural biology using nano- and biotechnology tools with artificial intelligence solutions for protein structure prediction. Next to therapeutics, the role of proteins will only expand in the coming years as there is a whole realm of other important domains such as sustainable chemistry, food production and waste processing where proteins and structure-based protein research can play an important role.

PUXANO strives to play a central role in this transition.

PUXANO BlueChem Incubator, Olieweg 95, 2020 Antwerpen Email: info@puxano.com puxano

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INTRODUCED IN 2014, MINIONE® SYSTEMS IS A BRAND OF EDUCATIONAL LIFE SCIENCE PRODUCTS DEVELOPED BY THE COMPANY EMBI TEC®, WHICH HAS FOR YEARS MANUFACTURED BIOTECH EQUIPMENT AND REAGENTS USED BY TOP RESEARCH FACILITIES ALL OVER THE WORLD.

When its founders, Richard Chan and Winston Walker, learned that educators were purchasing their research-grade equipment to help students get hands-on experience with electrophoresis in their classrooms, they sought to develop a teacher and student-friendly electrophoresis system that was safe, compact, fast, and affordable, making it possible to complete inquirybased biology labs in the span of a classroom period.

The game-changing MiniOne Electrophoresis System replaces the traditional electrophoresis running tank, power supply, and UV transilluminator. Thanks to its thoughtful and innovative features, the MiniOne enables students from age 11 - 17 to explore real-world topics like forensics, DNA fingerprinting, genetics, and food safety with engaging, hands-on labs. Its affordable price tag allows teachers in underserved communities to access this essential learning tool, and because of its portability, it’s been brought to both small, rural classrooms, as well as the remote jungles of Peru and Borneo.

As the MiniOne grew in popularity, thanks to both its efficiency and affordability, as well as the high-quality lab results that it produces, the team continued to develop new products

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with the goal of bringing inquiry-based learning to life science students.

The MiniOne PCR System allows teachers to bring DNA amplification into classrooms by letting students to program and monitor protocols via a mobile app, completing amplification in as little as 20 minutes. The Winston gives students as young as 11 the chance to use fluorescence to understand important life science concepts like dilutions and calculating concentrations.

The greatest reward for the company has been the feedback from educators who have made the switch to the MiniOne Electrophoresis System. Teachers are thrilled with its simplicity and price tag, but especially rave about the system’s ability to engage their students and help them master the skills that they can use in their future careers in STEM fields. Beyond the technology, MiniOne prides itself on second-to-none customer service and help teachers decide which equipment and labs are best for their students. The company’s greatest advertisement has been word of mouth, with teachers worldwide recommending the system and lab kits to their colleagues and friends, extolling their unparalleled quality and value. The response has been truly overwhelming.

In 2020, we started rolling out the MiniOne® Systems equipment and labs in Europe.

Being based in Kessel and with the European warehouse in Olen, we supply our products and provide the technical service from this centralized place in Europe. JeanPaul Sanders has more than four decades of life sciences business experience. He controls the European operations.

Jean-Paul Sanders The MiniOne Europe

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INDIVIDUALLY, WE ARE ONE DROP. TOGETHER, WE ARE AN OCEAN.”

- RYUNOSUKE SATORO

CHAPTER TEN

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY 100

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PROJECT ONE

A GAME CHANGER IN THE PORT OF ANTWERP

With Project ONE, the chemicals company INEOS Olefins Belgium will soon be building an ethane cracker in the port of Antwerp that will produce 1,450 kt of ethylene per year. This is a billion-dollar investment, the likes of which the European chemical industry has not seen in decades. But this new plant will also be ground-breaking in terms of sustainability. Particularly in terms of emissions, Project ONE sets a new standard in the sector.

Renewal of the basic industry in Europe

Doing away with the status quo

25 years. That is how long it has been since a new cracker has been built in Europe. Elsewhere in the world, however, particularly in the United States, China and Saudi Arabia, there has been considerable investment in these plants in recent years, particularly for the production of ethylene, one of the most widely used basic chemicals in the world.

We don’t think about it, but every day we use products and applications for which ethylene is indispensable. You find this building block in lightweight parts of cars and wind turbines and in building materials such as water and gas pipes, wires, cables and insulation. It is also used in medical applications, textiles, computer and smartphones, household appliances, food packaging and cosmetics. As demand for it increases, INEOS intends to respond with the construction of an ethane cracker, the greenest in Europe.

By building ‘from scratch’ with the techniques available today, INEOS can produce significantly more sustainably. Traditionally, crackers run mainly on naphtha, one of the products from an oil refinery. However, the conversion of ethane to ethylene can be done more efficiently: far fewer by-products are created compared to naphtha and significantly less feedstock is needed for a similar production of ethylene. Simply put, from each molecule of ethane (C2H6), a molecule of ethylene (C2H4) and a molecule of hydrogen gas (H2) are produced. An additional advantage is that the hydrogen is released in larger quantities than in the cracking of naphtha and this can be used as a fuel. This is what INEOS has chosen to do. By reusing the hydrogen from the cracking

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But the ambition extends further. Thanks to the flexible design of the plant, INEOS can continue to gradually reduce carbon emissions to net zero. INEOS estimates that this should be possible within 10 years of plant startup. For example, with some modifications it is technologically possible to fully fuel the crackers and steam boilers of Project ONE with hydrogen. A precondition is the availability of sufficient low carbon hydrogen and the infrastructure in place to deliver it. In addition, Project ONE also provides space in its design for a carbon capture installation, so that this option can also be used as soon as it is technically and commercially feasible.

By choosing Antwerp, Project ONE confirms and reinforces the port’s role as the largest chemical cluster in Europe and supports the region’s strategic autonomy for its basic industry. process, we can immediately meet 60% of our heat consumption. Because we have consistently opted for today’s best available technologies, the cracker will soon emit less than half as much CO2 compared to the top ten percent cleanest plants in Europe. And the difference with an average cracker is even greater. We will soon be emitting only a third of what is currently the average for European crackers. Thanks to the highly integrated systems in the design, the cold temperature of the feedstock and the heat of the furnaces are also optimally utilized to save energy. In addition, all externally sourced

electricity is contractually sourced from renewable offshore wind power.

In pole position for transition to net zero The road to a climate-neutral future is a gradual one. Project ONE is already making a fundamental difference by making maximum use of the very best of what today’s technology offers. Buyers of ethylene from Project ONE can save 2 million tons of CO2 emissions each year since they will no longer be dependent on ethylene from more polluting plants.

Project ONE in Brief

Because we have consistently chosen today’s best available technologies, the cracker will soon emit less than half as much CO2 compared to the top ten percent cleanest plants in Europe. And only a third of what is currently average for European crackers.”

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John McNally, CEO Project ONE

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State-of-the-art plant for the production of ethylene, one of the most widely used base chemicals in the world Lowest carbon footprint of all European crackers, less than half as much CO2 compared to the top ten percent cleanest plants in Europe. And 3 times lower than the current average for European crackers Investment of over 3 billion euros in the port of Antwerp 450 new jobs and thousands of indirect jobs Construction: 4 years; start-up of plant expected in 2026 Exceptional Investment of the Year Award (Flanders Investment & Trade, 2020)

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POWER TO METHANOL, FUTUREPROOF INNOVATION IN FUEL AND FEEDSTOCK

In 2022 the construction of the Power to Methanol Antwerp plant starts in the Port of Antwerp. The plant has a production capacity of 8,000 tonnes of sustainable methanol, produced from hydrogen generated from renewable energy and captured CO2. A consortium of seven companies is setting up the pilot plant on the INOVYN site, INEOS’ production plant at the port of Antwerp, home to the largest chemical cluster in Europe.

Methanol is an essential raw material that is used by industry in the port and can also be used in transport applications for fuels.

Currently, methanol is largely produced using fossil-based raw materials, which emits carbon dioxide from the process.

Saving 10,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year With the innovative project of Power to Methanol, for each tonne of methanol produced at least one tonne of CO2 emissions will be avoided. A capacity of 8,000 tonnes of sustainable methanol per year, means a CO2 saving potential equivalent to 10,000 flights from Paris to New York and back, or the average annual emissions of 1,250 Belgians.

First for Belgium Power to Methanol is developing an innovative technique to capture and reuse CO2. The Power to Methanol project will produce e-methanol by reusing captured CO2 in combination with hydrogen. This puts the production of e-methanol on a new track and is thus a first for Belgium. The plant will start operations by the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024.

Plug & play The plant will be built in the former fuel cell demo area on the INOVYN site in Lillo, providing an ideal plug & play site for the innovative project. The INEOS-company is an expert in the field of electrolysis and operation of chemical plants. Combined with the expertise of the other consortium partners from various sectors, all the knowledge and experience are available to make this project a success. The location also provides a high level of flexibility both on feedstock input, process capability, output and applications – key factors for the challenging project.

Futureproof product Methanol or CH3OH is the simplest alcohol chemical. It is formed of hydrogen, oxygen and a single carbon atom and is therefore a sustainable petrochemical feedstock and fuel. When made from renewable feedstocks as Power to Methanol is doing, methanol becomes a net carbon-neutral product.

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Methanol is being employed around the globe in many innovative applications. e-methanol can be used to fuel ships, trucks or cars in an environmentally friendly way with its clean-burning properties and lower emissions. In the chemical industry methanol serves as a basic product for a wide range of end products such as building materials, lightweight parts for cars or medical equipment.

Support by Flemish Government The Flemish Government supports the innovative project by providing funding of €1 million and the project is also one of the Important Projects of Common European Interest that received co-financing. The Power to Methanol plant is an important link in the transition to CO2 storage and reuse and on the road to climate neutrality.

The project shows in a very practical and innovative way the importance of industrial symbiosis as part of the energy transition.

Power to Methanol is an initiative of ENGIE, Fluxys, Indaver, INOVYN-INEOS, Oiltanking, Port of Antwerp-Bruges and Participatie Maatschappij Vlaanderen.

Combining know-how and best practices from all these sectors ensures a successful outcome for the exciting project.

Power to Methanol Antwerp partners: » ENGIE’s purpose is to act to accelerate the transition towards a carbonneutral economy, by offering innovative solutions to its residential, professional and industrial customers, for a more economical and rational use of energy and greater comfort. As the country’s leading producer of renewable energy, ENGIE generates electricity close to its customers, thanks to a diversified, low-carbon generating fleet.

biomethane or any other carbon-neutral energy carrier of the future and to help developing Carbon Capture and Storage/Utilisation chains » Advario is one of the largest independent operators of tank terminals for oils, gases and chemicals worldwide. As Advario we want to ensure “peace of mind in liquid storage logistics” going forward. This peace of mind should extend to all stakeholders. As a quality service provider, we focus on our customers’ needs by providing innovative solutions, responsibly and safely.

» Indaver operates specialist facilities and smart systems for waste management, processing around 5 million tonnes of waste annually for industry, government departments and households. Indaver creates value from this waste by recovering materials and energy, thus playing an essential role in the circular economy.

» Participatie Maatschappij Vlaanderen is a government-owned investment company that acquires stakes in the companies considered strategic by the Flemish government. It provides risk capital for companies at an early stage of development that speed up the transition to the circular economy.

» INOVYN is a vinyl’s producer that ranks among the top three worldwide. Our portfolio consists of an extensive range of class leading products arranged across General Purpose Vinyl’s, Specialty Vinyl’s, Organic Chlorine Derivatives, Chlor Alkali and Electrochemical & Vinyl’s Technologies. INOVYN is part of INEOS.

» Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a limited liability company of public law and above all an active landlord for the port area. Energy transition is in the heart of our mission. As a community builder and innovation partner, we commit to boosting transition. We are a home port vital for a sustainable future.

» Fluxys is a fully independent gas infrastructure group active across Europe in gas transmission & storage and liquefied natural gas terminalling. Fluxys is committed to accommodate hydrogen,

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TRIPLE HELIX GROUP TURNING WASTE INTO RAW MATERIALS Material reincarnation or trying to preserve existing molecules at their end of life, is the core business of Triple Helix Molecules as a Service, THX in short. The Antwerp based start-up takes specific waste streams and transforms those back into valuable buillding blocks for the chemical industry or produces new and sustainable (semifinished) products with them.

However, the mere technology umbrella of reshaping materials through mechanical and chemical recycling is not the only activity of THX.

This ‘guerilla team’ as they like to call themselves, consists of experienced industrial entrepreneurs and corporate finance professionals that quickly realized that circular economy solutions require more than smart technologies. Their first and biggest initiative SurePUre, a recycling pilot plant in the Port of Antwerp’s NextGen District focusing on recycling polyurethane foams and PET packaging, almost immediately triggered complementary supply chain, digital and ‘productizing’ opportunities.

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Triple Helix Molecules as a Service could be compared to a movie production studio, where the movies are in reality new companies that each target solving a particular problem to make specific materials more circular. Closing the loop case by case, so to speak. And of course, each movie studio needs a blockbuster movie to get noticed and for THX this was obviously Triple Helix SurePUre, the newly created company for polyurethane recycling, which was incidentally also the first company to get a 6ha and 30 year concession in the Port of Antwerp in an area espacially dedicated to the circular economy. Not bad for a start-up that only took its first steps in January 2020 and that was almost immediately hit by Covid 19 adversity.

Triple Helix has in the meantime initiated new venture start-ups or ecosystem companies in selective disassembly for recycling, real-time scanning of contaminations in incoming waste (or raw material) streams and in turning various waste materials into products.

Examples of the latter are stone waste based or glass waste building products, lignin based biopolymers, rice husk based wood immitations and so on.

For Triple Helix, their SurePUre pilot plant in Antwerp is the starting point of a journey that has far reaching ambitions. The team wishes to gain credibility and prove a point, so that the SurePUre plant and many other initiatives afterwerds can be replicated across Europe and beyond. This is due to the intrinsic motivation of the team. Having a significant sustainable impact by showing that their new approach including a unique and innovative business model works and can help transform entire industry clusters for the better. Triple Helix is indeed a commercial enterprise, but it also has a clear mission to reduce emissions and waste pollution at industrial scale and with similar economic returns as traditional businesses. This is the only way to really boost systemic change.

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The novelty of Triple Helix’ business model is undoubtedly a culmination of founder Steven Peleman’s experience in several positions of the chemical value chain and of his childhood years as an alpine ski racer, enriched by his co-founders’ professional track record.

It entails open innovation principles, it puts ecosystem building at the center, it looks for pre-competitive value propositions in a way that only industry problems are solved but never at the expense of existing market dynamics. In short, the activities and business model are what the EU Green Deal is alla bout.

No talking, no reports, just action!

What’s next for Triple Helix? Well, they will start building their SurePUre Antwerp plant by the end of 2022 and by that time they will have launched a few more sustainable or circular enterprises that will serve all of us.

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VOSSCHEMIE BECOMES V-SURE

OUR STORY BEGAN IN 1968. THAT IS WHEN OUR FOUNDER REMI DE MOOR ENTERED INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH KLAUS WILLEM VOSS, OWNER OF THE GERMAN COMPANY VOSSCHEMIE. MARC AND CLAUDIA, REMI’S CHILDREN, TOOK OVER IN 2009. TO THIS DAY, WE ARE STILL A GENUINE AND SOLID FAMILY BUSINESS.

Our DNA: the creation of innovative composites for professionals and do-ityourselfers The DNA of our family and our company is the creation of innovative plastics. From thinking up brand new composite solutions to making them. We were born for this. In the meantime, we can boast more than 50 years of experience and know-how.

By the way, did you know that we offer the most complete range of cold-curing plastics and composites in the Benelux? We are very proud of that! With our products we support countless do-it-yourselfers and professionals.

Resin solutions for all industries and sectors Across all sectors and industries. We offer a range of composite solutions for the construction sector, the artistic world, the maritime sector, transport companies, the agricultural sector, the medical world, etc. We offer the most suitable composite solution for every project, however big or small, however complex or simple.

Our versatility is our strength: we offer the right solution for every problem. Often available from stock. And if we do not have your solution in stock, then we will help you find the right solution. For our professionals, we even formulate custom-made plastics.

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From resin for your swimming pool renovation to resins for decor builders We offer the right solution for all kinds of needs. We have the ideal solution in-house for repairing your guttering, renovating your swimming pool, sprucing up your river table, making fibre-reinforcing parts in composites for vehicles, moulds and replicas, lightweight materials for the orthopedic sector, resins for decor builders and artists.

Today it is time for a new chapter in our story

Marc De Moor, Sales and Technical Director Vosschemie Benelux & V-Sure

Picture by Johan Cusseneers

Why that name? With the ‘V’ we keep the strong connection with Vosschemie. The ‘Sure’ stands for the certainty of our qualitative solutions. So we keep what we already stand for and at the same time add new accents.

Picture by Johan Cusseneers

Today we start writing a new chapter in our story. We remain in our DNA Vosschemie Benelux. In name we now become V-Sure.

Claudia De Moor, HR & Finance Manager, Vosschemie Benelux & V-Sure

We will continue to distribute Vosschemie products in the Benelux. We are expanding this range with all V-Sure solutions.

In recent years, we have already developed many products under the V-Sure brand name, and this will increase significantly in the future.

more information or personally visit our experience centre before you decide to buy. Or you can follow a workshop with us as a do-it-yourselfer or as an entrepreneur. Alternatively we can also tailor a workshop for your company.

A chemistry with nature Innovation with V-Sure Composite solutions We have always been committed to innovation and we will continue to do so. Solutions tailored to companies in various sectors and to the small do-ityourselfer. We go along with what you, our customer want and are looking for.

Webshop and workshops This personal approach is also reflected in our webshop and our training courses. Because our webshop is not like other webshops. You can call us for

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V-Sure also stands for even more sustainability and ecological solutions. Composites are in themselves examples of sustainability because you can keep using them and repairing them. Our solutions also often serve to repair materials and keep them in use for as long as possible.

Vosschemie – V-SURE Tel: +32 3 489 28 28 Email: hallo@v-sure.eu Vosschemie Benelux vsurebyvosschemie vosschemiebenelux

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

INNOVATION CENTER 110

O P E N M A N U FA C T U R I N G C A M P U S

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.” – DIANE VON FUSTENBERG

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OPEN INNOVATION: THE WAY TO PRODUCE LOCALLY

Marc Corthout, Open Manufacturing Campus Marc is a passionate engineer who has been active for more than 40 years in first-of-a-kind product development from the first multi-media computers to DVD recorders to smartphone chipsets and EUV light sources for the newest chip making machines of ASML. Marc spent most of his international career in The Netherlands at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven.

O P E N M A N U FA C T U R I N G C A M P U S

“The evolution of digital technology and the resulting exponential complexity increase in the products that we use all the time, also affects production technologies deeply and requires close cooperation between many companies, each delivering their unique process technology and modules. At the same time Industry 4.0 and the innovation towards product personalization - up to production lot sizes of 1 - and product servitization - where the producer remains the owner of their products during their full lifetime – and are bringing about the need for more local production and maintenance.

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Lier, city at the heart of the Mechelen-Kempen region

To solve these extremely complex puzzles timeously, companies need to innovate and work together closely based on mutual trust. By sharing their problems and helping each other in solving the issues in an atmosphere of open innovation, working solutions can be created in the shortest possible timeframe and further improve continuously.

After having experienced this open innovation in research and development in practice at the HTC in Eindhoven, I was convinced that this was and is the way to go - also between engineering and manufacturing companies - to enable more and more local production.

Therefore I immediately accepted the challenge to build an Open

Manufacturing Campus OMC at Turnhout and a related ecosystem on and around the premises of Philips Lighting (now Signify), while their activity would gradually decline in parallel.

After renovating two large production halls, opened in 2015, more than 20 companies work together at OMC around themes like 3D printing and Renewable energy systems, as you can read on the following pages.

Time to start the construction of a new space to keep innovation going at an even larger scale, next to the highway, half an hour’s drive from both Antwerp and Eindhoven and always open to welcome visitors!”

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3D PRINTING @ OMC LUXEXCEL

The pioneer in 3D printed lenses, owns unique UV curing inkjet technology for printing ophthalmic lenses. By using this technology new smart glasses can be developed with embedded filters, sensors, displays and waveguides integrated in the lens.

We provide the best of both worlds: prescription powers and smart tech, in a single eyewear lens that forms the basis for the new generation of personalized and fashionable AR glasses.

Recently we received the prestigious PRISM award at the SPIE Photonics conference in the augmented reality category, the technical Oscar for our innovation.

SIGNIFY 3D PRINTING Mass-market, on-demand tailored luminaires that can be recycled. Sounds too good to be true? It’s not.

Signify enables customers to custom-design or tailor their luminaires. We then 3D print and deliver a quality product, fast. Our service saves on time, energy, waste in manufacturing, packaging and transportation.

3D printing paves the way for more innovative designs with more complex shapes and colors. These are available digitally for on-demand production and stored to allow easy modification and adaptation.

What’s more, all our 3D printed Philips luminaires are recyclable, specifically designed for a Circular Economy.

Our factory at OMC is one of the biggest 3D printing facilities in Europe.

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SADECHAF Adhesive technology at the highest level: Sadechaf develops and manufactures high tech adhesives and resins and we deliver them to production facilities worldwide. Our products are used in a wide variety of applications, ranging from 3D stereolithography to micro dots in optical sensors.

“Finding a perfect adhesive for your application in meetings from Technician to Technician, and this for a competitive price, this is our challenge every day”.

40 years of expertise in UV and UV LED Curing Technology: Sadechaf also selects, installs and maintains for its customers the right UV system suited to their needs. Our extensive maintenance services and range of lamps and spare parts of the most renowned UV manufacturers secure the efficiency and continuity of your operation.

Since 2018 a proud member of OMC: Being surrounded by other companies who are speaking the same language enhances the individual capabilities of the OMC participants.

ABSOLEM As a high-tech engineering company Absolem thrives in the OMC ecosystem. With our expertise in R&D, engineering, prototyping and machine building we quickly were able to partner with several other companies based at OMC. Just a few examples: our laserlab creates leak test samples for eyetec, our conceptual designers work with Luxexcel to develop prototypes of new machines and our engineering center creates parts and small units for Classified Cycling. The partnership with Signify was a given, as they represent the roots of Absolem. We have done several large projects together and are their preferred partner for engineering consultancy.

Other companies like Cartamundi (machine development) and Ergotrics (marking) have become regular visitors at our engineering center as well.

We are glad we can help invent, develop, build and innovate their products or production environments. And at the same time they continuously help us question and innovate our own technologies and processes. This form of innovation and co-creation certainly would not have been possible outside of the OMC ecosystem.

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ENERGY @ OMC WATERSTOFNET

WaterstofNet is a knowledge and collaboration platform, initiating and realizing sustainable hydrogen projects in Flanders and the Netherlands. It unites the hydrogen industry in Benelux, with the center of gravity in Flanders, and coordinates a regional hydrogen ecosystem (Waterstof Industrie Cluster) of over 120 companies.

WaterstofNet is also coordinator/ partner in over 20 hydrogen projects on various topics such as transport, import, ports, hydrogen backbone, built environment, research programmes, etc… This results in a lot of hands on experience in the field. Moreover WaterstofNet is the preferred partner of the Flemish government and is working closely together with the governments in Belgium, Netherlands, and Benelux.

And is directly connected with the major authorities on hydrogen in Europe.

WaterstofNet also draws up roadmaps and hydrogen studies for companies.

It disseminates knowledge about hydrogen by organizing a ‘Hydrogen Academy’ and dedicated workshops and conferences.

SOLENCO POWER ENDLESS RENEWABLE ENERGY Solenco Power NV is a fast growing Belgian SME innovator in the field of cleantech and specializes in hydrogen energy storage systems for residential, commercial and industrial installations.

Founded in 2015 by Dr. Hugo Vandenborre, a well-recognized hydrogen pioneer, and with a team with +50 years of experience in the hydrogen sector, Solenco Power is committed to the decarbonization of the energy sector.

Two products have been tested in the field and are now ready for commercial roll out: Powerbox® and Powerhub®. Both are based on a patented reversible fuel cell concept, so that renewable energy from solar or wind can be stored for days, weeks or months and later on be used for electricity production and heat.

Renewable energy storage based on hydrogen becomes a service to balance or compensate the mismatch between periods of generation and load.

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MEDTECH @ OMC ERGOTRICS

Is a Med-Tech company specialized in positioning and moving patients with compressed air. We design and produce inflatable medical devices, which allow for the optimal positioning of patients in hospitals, with special attention to ease of use and hygiene. By using compressed air instead of manual force, we want to provide better support for patients without the ergonomic burden for the healthcare worker in the Operating Room as well as the Intensive Care Unit.

Ergotrics has three published patents in Europe and two in the USA. Our products are sold in more than 18 countries worldwide and have won several prizes. Most recently, our Morphemat won the Business Innovation award in the prestigious Henry van de Velde competition. The Morphemat is an inflatable mat that helps caregivers in Intensive Care to tilt patients into alternating positions ergonomically and quickly. The Morphemat replaces the manpower of two to four nurses.

DEKIMO Dekimo is a service provider in electronics, mechatronics and software, employing more than 400 engineers in 18 offices in Europe. The Dekimo Turnhout office is located on the Open Manufacturing Campus after it acquired a former R&D branch of Leclanché SA and has now become Dekimo’s knowledge centre for battery systems. Dekimo is active in the development and manufacturing of a plethora of smart energy applications and has designed a new V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) charger, for example.

The charger is bidirectional, which means it can convert AC to DC power and back. The V2G charger is able to charge the battery of electric vehicles and, if needed, to also transfer power from the battery of the vehicle to the grid.

Initiatives like the V2G charger help to improve the stability of the grid and make the grid smarter and more efficient.

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MINDS ARE LIKE PARACHUTES, THEY ONLY FUNCTION WHEN OPEN.”

– THOMAS DEWAR

CHAPTER TWELVE

PRODUCT INNOVATIONS 118

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ABSOLEM - ENGINEERING DONE DIFFERENT HIGH-TECH ENGINEERING WITH A HUMAN TOUCH When you ask an engineering company to present itself, chances are that they’ll only talk about impressive technical skills, an innovative approach, great use cases, technological experience, etc. And while those are very important, one thing is often overlooked. The people working at the company. We value those people above all. We are Absolem, we dare to be different.

A human centric approach…

It is always people who give meaning to your life, to your job, to your company.

What is a company more than a collection of talented people? That is why we have always kept one thing in mind from the start of Absolem in 2010: we put people first. Our employees, our customers and our partners.

Every day we opt for an approach in which people are central. And we don’t just say it, we do it. At every level. We are a healthy and continuously growing company, but more importantly, our employees tell us that they have a job that gives meaning to their lives. And our customers and partners are happy that they are not just a number in a system.

Our approach works, and we’d love to show it to you.

And of course technical skills, knowledge and expertise Combining that human centric approach with technical skills, knowledge and expertise is where our real strength lies.

It’s what makes us different. We can help you with challenges that are best solved with innovative engineering. From C to P. From concept to production.

We can offer solutions or help you with laser technology, mechanical and electric engineering, (prototype) machine building, process development and research, sample production and industrial digitalisation (virtualization, data science, AR and VR).

Bruno Dejaeghere and Ank De Wilde, CEO’s of Absolem

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Four aces up our sleeve Even in the way we deliver that offering we differ from traditional engineering companies. Because we choose to focus on your challenges and offer the solution that is the best fit to solve it. Be it an engineer (we’ve got 60+ experienced engineers) that we detach to your offices for a certain project or period, be it a solution that we help conceive, design, create or optimalise in our own engineering centre, be it ad hoc engineering consultancy or project management.

Those are the four aces we have up our sleeve: we can offer you engineers (project sourcing), an innovative engineering centre (with a word class laser lab), industrial digitalisation expertise and engineering consultancy combined with project management.

What do we want you to remember about us?

That we dare to be different. That we put people first. That we’ve got an extensive offering and can help you with all your engineering challenges, from concept to production.

That we are a solid bet as your preferred engineering partner.

Let’s talk over a cup of coffee (or tea). Don’t hesitate to send us a mail or give us a call. We like it when people say hi.

Tel: +32 15 29 42 45 Email: sales@absolem.be

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PCB SOLUTIONS: PROTOTYPING & MORE

A VAGUE IDEA TO AN OPERATIONAL PCB

PCB Solutions is a Geel-based company, specialized in PCB-prototyping and assembly.

A PCB or printed circuit board contains all sorts of different electronic components that are connected through copper tracks, also called rails.

On these print boards the components are placed through which they can execute certain functions. PCBs are found in electronical devices and machines, computers, etc.

PCB Solutions supports companies in the most diverse sectors in designing, producing and repairing print boards.

Design, repair or total project? The customer will find a tailor-made solution here.

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THINKING ALONG

PCB Solutions is mainly in charge of total projects. Most customers therefore come to us with the proverbial blank page.

– You need a technical solution, but you don’t see a starting point for a working concept.

– You have a great idea, but you can’t quite get the concept clear.

– In theory your idea is genius, but you bump into technical issues upon implementation.

authentic products of impeccable quality, catering to specific needs and desires.

– Multiple ways of contact so everyone can choose the channel that works best for them.

– Sudden issues or last-minute alterations in your planning or product? They’ll do their utmost best for a quick and suitable solution.

LOW-VOLUME AND ON-DEMAND ORDERS

Because the product needs to meet the correct standards.

A print board is a crucial component of a qualitative, safe and reliable product that the customer brings to market. Nothing can be left to coincidence.

Isn’t that responsibility entirely on the customer’s side?

Low-volume prints are necessary for test procedures or small-time projects. It’s often no simple task to choose the right partner that can provide these low-volume prints.

No! It’s our shared responsibility, because we are a team!

Our technician and the customer sit around the table to join forces and share knowledge.

PCB Solutions processes anywhere from 1 to 1.000 prints.

Are the controls of a machine failing?

In a more advanced phase, and upon the customer’s request, the PCB Solutions team shares their expertise to further optimise the product.

A sudden need for a higher volume? No worries.

Producing on-demand is an often-requested service. It has numerous advantages: – PCB Solutions quickly and easily adapts to the customer’s demands.

– The customer has no excess stock.

– The customer’s costs are spread since the entire lot isn’t delivered in one run.

– This way of working reduces costs of production since materials are purchased for the entire on-demand order at once.

ACCESSIBLE AND PERSONAL PCB Solutions is an SME with a family atmosphere.

Katrin De Preter heads the company as the general manager. Rudy Ruts, her husband, is the operations manager that leads the technical crew.

The procedure within the company adheres to the following characteristics: – PCB Solutions has a horizontal company structure, so customers can always refer to the same point of contact regarding a certain expertise.

– A multidisciplinary team listens to the customer and their story. In doing so, they can provide in the required tailormade solutions, exactly how the customer demands it. No run-of-the-mill solutions, but

PRE-VERIFICATION Take everything for granted? Implementing without thinking?

Sorry; that’s not the way forward at PCB Solutions. While they don’t judge certain arrangements, they will contact the consumer when they notice things that may cause conflicts.

Why go through all that trouble?

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REPAIRS Do you as a wholesaler often have recurring (wear and tear) failures on your products’ printing boards?

Do you want to offer your customers a sustainable solution rather than selling them a new PCB? In both cases PCB Solutions is there to resolve your issues. For repetitive repair orders we build test rigs to guarantee the quality of repairs.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Have a look at our website, send us an email or swing by our office. The entire team is ready to give you a warm welcome and listen to your story. Together they’ll figure out how to lift your product to the next level.

Email: info@pcbsolutions.be

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Q-LITE

THE SMARTEST KIND OF ATTENTION Q-lite is specialised in designing, producing and maintaining digital information systems and the accompanying software. Their wide product range includes pharmacy crosses, the zone-30 traffic signs that slow you down, the digital scoreboard of your favourite football team, transparent LED screens and parking guidance systems for cars and bicycles from Amsterdam to Antwerp and Paris.

Guus van Puijenbroek (CEO VP Capital) & Jeroen Raeijmaekers (Sustainability Manager Q-lite) talking about implementing the ESG strategy from VP Capital in Q-lite

Q-lite is everywhere More than 40,000 operational digital displays in Western Europe are guiding and informing you through life. The customized solutions in a broad range of markets from Sports to Mobility, Industry, Retail and Advertising are a strong foundation for stable growth.

Growth through focus and partnerships From its founding, Q-lite had a strong focus on quality, service and innovation. In the last few years, main shareholders VP Capital brought in an extra focus: developing solutions that improve our living environment. This resulted in a broad range of new solutions and partnerships. With the ultimate goal to become a frontrunner in ESG (Environment, Social and Governance).

Driven by innovation & sustainability CEO Dirk Geenen receiving the Innovation Award

In 2020 Q-lite received an innovation award from Belgium’s largest employers’ organisation.

The jury praised Q-lite for the way it ensures innovation: “The company goes beyond product innovation. They also link a social innovation to it. For example, they make digital traffic signs that – if you drive too fast – do not register a fine, but rather reward good drivers and the community. If you stick to the speed limit, it will make a small donation to a charity. That is entrepreneurship at its finest.”

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Circular transition Q-lite is transforming its business model from a linear one towards a circular one. More than 20% of the order intake comes from circular solutions. What does this mean?

1. Durable design The first step is a sustainable modular design with materials that have a long lifespan and can be reused in the chain. The parts keep their value because they are not contaminated with other materials. The entire design is built with a screw and click system making it easy to separate materials for reuse or recycling.

2. Sustainable materials and information The materials Q-lite purchases contain recycled raw materials as much as possible. For example, the aluminium used contains 80% recycled aluminium. It is remelted in The Netherlands in their local factory that runs on 100% green electricity. In order to share information in a transparent way, Q-lite is working on product passports for its standard products.

3. Display as a Service The ‘Display as a Service’ model is a circular business model. Q-lite retains ownership of a display and installs it at the customer for a period of 7–15 years (depending on the contract) for an annual service fee.

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The model is all-encompassing: installation, service, dismantling and sometimes even electricity is included.

4. Long Life Due to the modular design, the displays are easy to maintain, upgrade and disassemble. Q-lite does not only extend the lifetime of the displays from 10 years to 15 years, but also keeps them up to date by upgrading the energy-efficiency and image quality.

5. Smart maintenance With a cloud application, Q-lite can monitor the screens remotely. Because of this, a large part of the defects can be immediately remedied from a distance.

When an intervention is nevertheless necessary, the diagnosis is usually already established in a way Q-lite can work very targeted.

6. Reuse and Recycling When the screen is End-of-life (EOL), Q-lite offers the option to retrieve the screen. Due to the modular design, the different raw materials can be easily separated from each other and recycled at a high level. It is also possible to upgrade the screen and put it back on the market.

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

PRODUCT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

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THE TRUE SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE IS NOT KNOWLEDGE BUT IMAGINATION.” – ALBERT EINSTEIN

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Specialised in bringing innovative ideas to market, we have a team of product designers, engineers, graphic & digital designers, as well as innovation consultants who are dedicated to mastering meaningful innovation challenges for both young businesses and larger corporates.

ACHILLES DESIGN First of all, we facilitate the entire innovation & development process from idea to market.

Thanks to our deep-rooted expertise in various design disciplines and our vast experience with suppliers and manufacturers, we can offer a complete one-stop service for businesses that want to grow through innovation. Very regularly, clients entrust us their very core product or service such that our input is crucial for our clients’ success.

Secondly, we are a self-steering company, which means that our team consists of highly empowered and autonomous, creative individuals who work great as a team.

Most decisions in our company are taken by consent. Operating in an extremely flat hierarchy, also towards our clients, we have no account managers but our clients talk directly to the people in charge of running projects for them.

“TO COMBINE SPEED AND QUALITY IN BOTH PRODUCT AND DESIGN IS A KEY FACTOR IN AN EVER-CHANGING MARKET. ACHILLES GETS THIS.” NICK HOREMANS, XEIKON / TECHNOLOGY LEADER-MECHANICS

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ACCOLADES Ellio – Henry van de Velde Public Choice award Ellio – Henry van de velde Gold ward Moonbird – IF award Iristick – Reddot award Over the years Achilles has been awarded with 12 IF award, five (5) reddot award and five (5) Henry Van de Velde awards.

Founded in 1994, Mechelen, Achilles Design started as a classical product design agency, founded by two designers (Koen Elsen & Jürgen Oskamp) whose passion it was to design ‘beautiful things’. The product design offering was quickly followed up by a branding service and over the years, Achilles Design added a Service offering and expanded its offices. Later on, it expanded into Engineering, Digital and Innovation Design. After surpassing a staff level of 40 employees, hiring a CEO (Axel Funhoff) - who subsequently also orchestrated a capital increase for Achilles Design in order to accelerate the firm’s growth - it was clear that Achilles had grown into the company that it is today.

Besix – Clean Air (media) (case) Moonbird (media) (case) Iristick (media) (case) Colruyt Group (media)(pressrelease) Ellio (media) (case) Harol (media) (case) Active participations in student programs (Universiteit Antwerpen & Thomas More Mechelen)

Borchstraat 30, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium Tel: +32 15 410272 Email: hello@achilles.be

achilles.be Wherever suitable, we help startups reach fundability, before we begin with an industry-style product development. Our core competency lays in the mastery of the entire development process: from ideation to implementation and to industrialization.

At Achilles Design, we like to call us ‘general contractor’ for all kinds of design & innovation challenges. When it comes to helping our clients to develop a business idea into a market-ready solution, we are really a one-stop-shop.

In short, we offer Product & Engineering, Branding, Innovation & Service and Digital services – literally everything that companies need to offering a concrete value proposition.

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FROM IDEA TO REALIZATION VOXDALE IS GEARED TO DELIVER MEANINGFUL AND INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS USING A LEAN AND ALLIED APPROACH

Idevax VAX-ID

TAITO electric scooter

Voxdale is an engineering services and product design firm headquartered in Antwerp which is ready to accelerate your hardware product. We’re equipped with a full prototyping shop, engineering simulations experts, and a team of 30+ engineers and product designers to realize your team’s goals. Our breadth allows us to innovate in ways that internal teams sometimes struggle with, and we can help you translate that back to your team.

Founded in 2007, we have more than a thousand projects turning ideas into functional, real-world products. As your trusted engineering and design partner, we know how to make things that work, and work well. We’ll make sure you know your product inside and out, communicating all of our challenges and successes as we develop your vision. Whether a medical device, an e-scooter, or a power-saving dongle, our product designers, engineers, and certification specialists can put together a rockstar product from your vision.

Our diverse team brings together an exceptional and broad range of technical and creative talent to amplify each other, with experts in mechanical engineering, product design, electrical engineering, IoT and embedded systems, fluid and thermal simulations, rapid prototyping, design for manufacture, supply chain management, intellectual property, and project management. Our breadth is our superpower, enabling us to truly innovate outside the box.

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You might have seen our work around Flanders, whether the Albert’s Smoothie Machine or The Taito, a smart e-scooter. Chances are good you’ve used or know someone who’s used the June dongle on their smart electric meter, or maybe you or a family member have used the Colli-Pee from Novosanis. The point is: you’ve almost certainly seen Voxdale’s excellent work around town.

FASTER FORWARD

Tim Dieryckx, CEO

Voxdale takes on big challenges and produces exceptional products in a variety of industries - medical, industrial, mobility, foodtech, and more. We augment your rapid innovation with simulation to iterate designs more quickly than competitors. It doesn’t stop there - with a talented prototyping team, we can build our designs, from proof of concept to final product. This lets us derisk our designs and keeps production costs down from the very beginning. We’re with you for the whole journey, from concept to product.

TOGETHER How would this collaboration look to you?

Well, we’d start with a call to discuss your idea. From there, we’d design a workshop to get our engineers up to speed on your project so we can get moving as quickly as possible to build your product. We’d dive in, designing the architecture and the aesthetics of the device, checking in with you frequently to make sure you liked the direction we were headed.

Next, we’d create functional prototypes to demonstrate your new technology. To speed ourselves up, we might choose to create a digital twin - a simulation - of your product so we more deeply understand it. We’ll produce a functional, attractive prototype. From there, you can sit back as we take the product through the certification process and into production We call this the Voxdale Method, and it’s served us well for 15 years of incredible product development.

Microfluidics Simulations

A glimpse of Voxdale’s team

Reach out when you’re ready to realize your dreams!

Voxdale Bijkhoevelaan 32c 2110 Wijnegem Belgium Tel: +32 3 226 83 10

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VITO

VISION ON TECHNOLOGY FOR A BETTER WORLD VITO is a leading international research centre. We focus on applied research and advice, bridging the gap between fundamental research and the industry.

We accelerate the transition to a sustainable world; we provide knowledge and technological innovations that facilitate this transition to a more sustainable society. We de-risk innovation for businesses and we strengthen the economic and societal fabric of Flanders, with interdisciplinary research and large-scale pilot installations. We do this in the field of energy, chemistry, materials, health technology and land use.

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Every day, researchers at VITO work on ground-breaking technology solutions that help companies and policymakers find answers to the enormous challenges we face. Creative, innovative solutions based on a unique systemic approach. In this way, we open up new horizons and deliver greater impact.

We don’t do this on our own. In today’s networked society, VITO fulfills its role as a connector like no other. Every day, we actively contribute to cross-pollination between companies, knowledge institutions, governments and citizens. The possibilities are endless. We integrate knowledge from different domains, across national borders. We are an international and multidisciplinary organisation that responds quickly to new challenges. In this way, we create shared value for people, companies and society.

VITO is a pacesetter in the transition to sustainability for companies and government. We advise and assist them in their search for workable solutions around the issues of today and tomorrow. Because only resilient organisations that think ahead and dare go off the beaten path will survive in the long term.

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3DCADWORKS TOP -SHELF INNOVATION

OUR GOAL Our goal is helping companies to solve their mechanical challenges.

Our innovation culture, eye for detail and focus on quality is what attracts customers such as Total, CNH, DEME, ArcelorMittal or Pfizer.

From the moment a customer submits a problem to us, he feels the eagerness of our designers to create a unique and innovative solution.

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ENGINEERING All our employees share the same passion for building things, this allows us to increase the volume and velocity of new initiatives and, obviously, grow our business.

OUR HISTORY Patrick De Bie started some 20 years ago providing engineering and design solutions, in addition to his job as a heavy lifting engineer. In 2013 he decided to incorporate 3D Cadworks. Since then, the company evolved to a strong and versatile team of around 15 full-time engineers, product designers and technical draughtsmen and an extensive network of specialised freelancers, production companies and suppliers.

OUR FUTURE Next to constant technical and mechanical innovation, 3D Cadworks is also a leader in internal diversification based on its experience.

Indeed, the company has since divided itself into several companies, each dedicated to providing specific services to their customers.

In order to provide an even better service to our customers, 3DCadworks is evolving into a group of independent business units. Each business unit provides specific services and expertise.

Caden develops innovative mechanical solutions to solve the problems encountered by its customers in a wide range of industries: from pharmaceuticals and chemicals to heavy lifting and traditional mechanical engineering.

Next to design, often involving products that do not fall within the scope of traditional engineering, careful attention is given to the aesthetic appearance, user interaction, ergonomics, sustainability and experience.

A crucial part of a digital design process is a fully virtual 3D model of a physical object. Thanks to a digital twin, in a short time a part can be simplified, the weight reduced or a smarter and cheaper production process established.

Very often this results in physically building a prototype or the number one of a series. Exceptionally small series can be produced as well.

Careful attention is given to the aesthetic appearance, user interaction, ergonomics, sustainability and user experience. We achieve this through a digital design process based on a fully virtual 3D model of a physical object. This digital twin allows for smooth design reviews in close interactions with the customer, leading to simplified parts, weight reduction, smarter or cheaper production or easier maintenance.

TECHNICAL PRODUCTION Innovation is more than just theory. At Tepro, engineering becomes reality. The designs are being effectively produced and marketed. These state-of-the-art products can be one-offs for a specific customer or products that are offered to a wider public under the TEPRO brand. This allows us to share our innovations.

TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION Captis delivers a wide range of technical documentation, including CE directives, risk analysis, technical construction files, assembly instructions, etc.

We move from printed material to digital, incorporating augmented (AR) and virtual (VR) reality to create interactive 3D manuals and documentation that can be accessed on different devices. Through QR codes or AI based object recognition we provide live up-to-date data on parts, links to assembly instructions or ordering services.

CONFIGURATORS Yucon is a configurator platform to automate repetitive tasks in a design process, providing automatic CTO (Configure to order) or CPQ (Configure price-quality).

Through a simple interface, any employee can set a number of parameters of a product, leading to an automatically generated 3D model, workshop drawing, quotation, production file or other output.

ACADEMY aCADemy offers specialised SolidWorks training sessions. These sessions are offered in several modules such as BASIC SolidWorks for less experienced users, or ADVANCED SolidWorks for CAD professionals seeking a higher level of expertise. We also offer customised training sessions or 1-on-1 training, based on specific customer requests.

All our training courses are practice oriented, the acquired skills are thus immediately applicable in the work environment.

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BEDENK - INNOVATE FROM WITHIN LET YOUR EMPLOYEES BECOME THE ENGINE OF INNOVATION Why? The world around us is changing ever faster. At the same time innovation is no longer just about products or technology. It’s also about services, internal structure and processes, business models, and customer experience... Every aspect of how you do business, must be scrutinized.

Pieter Daelman, CEO and co-founder

Organizations have to keep up if they want to continue to play a significant role in the future. But many of them are struggling with this new speed.

If you want to innovate sustainably, everyone has to join you on this mission” From within So how can you respond to this as an organization? Pieter Daelman, CEO and co-founder, shares his vision: “The playing field has become so diverse that R&D alone can no longer provide a complete answer. Moreover, the new speed requires a much greater capacity and flexibility than only an r&d team can offer.”

“If you want to innovate sustainably, everyone has to join you on this mission. Every employee should constantly be thinking about what can be done differently within the organization. That also means that we need to work on a new culture: one where employees are encouraged to think along, take initiative and share their ideas. A culture of employee-driven innovation.”

We believe that the key to innovation sits on the inside of your organization, with your employees”

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The ROI of employee-driven innovation

We are an innovation agency specialized in employee-driven innovation.

We believe that the key to innovation sits on the inside of your organization, with your employees. That’s why we help organizations to work in a structured way towards a high-performance innovation culture.

Better and more ideas To fuel continuous innovation, you need a constant supply of quality ideas.

One team or a few individuals cannot do this alone. By activating the entire human capital of the organization, you will generate enough influx to be able to choose the right ones. After all, the more ideas you have, the greater the chance that there will be a few brilliant ones among them!

We do this on three levels: • Facilitating internal innovation projects • Training of innovation skills • Supervising the entire culture change trajectory, from assessment to implementation

Support for innovation 60% of all change and innovation projects fail due to a lack of internal support. If you want to break through this dynamic, you will have to put the employees themselves at the wheel. Let them think up and design the solutions themselves to streamline the organization. That way, you automatically create ambassadors for that necessary change. After all, these are their own ideas. And colleagues can convince each other much easier than if you try to do this from the top down.

Evidence based management Innovation, creativity and culture are very intangible concepts in a business context. Therefore, together with researchers from Ghent University, Erasmus University College (Brussels) and Karel de Grote University College (Antwerp), we developed the Cromax™ framework.

This framework summarizes 70 of the most recent scientific insights on innovation culture. It allows us to very accurately map out the maturity level of the organization in terms of innovation culture.

Employee engagement Finally, employee-driven innovation also increases employee engagement.

They feel seen, recognized and appreciated when they are allowed to help think about the future of the organization. Instead of any kind of bonus plan or team building, it’s better to ask your employees if you can borrow their brains for a while.

This way, we can design a tailor-made process to take the culture to the next level. Measuring is knowing right?

In times of war for talent, where ‘purpose’ is becoming increasingly important in the choice of employer, it is a unique advantage if you know how to empower your people by letting them help shape the future of the organization.

Instead of any kind of bonus plan or team building, it’s better to ask your employees if they want to lend their brains for a while”

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Email: info@bedenk.be

bedenk.be

IF YOU DON’T LIKE SOMETHING, CHANGE IT. IF YOU CAN’T CHANGE IT, CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT IT.”

– MARY ENGELBREIT

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

PRODUCTION PROCESS INNOVATION 138

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A DYNAMIC COMPANY FOCUSED ON ENGINEERING, AUTOMATION, INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICAL PROJECTS AND SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

GLOBAL NEW AUTOMATION (GNA) Each aspect of the company operates with a high degree of specialisation. Our core focuses are business automation, the automation of industrial production processes, tank registration, weighing software and container parks/the DiFtar system.

Our customers come to us for quality, flexibility, mutual trust and constant development. We listen to their proposals, evaluating and, if necessary, adjusting them to reach the optimal solution. Our slogan of ‘QUALITY FIRST’ is representative not just of our promise to use quality products, but to use innovative technology, modern development methods and a rigorous quality control system to ensure the highest standards.

We have been in business for 27 years now, growing into a team of 19 specialists.

We are unique in this industry by having direct contact with our customers. It’s a benefit of our small size, one that allows us to better gauge and respond to specific needs.

GNA was established as a home-based business in Kasterlee in 1994. In 2000, we were given the opportunity to buy business premises in Herentals where we completely renovated this building. It has been our workplace ever since, and will continue to be until the end of 2021, when we are moving to Tielen.

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Fabienne Verbeek, CEO, GNA

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OUR CUSTOMERS COME TO US FOR QUALITY, FLEXIBILITY, MUTUAL TRUST AND CONSTANT DEVELOPMENT

In the past, a financial buy-out proved to be a stumbling block, one we solved by setting up a more appropriate financial plan and it has put us back on track. In fact, our efforts and successes have resulted in a Trends Gazellen award, with our enormous growth and increase in turnover serving as the basis for our nomination.

GNA works with a top team with an average of 16 years of service, every team member has their specific responsibilities in the company which has resulted in a successful flat company structure. Part of the reason we work so well together is that we are highly social as a work group. We enjoy fresh, home-made soup and other treats every week, and go out to eat, with partners in tow a number of times a year.

Small efforts that keep the team together and functioning at the highest standards!

THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE KEEPING US BUSY AND EXCITED: 2020:

Purchase of new industrial land in Tielen; and

2021:

Establishing a new industrial building with low energy consumption.

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GEYSEN GROUP

BEST TCO ON THE MARKET: GEYSEN GROUP DEVELOPED A SPILLFREE (BULK) CONVEYOR BELT CALLED CLEAN CONVEYOR BELT (CCB) Traditional (open or closed) conveyor belts for bulk transport often deal with material spills.

These spills have a significant impact on the cost, productivity, safety and the overall production environment. Depending on the fractions transported, belts can stand still for cleaning, maintenance and repair up to 20% of the time. This results in a major frustration for operators and production managers in the industry.

To tackle these issues, Geysen Group developed a spill-free conveyor belt, specifically for bulk transport, known as the Clean Conveyor Belt (CCB).

Thanks to a patented design nothing is spilled above, under, beside or between the belt or the environment. This results in a clean, dust and dirtfree environment. CCB is not an ordinary solution or replacement for existing types of open or closed conveyor systems. It is a completely different and unique concept through its extensive engineering and innovative design (double strings) resulting in the best TCO on the market by:

• • • • •

Minimal cleaning hours A clean, safe and pleasant working environment Significantly lower maintenance Process stability Maximum productivity of your installation (maximum uptime and life span)

Today, when investing in conveyor belt systems, the purchase price of the concept (capex) appears to be the most important factor. However, it is more interesting to look at the total cost of ownership (TCO), where both the acquisition costs (capex) and the many costs that arise with use in the long term (opex) are considered.

To look at the TCO we had to think outside the box and challenge the traditional conveyor belt systems and their historic flaws. In partnership with the University of Antwerp we conducted a study to determine the current problems regarding conveyors systems. By asking the right questions and encounter the current market demand we could tackle all of the traditional challenges together with their root cause. In a later phase, the design of the

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concept was carefully developed, patented and also reviewed by market players and experts in their field resulting in a superior value proposition.

Geysen Group was founded 30 years ago by Alex Geysen. The HQ is located in Belgium (Westerlo) with several offices spread over Belgium. Initially Geysen started in the recycling business with maintenance and new projects, the company grew to 180 technicians today, who are all highly motivated with skilled technical profiles.

Geysen today has three main Business Units: 1. Geysen Industrial, the core business of the company is outsourcing our +/-180 technicians to a variety of technical and maintenance assignments.

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2. Geysen Academy, keep on educating internal and external profiles, the academy is fully equipped to educate people with the latest equipment/skills on the market.

3. Geysen Clean Conveyor Belt, is the only spill-free conveyor belt with patented design, which knows low-wear, no skewing, minimal maintenance and downtime.

CCB has a unique and patented design that ensures no loss of materials and spills, no disruption or skewing, less wear and tear, less maintenance and repairs required as there are fewer moving parts and thus results in increased productivity of your installation. This reflects to the best TCO on the market.

Vision for the future Geysen Group (CCB) is commercializing the Clean Conveyor Belt this year 2022 on to the (International) market. They are convinced to have an added value solution to compete with the traditional Conveyor Belt Systems and Redlers. We know that Clean Conveyor Belt (CCB) will be a game changer on the market with the best TCO.

Alex Geysen, Founder

Winner of the “BEMAS INNOVATION AWARD 2022” The jury found that the CCB innovation has a lot of added value in a broad field. “Geysen looked at a problem with an open mind and considered how they could solve it innovatively. Their good detection resulted in the smart solution that is implemented today. Here, we see expertise from Flanders that can be applied in a broad field. This conveyor belt can optimise the Total Cost of Ownership by reducing product losses, optimising uptime, increasing safety... And all that with an interesting ROI.”

Wim Prevenier BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (CCB)

In 2021 CCB had set up a R&D pilot project with Tessenderlo Kerley International, part of Tessenderlo Group. Here we tested the CCB in the most difficult environment we could find on the market (chemical / warm / sticky / reactive etc..).

+32 (0)14 56 42 70 +32 (0)499 69 43 80 wim@geysenccb.be Snelwegstraat 1A B-2260 Westerlo

There is also a practical installation where we can perform tests with your product. We kindly invite you to our real-life test set-up where we can introduce you to the benefits of our innovation.

geysen.be

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INNOVATION IS THE CALLING CARD OF THE FUTURE.” – ANNA ESHOO

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

DIGITAL INNOVATION 145

DISCOVER, CREATE, RESEARCH AND EVALUATE

THOMAS MORE EXPERIENCE HUB MAKES DIGITAL INNOVATION ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

The Experience Hub is the innovation and inspiration hotspot for AR and VR solutions and digital experiences, located at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in Mechelen and Antwerp.

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We are committed to meaningful digital innovation: no gimmicks, but solutions that really improve and add value for your organisation and clients.

Tailored to your needs, we combine our expertise in practice-based research, state-of-the-art infrastructure, cuttingedge technologies and a strong network of partners. Innovation, research and networking are our driving forces.

Come and find us at the Experience Hub and discover whether immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) or green key technology could provide a solution for your business.

1. Demonstration and inspiration space In the Experience Hub, you can discover the latest AR and VR technology and get inspired by concrete successful examples of innovative digital applications within sectors as diverse as media and entertainment, health and care, education and training, tourism and recreation, logistics and retail.

You, your employees and clients can experience the potential of AR, VR and other digital solutions first-hand by trying them out in our demonstration and inspiration space.

2. Research and expertise lab Building on our practice-oriented research expertise with AR, VR and other digital applications, we can inform the development of new solutions, evaluate them and guide implementation. Together, we can co-create use cases, proof-of-concepts and even new business models, using a design thinking methodology, in an inspiring environment.

When we test the experience of digital applications, we use a mixed methods approach tailored to your questions. We formulate evidence-based, independent and actionable recommendations for improvement, to ensure effective implementation.

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3. Innovation and learning network Through our broad network of reliable companies and organisations, we help you find the right partner(s) to develop your new concept and bring it to life.

We offer training and workshops to share our know-how with the field and provide independent advice on the most effective technology, partners or content for your specific challenge.

Dieter Struyf Research Manager Creative & Innovative Business Thomas More dieter.struyf@thomasmore.be

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ARCO INFORMATION

OPTIMISING DOCUMENT DIGITALISATION

Across the enterprise arena, digitalisation has empowered accounting and budgeting teams to view their information in an all-new light. From billing automation and procurement to legal signings and contract management, computational products have changed the way firms engage with customers.

As information across digital channels continues to create a buzz in the business world, the elimination of paper-based operations takes the spotlight, paving the way for a much needed digital renaissance. One among the pioneers riding this wave of digitalisation is Arco Information.

The digital paperflow company archives multiple input domains for clients in a legal and compliant manner, all the while adhering to regulatory standards such as GDPR. Arco Information delivers solutions that enhance a client’s communication processes and facilitates the unhindered flow of bills electronically. The digital paperflow provider has worked on approval workflows for many types of business documents and is backed by a workforce that has accumulated two decades of experience and expertise in the enterprise setting.

Paul Van Coillie, CEO and founder at Arco Information, shares his thoughts on the challenges faced by firms while deploying e-invoicing solutions. He touches upon the optimal methodology through which such business hindrances can be managed and mitigated using Arco’s E-invoicing Management Systems and Services.

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Mister Paul Van Coillie, Founder and CEO of Arco Information shared information that our users can leverage to understand all the necessary procedures required to run electronic communication systems efficiently.

We have a cloud-based systems approach, and our platform can handle inbound and outbound billing processes with various connectors such as Doccle, POM, PEPPOL, Coda and more. Onpremise solutions are also a possibility.

What does the future hold for Arco Information?

From day one, our Capture as a Service (CaaS) platform gives clients digital documentation that is fully automated. We always discuss the solution we can create with the prospective client to see how our contribution can help them in the best way possible and make their work-life better through digitalisation.

What are some of the challenges currently prevailing in the deployment of E-invoicing solutions?

As firms continue to move away from paperbacked processes and embrace more modern digital frameworks, one department that finds it particularly hard to adapt to these changes is accounting. Professionals in this sector have utilised simple reasoning and legacy systems for all processes ranging from billing to contract management for too long, rendering them sceptical about changing their ways of operation.

Another challenge for the finance officers is finding a suitable format/template for outbound bills that need to be sent to customers during e-invoicing processes. This problem magnifies while convincing suppliers to provide standard forms for invoices.

How can prospective clients utilise Arco’s solutions to identify and mitigate these problems?

We work with every type of customer, irrespective of the size of their organisation. By doing so, we can create a massive network of

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The aim at Arco Information NV is to create business workflows that ensure a wellbalanced work ethic for our clients while sufficing their digital requirements.

Arco Information NV. Oscar Van Kesbeeckstraat 1 B – 2800 Mechelen Tel: +32 15 289030 Email: info@arco.be

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CROWDSCAN

FROM TOMORROWLAND TO THE BUSIEST SUBWAY STATIONS OF THE WORLD. THIS UNIQUE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY IS READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD OF CROWD ANALYTICS.

We believe that crowds can be accurately and precisely measured while respecting the privacy of the individual.”

BEN BELLEKENS CEO, CROWDSCAN

Worldwide evolutions and events show that monitoring and managing crowds has become crucial. Just think of increasing urbanisation, the rise of mega-events and the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the same time, there is a growing concern for privacy, resulting in ethical debates and, ultimately, appropriate legislation. CrowdScan balances both.

CrowdScan originated at the University of Antwerp and the Belgian R&D hub imec and took off in 2020. The company provides a wireless crowd density system that predicts size and density of large crowds. This information can be highly valuable for large-scale event organizers, public transportation companies and cities.

But this innovative start-up offers much more than a unique solution for counting and monitoring people. Thanks to its highly accurate and real-time data dashboards, customers can make smarter decisions and fine-tune policies where needed.

CROWD SCAN THE FUTURE OF CROWD ANALYTICS

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The world famous dance festival Tomorrowland uses the technology of CrowdScan

Kicking off at Tomorrowland festival CrowdScan’s unique sensor technology was invented by three academic researchers: Ben Bellekens, Stijn Denis and Maarten Weyn. At the world famous dance festival Tomorrowland they were allowed to test the technology on a large scale. “We had equipped the Freedom Stage and the VIP area with our sensors, so we could analyze the size of the crowd and compare it with the organization’s own counts and cameras. Our sensors worked, and with the permanent real-time monitoring, we discovered that we had a unique security solution on our hands”, says Ben Bellekens who is now CrowdScan’s CEO. With Anton Dierickx, who previously worked for the Antwerp Police department, the fourth founder came in. As he was managing the safety of big city events, his field experience was crucial. “He immediately saw the added value of our application,” Bellekens explains, “especially when it comes to safety.”

CrowdScan’s team is ready to grow steadily from start-up to scale-up in preventing potential lethal accidents.

Conventional crowd monitoring systems often rely on a computer vision approach. Also, other technologies like smartphone, GPS and Bluetooth have been proposed for estimation of crowd location, density, and dynamics during major events. These existing techniques may raise data privacy concerns and might become obsolete with the emerging data privacy laws.

Ben Bellekens states: “Our measurement methodology does not make use of camera images and operates entirely in a device-free manner in which the influence of the physical presence of human individuals on low-energy radio frequency signals in the environment is used. Using this approach, it is impossible to determine the identity of individual crowd members, which therefore results in a system that is inherently privacy-conscious.”

Privacy-conscious CrowdScan’s system is capable of detecting critical situations in which dangerously large amounts of people are present. Needless to say that this is indeed extremely valuable

Over the last five years, experiments have been performed in real-life large-scale environments containing thousands of human individuals and they indicate that the system can obtain very high crowd size estimation accuracy, with median errors ranging between 5% and 10%.

The combination of a gateway with sensors ensures accurate measurement and real-time processing, tailored to each situation and location.

The sensor nodes with which (a part of) the magic happens. These battery powered devices can be installed in a very flexible way.

CrowdScan is the first and only company to use sensors and radio frequencies to measure crowd density

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Added value for public transportation In 2021, in order to realize an investment round, the founding team had to rethink which markets were useful. An exercise that paid off, because in June 2021 the company was able to successfully finalize its first investment round.

“We discovered that our technology also offers a lot of advantages for the public transportation market. Avoidance of crowding situations in stations is crucial to foster sustainable mobility and also improve daily operations”, says Bellekens. “The current video based systems do not allow to estimate the number of present people with sufficient accuracy, due to possible obstructions, clutter, and poor light or weather conditions, and involve high deployment costs in complex environments. Moreover, they require electrical power supply and may incur in privacy problems.”

In 2022, CrowdScan is ready to put maximum effort into finding the right partners to enter different markets. Various international tech magazines are writing about CrowdScan as a very promising internet-of-things solution.

Recently the 13th IoT Innovation World Cup® at HANNOVER MESSE named the company as one of the three top innovators in the category of smart cities.

CrowdScan Ben Bellekens Tel: +32 498 29 46 90 Email: info@crowdscan.be

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SKYEBASE

THE TOTAL SOLUTION FOR INDUSTRIAL DRONE INSPECTIONS SkyeBase unburdens each customer by ensuring maximum asset uptime with the deployment of innovative drone & data capture technology for industrial inspections and the use of artificial intelligence to generate actionable maintenance insights.

Founding SkyeBase was founded in 2020 by four passionate entrepreneurs – each broadly experienced in their specific fields of industrial business development, drone inspections, innovations (AI) and operations. Together they hold a straightforward objective: increase safety and uptime of critical infrastructure in the industry. Teamwork, sector knowledge, expertise and partnership are the central pillars in this success story.

Market During their market study they noticed that industrial inspections are often dangerous, incoherent and that the storage of data is organised in a decentral and diffuse way. In addition they learned that the uptime of critical assets is critical.

SkyeBase founders from the left to the right: Jean-Louis Weemaes (CEO), Tom Verstappen (CTO), Tom Daniëls (CIO) and Bart Daniëls (COO)

Aerial, water, land and fixed drone solutions

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For inspections SkyeBase uses various types of drones (air, water, land and fixed).

Their focus markets are petrochemicals, tank terminals, refineries, container terminals and infrastructure.

Drone Inspection Services

Drone inspections & asset inspection platforms

SkyeBase is VCA-Petro and ISO-9001:2015 certified and works according to the highest standards.

With the latest new drone technology, wall thickness and coating measurements on tanks, stacks, chimneys, pillars and piping are also possible in hard-to-reach places. This makes inspections faster, cheaper and safer.

Drone Inspection Services

I-SPECT – asset inspection platform

UT, EMAT wall thickness and DFT coating measurements

I-SPECT is the industrial asset inspection platform from SkyeBase where inspection data is centralized, visualized (2D/3D), analyzed and where integrations can be made with external Enterprise Asset Management platforms.

With the use of innovative technologies like artificial intelligence and digital twins, the end customers can get better, actionable insights on defect localization and evolution on their industrial infrastructure and make better maintenance decisions.

Asset specific inspection modules

Individual small drone pilot companies are often unable to offer the desired quality level and meet all aspects of the customer requirements. By carefully training and guiding these pilots in accordance with industrial standards, SkyeBase offers their clientele exactly what they need.

SkyeBase is developing a Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes and bridge inspection module for the I-SPECT platform with the help of a VLAIO subsidy. Asset specific inspection, risk and maintenance know-how for these assets is integrated into these individual modules. (For STS cranes in collaboration with SGS) The defect localization and evolution insights together with the optimized risk and maintenance suggestions will support the asset owners to make better maintenance decisions.

Air

Water

Land

Fix

Data capturing

+ Reporting

Defect classification and annotation

Actionable maintenance insights

www.skyebase.be

Testimonials

Today, there is no total inspection solution in the market to improve, speed up and make this process safer.

By applying their DT3 (Drone Technology, Data Technology, Digital Transformation) approach SkyeBase pushes the state-of-the-art forward in the industry.

Offering

Vision for the future

By offering both industrial drone inspection services and data analysis by using and developing digital platforms and artificial intelligence SkyeBase offers a total solution to the market. With one call a total robotic inspection solution can be provided, combined with a statutory inspection, if desired.

Industrial assets will become safer, more ecological, data-driven and more efficient through the deployment of high-technology robotic inspections, data technology and digital transformation.

Skyebase Email: info@skyebase.be The Beacon, Sint Pietersvliet 7, 2000 Antwerp skyebase-drone-inspection-services skyebasedrone skyebase

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MEDIA OFFICE AUDIO VISUAL FULL SERVICE

Founded in 1995, Media Office has evolved and grown into a System Integrator. Our aim is to offer our clients a ‘one-stop-shopping’ experience, where we design and integrate audio-visual solutions not only for meeting rooms and training classrooms, but for any area in your building.

Over the years, we have gained a lot of product knowledge and experience by developing innovative solutions within our sector and then integrating these into our projects.

By visiting international trade fairs, attending in-house and online training courses with manufacturers, and permanent market and product prospecting, we continue to increase our knowledge of audio-visual technologies every day.

For quite some time now, the integration and compatibility of IT and AV has been underway. As a progressive and leading company in the AV sector, we use this evolution to equip our installations as optimally as possible with the latest techniques.

Devices are also increasingly managed in the cloud.

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OUR ASSETS ONLY A-BRANDS OWN TECHNICIANS FUTURE PROOF INSTALLATIONS IN-HOUSE KNOWHOW 1 POINT OF CONTACT DURING THE WHOLE PROJECT The big advantage here is that any “problems” users experience can be solved quickly. It is no longer necessary to plan a physical intervention, because most user problems can be identified via the online user interface of the device concerned.

The transition to IT of various audio-visual techniques, such as microphones, audio processors, videoconferencing, cameras, video walls, signal distribution... allows us to manage and control each device meticulously. Due to the increasing complexity of applications and techniques in the modern conference room, the importance of a quality and stable control system is becoming increasingly crucial, if not indispensable.

When a (potential) client approaches us with a request for an audio-visual installation, we will first conduct an intake meeting to map out all current wishes/requirements, but also to understand all frustrations of the current system.

We always try to put together a quality system within a (possibly) predetermined budget, but will never deliver an audio-visual system that does not meet our minimum specifications. This is only to avoid future frustrations by the users.

Furthermore, we like to think along with our customer in a future-oriented way and therefore do not only provide a solution that meets the current needs, but is also expandable into the future when other needs arise.

Kristel Van den Brande

Our starting point: the entire installation must be intuitive to operate. In this way, the user

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can focus on his presentation and not on the technology he uses to do so.

Our target groups are very diverse: from SMEs to multinationals, government institutions, local authorities, non-profit sectors, etc. In short, any organization looking for an audio-visual solution in its meeting room, boardroom, council chamber, training room, multipurpose room, auditorium, etc.

Finally, we want to ‘unburden’ our customers by also offering onboarding. This includes registering the various components with the relevant manufacturers, so that the customer can benefit from an extension of the warranty, integrating the components into our customer’s network, and carrying out the settings of the devices according to the customer’s wishes, etc.

We would be happy to welcome you to our offices and demo room in Herentals (next to E313) to work out and implement your next audio-visual project with you.

MEDIA OFFICE N.V. Saffierstraat 5 unit 13 B-2200 HERENTALS BELGIË Tel: + 32 14 51 50 66 Email: info@media-office.be media-office-nv UCeeBoX2G2_H0Zv_Yfj-WypA

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WE ARE HELLO!

TELECOM PROVIDER AND CLOUD EXPERT IN ONE WITH THE MISSION TO LET YOUR EMPLOYEES WORK AND COMMUNICATE MORE PRODUCTIVELY

Koen Van Loon and Peter Batenburg co-owners As a licensed telecom provider, Hello is not dependent on other telecom operators to roll out cloud telephony. This in combination with the knowledge of Microsoft 365 and Teams and the strong focus on User Adoption, has made Hello a full partner in communication.

“We are talking more and more about unified communication. Whether you want to call a customer, streamline your company call flow, start a meeting with a colleague... with a device and be location independent. Then Hello offers the appropriate solution. We integrate all these things in Microsoft Teams through our own cloud telephony infrastructure.

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“The user is presented with a new way of working and communicating. It is therefore important that this new way of communicating is well coordinated with this target group.” Says Peter Batenburg, co-owner of Hello.

If you take the three major assets of Hello, Cloud Telephony - User Adoption - Meeting Rooms together, you get a unique offering that massively improves the way of communicating inside and outside the company.

For the user, this means: one platform to communicate with. For IT, one platform to manage.” Says Koen Van Loon, co-owner of Hello.

The in-house telecom infrastructure ensures that Hello has everything covered from start to finish and therefore is not dependent on a third party. This means one point of contact for all administration, support, adjustments that are requested, etc. Features that are a serious added value in a rapidly changing IT landscape.

Also the focus on user adoption distinguishes Hello from the traditional telecom and cloud players on the market.

Hello has from this change in journey made it a point of honor to lead in the best possible way for the end user.

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“The first impression you leave behind as a company is important. So is the first digital impression you leave behind. If someone calls your company and a crystal clear flow gets them to the right person, or if someone schedules an online meeting and you can start it from your conference room without a hitch, clearly understandable and with good video quality, then you are already more than halfway there!”

“So a first digital impression is not to be underestimated.” Concludes Koen Van Loon.

HELLO Rubensstraat 165 3rd floor 2300 Turnhout Tel: +32 14 94 65 16 Email: hello@hello.be

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KEMPUS:

A BRAND NEW INNOVATION CENTER VAN ROEY ICT GROUP

For the Van Roey ICT Group, this beautiful new building in Turnhout means much more than just an expansion of office space. Admittedly, this physical expansion was sorely needed, as the more than 180 employees made the current building increasingly crowded in recent years.

“This new building will not only offer us more space, but more importantly it will become a central knowledge center in the Kempen, where IT knowledge is developed and shared, and where customers and employees feel at home. A meeting place where new collaborations can be established and our offer as a service provider can grow even further”, says Managing Director Pat Van Roey.

A SMART BUILDING THAT REFLECTS THE IDENTITY OF THE COMPANY Rapid growth justified a move to the current site in Turnhout, where VanRoey. be became a landmark in the IT landscape.

Both staff and customers grew steadily and today over 180 employees serve thousands of professional customers.

WITH THIS SMART OFFICE BUILDING – DRENCHED IN ECOLOGIC & TECHNOLOGIC INNOVATION – WE’LL OFFER THE MOST ATTRACTIVE WORKPLACE IN BELGIUM” PAT VAN ROEY

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CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN WHICH EMPLOYEES FEEL AT HOME A lot of attention went into the atmosphere that the building exudes. People should feel at home, without experiencing any stress from the workplace itself. Those who want to isolate themselves to work in a concentrated manner can do so, but the architecture also encourages easy collaboration. An open landscape office isn’t for everyone, which is why numerous architectural innovations are used to find the right balance between privacy and teamwork.

VanRoey.be and Schellen Architects paid great attention to transparent architecture and a homely atmosphere. As a result, this project is not just another office building. Six of the eight levels are arranged in a creative way, with multifunctional spaces. In the office spaces you won’t encounter any columns, which enhances the spacious feeling. The utilities are cleverly housed in a central column and there are gigantic, open balconies around the entire building.

AN OPEN, 100% ENERGY-NEUTRAL BUILDING Among other things, photovoltaic sun blinds that capture solar energy and the use of geothermal energy – for both heating and cooling – make the tower an aesthetic and technological masterpiece, with respect for Mother Nature. Moreover, it will not only accommodate the VanRoey employees, but also customers, partners and other companies looking for infrastructure.

The top floor will be a multifunctional space including a cafeteria, a conference room and a large outdoor terrace. An additional basement floor will be set up as underground parking.

As a bicycle-friendly company, VanRoey.be will of course also provide spacious bike sheds, changing rooms and shower facilities.

continue to work together safely in this smart building, even during pandemics.

OPEN CAMPUS FOR MODERN BUSINESSES The building was sized for growth. As a result, there is also room for other companies to come and take up residence here. What we want to achieve is an open campus atmosphere where creative employees work together and inspire each other. Additional services, such as sports facilities, childcare… are part of the services to unburden employees.

VanRoey.be expects to occupy the Kempus building in early 2022. We’ll meet you there!

PANDEMIC-READY SMART BUILDING The extensive outdoor walkway, the maximum social distance (8m² of surface area per employee at full occupancy), the ultra-modern ventilation system that continuously replaces all the air in the building and the “Securegate access control” ensure that employees can

Tel: +32 14 470 600 Email: business@vanroey.be

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

LOGISTICS 160

SUCCESS DOES NOT CONSIST IN NEVER MAKING MISTAKES, BUT IN NEVER MAKING THE SAME ONE A SECOND TIME.” – GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

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PORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES BUILDING THE PORT OF THE FUTURE

Major challenges on energy transition, climate, mobility, and digital transformation are ahead of us and are closely linked to the activities of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, being the 2nd largest port in Europe and the 2nd largest integrated chemical cluster in the world. The recent merger between the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge will further strengthen the development of this economic powerhouse, certainly also towards becoming a major sustainable energy hub.

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Where innovation-with-a-purpose is a driver to enable the necessary transformations, Port of Antwerp-Bruges has been a frontrunner in the implementation of innovative ports solutions.

This is only possible in a cooperation model where Port of Antwerp-Bruges accelerates the development of innovative solutions by supporting several innovation hubs such as The Beacon; a platform where 100+ technology companies on Internet-of-Things (IOT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) meet, connect, collaborate and get inspired or Plug&Play Maritime Antwerp; an innovation platform focused on the maritime industry or NextGen Demo; a zone within NextGen District providing space and support to startups in sustainable chemistry, energy and circular economy.

Ports are busy hubs with a wide variety of activities. The development of new IOT-devices, smart cameras and radars allow a higher level

of automation in shipping. Port of AntwerpBruges has developed a first-ever fully automated depth sounding vessel, the Echodrone. Based on real-time AIS (Automatic Identification System) and radar information, the Echodrone navigates its way through the port smartly, autonomously and safely.

As an open innovation platform, Port of Antwerp-Bruges is developing a network of drones to ensure a safe port. Pioneering since 2018 with a wide range of solutions using drones, it’s the first port in the world which has a UTM (unmanned traffic management) system implemented to ensure efficient and safe use of drones by the various stakeholders in the port.

Automated drones are being deployed to survey the large port area on potential risks and provide real-time footage in case of incidents or oil spills or detect concentrations of floating debris. In the course of 2022 more than 500 drone flights a month will be performed to monitor, detect or inspect infrastructure and the port area.

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This is operated on a 5G network, so images can be streamed live to our command & control center.

As one of the leading ports in the world, Port of Antwerp-Bruges aspires to be the ‘Port of the Future’. It uses innovation as a lever to turn today’s major challenges such as energy transition, digitalisation and mobility into solutions. Through collaboration and the implementation of new technologies it continues to build on the sustainable growth of the port and make it more efficient, safe and smart.

Port of Antwerp-Bruges Port House Zaha Hadidplein 1 2030 Antwerp

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Logistics service provider ODTH First Class Logistics offers tailor-made, flexible logistics services with well-trained employees and global multimodal possibilities. All sites are easily accessible and the Willebroek location is adjacent to the Hutchison Ports Terminal, a trimodal container terminal with direct connections to the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. ODTH First Class Solutions works for a variety of customers active in sectors such as FMCG, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, dry food, steel & coil and high-quality goods.

WHERE PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY JOIN FORCES

The history of ODTH First Class Logistics goes back to 1978 when it was founder Jos De Wael started a small pallet business. Since, ODTH has become the reference in the RumstWillebroek-Mechelen area for high-quality logistics operating four (4) large warehousing and distribution sites.

Because we own all our warehouses and investment in IT and operational assets is part of our DNA, we can address each specific wish with our customer and come to an appropriate solution. Currently we are ensuring flawless goods handling for (inter)national players active in various sectors. We operate (conditioned) warehouses with low and high Seveso thresholds. In addition, we have a location equipped with gantry cranes specialised in heavy goods such as coils.

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Our innovative mindset in combination with stateof-the-art technology and agile, interactive services exceed our customer expectations every day.

We have a history of ambitious, innovative and award winning projects that have resulted in very agile and highly interactive services with secure real time data acces.

Through extended digitalisation and consequently, automation of handling processes, we achieve maximum efficiency. We work in the latest SAP environment and have fully integrated IoT and Artificial Intelligence to follow up on goods from truck arrival on to placement strategy in the warehouse racks.

For more information: ODTH First Class Logistics Doelhaagstraat 72 2840 Rumst Email: info@odth.be

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TRI-VIZOR

THE WORLD’S FIRST CROSS SUPPLY CHAIN ORCHESTRATOR

CARPOOLING FOR CARGO

Bart Vannieuwenhuyse

TRI-VIZOR is a disruptive innovator in logistics and supply chain management. As the world’s first impartial orchestrator it was one of the first companies to introduce the principles of the sharing economy in transport and logistics, supported by its baseline “Carpooling for Cargo”.

TRI-VIZOR proactively designs and operates horizontal partnerships and collaborative communities among shippers. By bundling and synchronizing freight flows and sharing capacity and resources across multiple supply networks, double digit gains in cost, customer service and sustainability can be achieved.

Alex Van Breedam

Vision and Mission TRI-VIZOR has developed a strong vision on how logistics and supply chain management will evolve in the coming years and want to prepare companies and other organisations to anticipate on what is going to come. In essence, the current business models in transport and logistics will fail very soon due to low efficiencies caused by fragmentation and important capacity shortages. The new business models for smart and sustainable logistics will be based on sharing capacity, i.e., bundling of flows, clustering of activities, sharing services and pooling resources. TRI-VIZOR has demonstrated that horizontal partnerships and platforms are the most fair and appropriate way to realize this.

TRI VIZOR is setting up horizontal collaborations to:

Bundle flows

Cluster activities

Share capacity

Pool resources

The Crescent, Motstraat 30, B-2800 Mechelen (Belgium) +32 3 292 62 10 | info@trivizor.com

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Track record TRI-VIZOR was originally a spin-off company of the University of Antwerp founded in 2008. The two founding partners of TRI-VIZOR, Alex Van Breedam and Bart Vannieuwenhuyse have individually gained global recognition as innovators and experts in horizontal collaboration.

Since, TRI-VIZOR has collected an impressive track record of prizes and awards. Its reputation and recognition is for the greater extent due to a strong focus on its mission to setup and operate horizontal collaborations. It has grown to the leading reference for horizontal collaboration project, i.e. the World’s first cross supply chain orchestrator. TRI-VIZOR’s knowledge base is the result of ten years of coping with challenging and complex collaboration projects.

These projects were conducted with leading global companies like, among others, P&G, Nike, Baxter, UCB, WabCo, Hologic, Pfizer, Novartis, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Donaldson, Jindal, Omya, Agfa, Unilever, SCA, Delhaize, Sony, Panasonic, Intersnack, JSP, Ferrero, Ontex, Kimberly-Clark, Autogrill, Takeda, Cargill, Skretting,…

Besides, TRI-VIZOR has also established very close relationships with public authorities and organisations, including cities, ports, regional and European authorities. Some of the major deliverables of projects with public authorities were anti-trust compliant legal frameworks with models and guidelines for horizontal collaboration. TRI-VIZOR is also closely involved within Alice (Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe) and the development of the Physical Internet, the endgame for the future of logistics. The successful horizontal collaboration projects setup by TRI-VIZOR are considered as the first embryos of the Physical Internet.

Roles In its role as neutral orchestrator, TRI-VIZOR prepares (as ‘initiator’), involves, and supports companies in the processes of creation (as ‘architect’) and managing (as ‘trustee’) horizontal collaboration partnerships and platforms.

TRI VIZOR is acting as:

Initiator

Architect

Trustee

Inspiring and preparing companies for what is to come.

Preparing, designing, calculating and building partnerships and collaborations.

Managing and improving partnerships and collaborations.

As a Community Manager, TRI-VIZOR innovates in a variety of eco-systems and their governance.

TRI VIZOR innovates in:

Urban logistics

Platforms

Co-modity

Through decouping and a joint last mile an optimal drop and pick up density in cities.

Cross sectoral collaboration with a trusted multi-user platform as central hub.

Modal shift after bundling freight flows.

Physical Internet

Anti trust compliant horizontal collaboration

Nodes and corridors

Sharing capacity as key theme in transport system of the future.

Trustee as guarantee for competitors to collaborate.

Through clustering in nodes, facilitating bundling on corridors.

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ECOLOGY 168

WITHOUT DEVIATION FROM THE NORM, PROGRESS IS NOT POSSIBLE.” – FRANK ZAPPA

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IBEVE

BETTER MEASUREMENT FOR BETTER PREVENTION – HOW IBEVE REINFORCES ITS MISSION THROUGH INNOVATION

Thanks to our Scanning Electron Microscope and the Nano Harmony Project, we will be able to advise companies even more effectively on healthy working environments.”

To measure is to know – a law that applies to IBEVE’s objectives more than most. As a consultancy firm, it specialises in providing advice on healthy living and working environments, including the detection of harmful substances. This role is closely linked to the range of statutory tasks performed

by IDEWE, the largest External Service for Prevention and Protection at Work in our country, which, like IBEVE, belongs to the IDEWE Group.

IBEVE consistently seeks out innovation as a means of making its measurements even more

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accurate. A recent example of this is the new IBEVE office on the BlueChem site. The lab there has a state-of-the-art high-resolution scanning electron microscope. This SEM allows existing detection techniques to be improved and new ones to be applied, such as the detection of tiny nanoparticles. To further build on this technological progress, IBEVE is also working on standardising these measurements within the Nano Harmony Project.

“Our profession is constantly evolving”, states Kathleen De Maeyer, industrial hygiene prevention expert at IBEVE/IDEWE. “We

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are learning more and more about harmful nanoparticles, including fibres, and the limit values and standards associated with them are becoming increasingly stringent. This means we have to conduct searches on an increasingly smaller scale. Our new electron microscope, the JSM-IT500HR Schottky FE-SEM, gives us access to this nanoworld, which classic polarising light microscopes were unable to reveal. Some nanoparticles are harmful to our health despite their extremely small size – up to 100 billionths of a meter. By developing new detection techniques, we are taking a huge step forward in terms of creating safer and healthier working environments.”

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in April 2020. Together with thirteen other European expert partners, Kathleen and her team at the OECD and ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) will work to accelerate the development of priority test guidelines and accompanying documents on nanoparticles. In concrete terms, this means that by 2024 there will be a standard for uniform sampling and analyses for everything measured at that level.

This will enable researchers to compare and link research results from different laboratories.

The Nany Harmony Project covers a wide range of potentially harmful nanoparticles in many industries”

Precision and uniformity A challenge related to this ever-growing knowledge is the increasing importance of uniform measurements. That is why IBEVE joined the Nano Harmony Project

“The scope of the project is very broad”, Kathleen continues. “It covers a wide range of nanoparticles that can harm people in many industries. The insights we shall gain from this will give our knowledge about prevention a major boost. As we have known for a long time that asbestos fibres and ceramic fibres, for example, are carcinogenic, there are strict exposure standards in that regard.

This is why we have an accredited asbestos laboratory at IBEVE. However, very small nanoparticles and other types of fibres can also pose significant health risks. Appropriate techniques are required in order to be able to provide appropriate standardisation when it comes to detecting such nanoparticles to be found nesting in human tissue. Thanks to the Scanning Electron Microscope and the Nano Harmony Project, we are contributing to this.

With this information, we are able to advise

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employers even more effectively on measures to protect their employees against this.

Monitoring the health and well-being of 800,000 employees This protection is one of the core missions of both IBEVE and IDEWE. Together, they provide 35,000 employers with a healthy and safe working environment for more than 800,000 employees throughout Belgium. In addition to medical prevention, the various other areas of non-medical prevention (ergonomics, psychosocial aspects, occupational safety, occupational hygiene, etc.) and the environment fall within the scope of the IDEWE Group’s tasks. These activities are supported by all kinds of scientific measurements and studies, including air quality measurement, light admission, ambient noise, exposure to chemical substances, detection of asbestos and other materials, etc.

Within the IDEWE Group, IBEVE specialises not only in research into harmful substances, such as asbestos, but in environmental management, occupational hygiene, occupational safety, safety coordination and energy management. It is also ISO 9001 certified for all these aspects.

Ibeve Interleuvenlaan 58 – 3001 Heverlee Tel: +32 16/390490 Email: info@ibeve.be

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

FOOD & BEVERAGES 174

WE DON’T SEE THINGS AS THEY ARE, WE SEE THINGS AS WE ARE.” - ANAIS NIN

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RICE ME UP

DISCOVER THE TRUE VALUE OF RICE

RiceMeUp is a food startup with a focus on changing the image of rice. RiceMeUp offers a wide range of rice varieties with the highest quality through an E-commerce channel and carefully selected retailers. The company is founded by Antwerpians Babak Khazaeli and Annemie Struyf.

Rice was cultivated in the Indian subcontinent from as early as 5000 BC, but it has been never truly placed in western cuisine. Babak who is originally from Persian descent grew up with Persian cuisine, in which rice plays a very

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central role. A main feature of quality rice is the strong aroma that releases while cooking; the aroma that we, most of the time, miss in major rice brands in the supermarket. He was astonished seeing the poor quality of rice available in traditional retail channels; having a lack of aroma and often mixed with broken or low-quality rice. Considering the existence of 40,000 rice varieties worldwide, this variety is also barely reflected in the current market.

With RiceMeUp Babak and Annemie aim to reveal the true value of rice as one of world`s most versatile and surprising food products.

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Branding is King!

When it comes to business success, brand innovation is the key factor. RiceMeUp spotted new trends and listened carefully to today’s consumer needs and adapts itself. “The food trend is constantly changing, and we are aware of that. Rice is an eastern product, but it can definitely find its place in today’s western food trend”. RiceMeUp is not just a rice brand. It is a concept which at its core is trying to change the traditional image of rice and reshape it for today’s conscious consumers. From package design to product development, value proposition, promotion and communication.

Babak Khazaeli, co-founder

Annemie Struyf, co-founder

In RiceMeUp both worlds of East and West are combined at its best; the high quality taste of rice from authentic growing regions, combined with a minimalist and compostable package.”

Authentic origin

Compostable minimalist packaging

To be able to offer the highest quality at RiceMeUp, rice varieties always come from the region with the best natural conditions to grow them. The Persian rice for example is cultivated in the North of Iran. The humid climate high in the mountains and warm temperature wherein the rice is cultivated gives the rice a strong perfumed aroma. Furthermore, each rive variety is carefully selected based on the grain size and purity, which means the rice is not blended with broken rice that negates its quality. In RiceMeUp`s website, tips and tricks are shared on how each rice can be cooked, and which side-dish fits well, so the quality of the rice can be fully appreciated and enjoyed.

Rice is hygroscopic and absorbs moisture.

Therefore, it must be packed in a package with a moisture and oxygen barrier to keep its aroma and quality at its best. Most of these barriers are made from plastic materials due to their considerably lower cost.

Using relatively new technology, RiceMeUp could successfully apply 100% bio-degradable barriers into the packages while maintaining the minimalist design.

Organic cultivation Most of RiceMeUp`s rice varieties are organic and organically certified. “Our vision is that organic rice is the best for both the body and the planet.

Therefore we aim to offer our complete organic assortment of rice.

We maintain a close relationship with the farmers.

One of our main suppliers is a family company in Italian Piedmont that applies the newest processes to organically cultivate rice.”

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RiceMeUp Email: info@ricemeup.be RiceMeUp.Benelux

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IMBY: NUTRITION THAT DELIGHTS YOUR PET & HEALS THE PLANET TURNING THE CONVENTIONAL PETFOOD INDUSTRY UPSIDE DOWN

With Imby, we finally offer dog owners a solution to buy both healthy and sustainable food for their favorite four-legged friend” – founder Nicolas Bartholomeeusen Did you know that 20% of the global meat production is consumed by dogs and cats? And that meat is the number one cause of pet allergies? The meat industry has an enormous negative impact on greenhouse gas emissions and thereby contributes to numerous unwanted climate effects. Moreover, it harms biodiversity due to deforestation and it’s responsible for the depletion of water resources.

The solution is very simple according to Imby: stop putting meat and fish in our pet’s food bowls.

The demand for alternative proteins in pet food is rising rapidly. There are two main trends that are driving this: pet humanization and allergies.

46% of Europeans report to have reduced their meat intake in 2021 for health benefits and climate change reason. Human trends tend to translate into the pet food category with five or 10 years delay. 10% of pets are suffering from allergies where eight out of 10 are directly linked to the consumption of meat and dairy products.

Alternative proteins like insects or plants can help to overcome these allergies.

Imby Pet Food develops and distributes sustainable food based on insect and plant proteins with the aim of lowering the ecological “pawprint” of our beloved pets. Founder Nicolas Bartholomeeusen was well aware of the rising popularity of healthier and more sustainable food for humans but wondered why this trend was not yet occurring in the pet food industry.

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We are committed to operate carbon neutrally. Any remaining emissions in our process flow are compensated through ‘carbon offsetting’ and by planting trees in local communities. In this way, we invest in new forests in Belgium and the Netherlands, which help to protect the climate and preserve our biodiversity” – founder Nicolas Bartholomeeusen

Instead of meat, Imby uses the yellow mealworm, which has many (nutritional) benefits in comparison to meat: first of all, mealworms contains three times more proteins than meat and are 50 times more sustainable regarding greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water usage. By switching your dog’s diet to an Imby diet you could save about 114 flights Brussel-Rome during that dog’s lifetime.

Moreover, insects are natural composters and function in a completely circular way; they are fed by agricultural by-products of local farmers and their residues can be used as fertilizer for crops. On top of that, they have

a high digestibility score and are naturally hypoallergenic meaning that they are especially good for dogs with food allergies (these are often linked to beef, chicken or dairy products).

opting for a multichannel approach, selling their products both on their own webshop (imbypetfood.com) and in the specialty stores of Tom & Co.

There are still a lot of people that are convinced that dogs are carnivores when in fact they can perfectly thrive on an omnivorous diet. Imby’s recipes are created by a team of pet nutrition experts and offers a complete alternative for current meat products containing all essential amino acids and vitamins dogs need.

Imby is also launching their insect-based cat food in June/July 2021. Initially the start-up wanted to launch this cat food in a later stage, but thanks to a grant for innovative projects of the city of Antwerp, Imby has the resources and time to start this project sooner. Luckily, because insect-based cat food is a real gap in the market.

Future and ambitions Imby is ambitious and aiming abroad. But first, the company wants to focus on Belgium and The Netherlands and make sure to establish a stable business. Soon they are moving to the United Kingdom, where there is a lot of potential for the product. In Belgium, Imby is

Starter of the year 2022

Only five months after the launch, Imby Pet Food was awarded with the title of “National start-up of the year 2022” by UNIZO. Imby is a good example of a company that is doing everything possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to an absolute minimum by making sustainable choices in terms of ingredients, preparation, packaging and distribution.

Imby was also included in the KBC start-up accelerator.

Change starts with yourself and that’s what Imby stands for with their slogan “Change starts In My BackYard”. Because at Imby they are convinced that we can only change our world if everyone takes (small) steps individually.

IMBY Email: askaway@imbypetfood.com

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SLUYS INTERNATIONAL

FLAVOUR IS THE TASTE OF LIFE. TOGETHER, LET’S CREATE THE TASTES OF TOMORROW.

Founded in 1931, Sluys International (Sluys) is a Duffel based manufacturer of Flavour, Drink Concentrate and Beverage Emulsion. Family owned and managed, Sluys is a purveyor of sweet flavours within the varied sub-sectors of food and beverage. Our flavours inspire alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, ice-cream, bakery and confectionery etc.

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Today, with more than 90 years of experience, team Sluys is a reflection of artists, idealists and businessmen challenging the next taste frontiers.

With core competence in beverage application, a more tailored approach service is extended to startups, brand owners and bottlers.

In human history, trails of taste can be found in art, poetry and song.

What defines good taste is not a simple task. Taste is not ever static, as taste evolves over time. Taste is bordered by cultural preferences, often complex and contradictory – what is healthful, what pairs together, what is exotic or familiar. Taste is the insular cortex of the beholder!

The tastes of tomorrow are to disrupt the definition of the polymorphous sense of flavour. This is our continuous challenge. To rediscover flavour based on: • • • • •

Application & Functionality; Manufacturing Process; Provenance; Point of Sales/Distribution Channels; and Affordability to tailor the optimum taste experience.

From the synthetization of Linalool to the current trend of flavour-pairing theory, team Sluys is in the midst of an evolution to embrace the next taste frontier. Our creative laboratory will lead through digital innovation. By infusing with consumer behaviour data and industry ecosystem, Sluys believes that blockchain can reinvigorate our creative solutions, production capabilities and supply chain traceability. This will simplify and streamline our existing creative processes aka relevance tuning.

There are exciting possibilities, especially within collaboration and co-creation.

We are excited for us.

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Sluys International Nijverheidsstraat 1 2570 Duffel Belgium Tel: +32 3 490 03 30 Fax: +32 3 490 03 36 Email: info@sluys.eu

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SUCCES KOFFIE

A STORY ABOUT NEVER NO COFFEE AND NEW EXPERIENCES

Tom Arts, CEO

Succes Koffie is a coffee roaster/brand with a never ending passion for nature, experiences and a little rebellion. As a team they channel these interests into their coffees and the way they engage with their customers.

The journey of Succes Koffie started more than 130 years ago in a little village Niel, south of Antwerp (Belgium). Throughout the years they grew from a niche player into a respected coffee roaster and brand focusing on quality coffee and experiences.

Over decades they’ve built up their product expertise and craftmanship. With respect to the coffee bean and roasting tradition they have crafted their coffee blends and roasting process.

As a team they are driven to deliver you the best coffee experience at or out of home (Horeca or Office). Succes Koffie, with a strong businessto-business focus, operates as a one-stop-shop offering high quality coffee blends, coffee machines, (ceramic) cups and everything needed to create the ideal coffee experience. Succes Koffie has its own team of technicians in order to make sure that the coffee machines are well installed and always up and running. Team Succes Koffie is driven to unburden their customers concerning their coffee experience. Never no coffee!

At Succes Koffie they are fanatic about realizing the perfect taste of the coffee bean. Not only for their delicious espresso blends but also for their cold drip coffee. Cold drip you say?!

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The Cold drip coffee is a ready-to-drink energy shot (125 ml) made with cold water and premium Colombian coffee. The production process takes up to 18 hours resulting in a fresh and floral cold drip coffee shot. It’s served ice cold and can be consumed pure or mixed in a mocktail (nonalcoholic beverage) or cocktail.

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This newest taste sensation is super-hot in Australia and has now launched in Belgium.

It is the perfect drink during warm sunny days and perfect to mix with milk, tonic, etc.

It’s used by: • Athletes and hardworking people for that extra energy kick • Students to focus during their study mode • People celebrating life with a mock- or cocktail (recipes at succeskoffie.be) Looking for the perfect espresso or cool cold drip coffee, team Succes Koffie has you covered.

Succes Koffie Contact: Jelle De Wolf Email: jelle@succeskoffie.be Boomse Steenweg 30 B-2627 Schelle

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ELIXIR D’ANVERS

ARTISAN LIQUEUR. UNIQUE TASTE. UNCOMPROMISING QUALITY. 160 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. 19th of March 1863, in a house in a suburb of Antwerp, François-Xavier de Beukelaer - after finishing his studies as a doctor and pharmacist - discovered early in the morning after years of research, the recipe for a delicious liqueur: Elixir d’Anvers.

Elixir d’Anvers soon became famous for his rich, unique and exciting flavoured aroma.

The production process of Elixir d’Anvers takes about five months and is a result of maceration (herbs, barks,...) followed by distillation and aging in oak barrels. This unique taste is based on an equally unique mixture of herbs. There are dozens of them, and they come from all over the world: plants, roots and peels of citrus fruits. They are kept in refrigerated rooms and storage bins on the first floor of the distillery, where they are mixed in a specially designed chamber.

This is where the authentic and artisanal production process, which takes about five months in total, starts.

Two large jute bags of herbs are needed for one distillation: more than 80 kilos in total. The herbs are weighed on a large scale in the mixing chamber, before being carried downstairs to the copper stills in the distillery. In the earliest years after its invention, Elixir d’Anvers grew from a drink that was first given to horses with colic to the favourite drink of older ladies and gentlemen.

The liqueur has now become a beloved beverage with a rich, unique and exciting flavoured aroma, elegant and perfumed with a sweet herbal and complex taste.

The exceptional quality of Elixir d’Anvers has been awarded with dozens of medals and diplomas of honour, not only in Europe but also in Australia, Africa and the United States. One of the most striking diplomas comes from Boulognesur-Mer, France (1887) and bears the signature of Louis Pasteur. FX de Beukelaer can proudly call itself one of the oldest and most famous liqueur distilleries in Belgium.

Ivan Nolet & Carl-Ivan Nolet, Father & Son

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The old office of FX de Beukelaer

Historic landmarked building of FX de Beukelaer in the hearth of Antwerp In addition to Elixir d’Anvers, the distillery recently launched Elixir d’Anvers Extra. This liqueur has matured even longer and has an even more intense and complex taste. For this unique and limited edition, they let their traditionally distilled Elixir d’Anvers mature for two years in oak barrels. This gives the subtle aromas of the dozens of plants, herbs and barks an extra soft and deep character with a refined touch of wood.

The innovation of this authentic product is well received by the customer. In 2022, Elixir d’Anvers Extra has been awarded at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London. With a score of 95, Elixir d’Anvers Extra achieved ‘Gold’. The awards won at the IWSC are considered the industry’s greatest recognition. In total, some 4,000 spirits from more than 90 different countries were assessed

Elixir d’Anvers riping in old oak barrels by 85 experts. In addition to the gold medal from the IWSC, Elixir d’Anvers Extra has also achieved “Gold” at the Frankfurt International Trophy.

“Innovation with a traditional brand like Elixir d’Anvers is quite a challenge, as we don’t want to lose the identity and the long history behind the brand. Innovating by creating a declination of Elixir d’Anvers where we extend the maturation process enables us to keep this identity while increasing the overall quality of the product. This was for us the right way to do innovation” says Carl-Ivan Nolet.

Elixir d’Anvers is best enjoyed pure or on the rocks. Its unique taste has been favoured by many generations, and nowadays it inspires chefs and mixologists to create inventive dishes and cocktails.

FX de Beukelaer Haantjeslei 132 2018, Antwerpen Tel: +32 3 237 98 06 Email: info@elixirdanvers.be

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DOMEIN WALTERUS

VINEYARD, WINERY, DISTILLERY “FILLED WITH PURITY, MADE WITH PASSION.”

using artificial ingredients and additives was a conscious road to follow for our company.

We try to push our vendors to present drinks by making eco-friendly choices. The fruits are cultivated partial by us and local fruit farmers.

We go the extra mile With complete dedication and determination, we make your label talk. No labour is spared during our delicate production process.

Starting by a strict selection to use high quality ingredients. A lot of the working process is therefore done by manual labour. As for the wine-making, a close monitoring is necessary up to the bottling. For the spirits we use a distillation process and run several distilling rounds to get the finest handcrafted spirits.

Growing into the future There’s still work in progress. This means for everyone and so our company to make greener choices. We strive in our production to delivery process by making the best choices step by step.

OUR LIFE’S WORK Our wine’s tale In 2010 Reinout Moonen worked in tunnel building as an engineer. It started with a little boy’s dream of entrepreneuring and working with nature.

As his job demanded to work away from home.

He spent the evenings alone which gave him the opportunity to visualize his dream. He wanted to take a course for growing into a winemaker. Motivated, he went back to school in the evenings.

Your drinks, our life’s work with an eco-conscious mindset Our vision in making drinks for you. Whether it’s our own label or your private label. We work for every brand as if it were our own. Working with respect of nature’s products, makes us enthusiastic and driven to make your label talk with a farm-to-bottle philosophy.

Pure ingredients make honest drinks To make that happen, we only work with pure ingredients. Not

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When the practical side of the course concerning working in the vineyard took a start. His teacher said: ‘take your partner with you because if this passion will lay in your future, you will most likely won’t be doing this alone!’.

Our first winter pruning together had something romantic in a way we found a mutual hobby which created our future’s vision.

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A few years later Annick Milis also decided to take a winegrower’s course somewhere else. It was an opportunity to gather more information seen from another point of view. So, we listened very carefully and picked up important lessons to find our own pieces of our business puzzle with a unique footprint to be made.

OUR SPIRITS TALE So, when did the distilling and making perfect spirit blends started?

It was already there! In our younger years, Annick’s first drinks were cocktails. Curious about the pure taste of different kinds of spirits and liquors. As experimenting with new tastes, the idea of creating drinks with fruit, vegetables and botanicals wasn’t that far away.

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Being not only a big dreamer, but deed was also added to the word. So, she makes the perfect blends of the spirits and Reinout does the distilling work.

If you can dream it, we can make it!

Combined strength through complementary knowledge Over the years we kept learning. Some courses we took together and others alone but with the underlying thought ‘Sharing is caring’.

Teamwork makes the dream work We strongly believe, keep on sharing, learning, having an open vision, will bring you more satisfaction in growing your business.

International awarded EMS SPIRITS Silver medals @ the London Spirits Competition and USA Spirits Ratings for all our gins and rums.

Participating was valuable to see where we stood with our gin and rum in the world.

Growth: New spirits came Besides making wine and gin, we want to create a gamut of honest spirits. By growing out our business, the idea of circular entrepreneurship appealed to us. E.g. distilling the grapes residue into a brandy, distilling beer for private labels before the expire date went by.

Our newest EMS-label drink is a Belgian white and flavoured rum.

PRIVATE LABEL SPIRITS Full concept entrepreneuring We wanted to share our passion with others.

We have the expertise inhouse. The experience from cultivating to the making. But also completing the full concept by creating label designs, we make your label talk! Afterwards we care to share your private label story on social media. So, in the meantime we made gin, rum, wine, mead, genever, liqueur, beer brandy, grape brandy, whisky and cocktail recipes.

Domein Walterus Zielestraat 29 2275 Poederlee Belgium Tel: +32 495 166 231

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CHANGES CALL FOR INNOVATION, AND INNOVATION LEADS TO PROGRESS.” – LI KEQIANG

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CHAPTER NINETEEN

FOOD RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

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EMBRACING THE GLOBE, STIMULATING SUSTAINABILITY We stimulate & support innovation

We provide solutions with respect for nature

Thomas More’s research group RADIUS has years of experience with innovation in the field of the bioeconomy. Bioeconomy refers to all the economic aspects of the use of natural resources, more specifically biomass. With our innovations we seek to improve the availability of microalgae and insect biomass as new sources for food, feed, and technical applications. For example, we do research on how we can integrate mealworms in candy bars, microalgae in dogfood or hand cream... The possibilities are endless. At the same time, we care about the environment by developing and improving sustainable chemical processes.

There’s an increasing demand for new protein and alternative biomass sources. RADIUS’s research on microalgae and insect biomass can solve that problem, because microalgae and insects contain a lot of good nutrients. We also use waste streams and by-products as feed or nutrients for our insects and algae, making their cultivation very sustainable.

Another challenge the world is facing is the re-use of materials to protect natural sources. RADIUS investigates the sustainable recycling of materials by using more environmentally friendly chemical processes.

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Research @Thomas More: collaborations to stimulate innovation in the bioeconomy

We develop, evaluate, and implement innovations with an eye on a better world and from a multidisciplinary perspective. Our team consists of experts from different fields so we can look at improvements from various angles. A biologist, bioengineer, chemist, industrial engineer, lab technician, … they all look for solutions in a different way and all those different views ensure that our innovations are of the highest level.

creative entrepreneurs, farmers, and the food, feed, and chemical sector.

We are convinced that strong cooperation will lead to a viable, future-proof bioeconomy in the Kempen region, Flanders, and Europe.

We build value chains The RADIUS approach makes it possible to build real, relevant, and economically interesting value chains, consisting of different links. Firstly, we cultivate a new type of biomass: microalgae and insects. Secondly, we process these towards valuable biomaterials, which we can use in different applications, such as food, feed and technical applications like cosmetics, glue, … together with the industry. Thirdly, our recycling processes (extractions, filtrations, distillations, …) are part of a recycling value chain in close collaboration with other partners such as research institutes and companies.

We connect We involve students, participate at events for the broader public and write articles in sector specific and general publications. By doing so we make sure that both the existing ways of using biomass and its potential find their way to the broader public, whilst also inspiring entrepreneurship among our students.

Besides building awareness, we also foster close partnerships in the field of the bioeconomy. RADIUS operates state-of-the-art lab and pilot facilities to perform its research in close collaboration with other partners. In the field of insects – more specifically in the Insect Pilot Plant in Geel – we work together with KU Leuven, sharing expertise in microbiology and storage and transport conditions of insects.

Our RADIUS team supports all these different links to create value chains, e.g. by offering a variety of services with a direct link between innovation, technology, research, and development.

Get in touch!

Nationally and internationally, we work closely together with a broad network of governments, schools and other knowledge institutions,

radius.thomasmore.be

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HEIRBAUT ALGRICULTURE

THROUGHOUT WESTERN EUROPE FOOD PRODUCTION IS KNOWN TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A WHOLE LOT OF GHG-EMISSIONS. HOWEVER, THE HOLISTIC APPROACH OF FOOD PRODUCTION SHOWN AT THE INNOVATIVE FARM OF HEIRBAUT ALGRICULTURE, AIMS TO REDUCE CO2 BY EVERY SINGLE INITIATIVE TAKEN. If you think that every farm in the world which has dairy cattle puts pressure on the climate, it is clear you have never visited Temse! Kris and Ginny Heirbaut are overflowing with circularity and are determined to close all their cycles.

Kris’ grandfather used to have a mixed farm with a balance between animal and plant production. At the end of the 20th century, like all farmers his parents intensified the system and they chose to focus on animal production.

Kris and Ginny want to turn back time while reaching out to futuristic green technologies! By bringing balance to every step of the production process they can close the cycles.

Recycling this CO2 of the digester into a closed microalgae production to convert it into carbon and dioxide, one can eventually bring oxygen in the air!

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I know many farmers pushing the envelope on innovation in Europe, but the Heirbaut family is a category in itself!” - Erik Meers, Professor/Coordinator of the various Bioresource Recovery Platforms of the Ghent University Association.

Over the past 10 years Kris and Ginny Heirbaut have put together different seed mixes by trial and error tailored to their own fields.

These mixed cultures enable them to sequestrate more carbon in the soils, extract nitrogen from the air and by feeding these crops to cows they in turn cause less methane emissions by way of cow’s mouths. Part of the milk is processed on-site into delicious dairy products and fantastic ice creams that one can buy in the shop on the farm. Note that this farm doesn’t need any pesticides nor mineral fertilizers.

Even between their cows, Kris and Ginny look for the perfect balance: the cows are in the pasture for 8 hrs, and stay indoors for 16 hrs to feed the anaerobic digester.

However cows also produce manure. To prevent methane emissions from the manure, an anaerobic digester was built. A combustion engine has to take up the concentrated methane from the digester and uses it to produce renewable energy. Of course the engine’s flue gases contain a lot of CO2. Kris and Ginny have taken up the ambitious plan to recycle this CO2 into a closed microalgae production to convert it into carbon and dioxide, so they can eventually generate oxygen in the air!

Usually the nitrogen needs of microalgae are met by means of fertilizers, but the creative minds of Kris and Ginny also looked for a solution here: some algae species now even seem to grow faster when you replace the fertilizer with grass juice! This is the result of a project funded by the EU and Flemish Government in 2021: Grass2Algae.

Over the past ten years Kris and Ginny Heirbaut have put together different seed mixes by trial and error, tailored to their own fields.

After harvest, the microalgae can then be useful to produce vegan food. Meaning in 2022 a new challenge arises for Kris and Ginny: creating novel food products containing microalgae!

Due to the unparalleled nutrient efficiency of microalgae, their dairy herd in Temse is the only one in the world that is able to produce a larger quantity of vegetable protein than it can consume itself.

Moreover Heirbaut aLgriculture started in 2021 with both carbon farming and agroforestry and will even sell local carbon credits!

A combustion engine takes up the concentrated methane from the digester and uses it to produce renewable energy.

EU communication obligations for funded projects:

Part of the milk is processed on-site into delicious dairy products and fantastic ice creams that one can buy in the shop on the farm.

Heirbaut aLgriculture Veldstraat 218 9140 Temse - Belgium Tel: +32 472 214 885

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PEACE OF MEAT RETHINKING MEAT FOR TOMORROW

The messy story behind meat By 2050, we’ll reach a global population of almost 10 billion. Worldwide demand for food is soaring, and so is the demand for meat. Despite the growing popularity of plant-based diets, meat is still an important part of the daily menu across the globe.

With good reason, because meat is nutritious and bloody delicious!

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Sadly, the story behind mass-produced meat is less savory. From widespread deforestation for grazing and fodder, pollution of land and water, greenhouse gas emissions to dire livestock living conditions. If we want to keep feeding ourselves and future generations, it’s time to grab the bull by the horns.

Meet Peace of Meat Now what if we could enjoy all the pleasures of meat while leaving cows and other creatures at peace? That’s the mission of Peace of Meat: a Belgian-based B2B-supplier of tasty cultured products. As a first product, their international team of scientists has developed an avian stem cell-based technology to produce animal fats at industrial scale. These cultured fats offer the authentic flavor, texture and juiciness of real meat to plant-based protein products.

So much better than the real deal Don’t think cultured meat sounds too tasty?

Holy cow, wait until you hear about the benefits!

First, you get 100% meaty goodness while drastically reducing your impact on the planet and on the lives of animals. Next, cultured meat is a much safer way to eat animal protein, fat and tissue than traditional meat, as it’s produced in sterile and controlled environments. Last but not least, cellular meat isn’t tied to environmental factors (e.g. weather, climate, diseases) and can be reproduced continuously. This way, it offers a much more secure and sustainable food supply - for ourselves and for generations to come.

Got a taste for cultured meat?

Peace of Meat 95 Olieweg 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium Email: info@peace-of-meat.com

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INTERACTIVE MUSEUMS

A MIND THAT IS STRETCHED

BY A NEW EXPERIENCE CAN NEVER GO BACK TO ITS OLD DIMENSIONS.” – OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

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TECHNOPOLIS EVERYTHING STARTS WITH WOW

Meet the new Technopolis. Bold, never afraid to reinvent itself and ready to blow everyone’s mind away.

Everything starts with WOW is not just a tagline, it’s a promise to face the challenges of the future together.

Not by waiting for the next Einstein, Marie Curie or Stephen Hawking to come up with the answers, but by convincing everyone that they are part of the solution.

The best way to do that?

By making people shout WOW when they experience how amazing and absolutely mind-blowing science can be. Over and over again, until they are convinced that they too can actually take the future into their own hands by embracing science and discovering their hidden talents. If they are truly motivated, nothing – not even their IQ level or (lack of the right) degrees – can get in their way.

The new Technopolis uses all means possible to convince people how truly amazing science can be for

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everyone and is not afraid to continuously explore new paths. Nowadays you can find Technopolis at all types of events across the country, in schools, cultural centers, companies… and especially online.

Technopolis has evolved from a science center into a multimedia brand with a mission that will not allow itself to be constricted by physical boundaries. It’s a strategy that has paid off, especially when it comes down to reaching more young adults.

We want everyone to realize that they too can contribute to finding a solution to the most important challenges of the 21st century. And yes, we are prepared to bring out the big guns. Bike rides across the Grand Canyon in virtual reality at Technopolis, spectacular shows in cultural centres across Flanders, mind-blowing workshops at schools, free science events, amazing science experiments on TikTok, entire series on YouTube… There is no path we are not willing to explore in order to make everyone, regardless of their gender, background, degrees… realize how important science is to improve all of our lives.” Ester Blockx, Marketing & Sales Director Technopolis During the corona crisis, when the ability to rapidly innovate became a condition to survive, Technopolis transformed itself in the blink of an eye into an organizer of online and hybrid (science) events. It also started to develop online quizzes and recently it put into the market a WOWbox, a package that takes children on an imaginary space mission to Mars.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg Technopolis has developed a brand-new business model. Realizing that innovative companies, labs, research facilities, universities… also have a lot to gain by motivating children and young adults to pursue a career in science and technology, Technopolis offers them the possibility to unite forces and to reach out to young adults. With more than 50% of its followers that are young adults, Technopolis has evolved into an influencer– or even better – a STEMfluencer building bridges between industry, education and research on the one hand and young adults on the other hand.

Together with stakeholders Technopolis has made numerous YouTube series and catchy TikTok video’s taking viewers behind the scenes of companies, and research facilities… In addition Technopolis also offers stakeholders the opportunity to donate products (such as the WOWbox) or to book and pay for shows to be presented at a location of their choice or at schools in order to help reach disadvantaged children and young adults. All kinds of partnerships are possible, as long as the result is that in the end people start shouting “WOW, that’s science!” and “WOW, I can do that too!”

Technopolis Technologielaan, 2800 Mechelen Email: Info@technopolis.be Tel: +32 15 34 20 00

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Pidpa, a Flemish integrated water company, sensitizes people about water, not only focusing on tap water but the entire circle of water. By opening Hidrodoe in 2003, they reach a broad spectrum of society. Hidrodoe is the interactive experience center about water, located in Herentals.

HIDRODOE

EXCELS IN UNIQUE WATER EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Hidrodoe’s main goal is to educate visitors about the value of water. This ranges from water in nature and landscape, history, professional use to chemistry and physics of water.

The science center introduces all ages to water in a playful and interactive way by appealing to their senses. The exhibition stimulates lifelong learning for everyone.

AWARDS WON • Best Family Friendly Tourist Product – Visit Flanders/Toerisme Vlaanderen – 2017 • Belgian Energy and Environment Award – category ‘Sustainable Education’ – 2018 • Badges Award Trendhuis – informal learning – nominated/shortlisted –2019

A second part of the mission is to promote drinking tap water and to give visitors a warm welcome in a sustainable way. Hidrodoe’s role is to scale up public engagement and build positive change.

• SDG Voice Belgium – FIDO – 2019 • Sustainable Family Awards – category ‘Excursion/activity’ – second place – 2021

Hidrodoe’s mission is realized through its innovative worldclass exhibition and engaging guest experiences.

Hidrodoe exposes guests of all ages to fun experiments that spark curiosity and bring science to life.

• Green Key label – 10 years in a row

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Banquet of play and discovery

Sustainable entrepreneurship

At Hidrodoe, active learning is key. Through more than 150 interactive experiments, visitors learn about water in a playful way. Shoot a hydrogen rocket sky high, experiment with a hydroelectric power station, discover how current flows. Ride a bicycle to boil water, play soccer with the power of water or step into a giant bubble. Sit on an ancient Roman toilet, create a huge whirlpool or lift a car with hydraulic power, stand under an umbrella of water and so much more. The exhibition offers an irresistible banquet of exciting play and discovery.

Hidrodoe has been working on a sustainable policy for several years. Not only in the exhibition, but also in the building itself, the café, the environment, the operations, etc. To name a few sustainable examples: anhydrous urinals, the toilets are flushed with rainwater, sensors operate the toilets and taps, solar panels, solar control film on the windows, recycling of the water in the exhibition, tapping point for tap water and fair trade, bio and regional products in the café, an insect hotel, beehives...

In addition, Hidrodoe has been awarded the Green Key for 10 years in a row. An international quality mark for environmentally friendly tourism companies.

At Hidrodoe, inclusion is also very important. A few of the actions: the center is completely wheelchair accessible, we have resources for people with autism such as a visual step-by-step plan, hearing protection... We offer an extra discount for underprivileged target groups together with ‘Iedereen Verdient Vakantie’.

Interactive exhibition spaces Hidrodoe consists of a unique se quence of interactive exhibition spaces, shows and discovery worlds.

The exhibition uses a linear routing with free-flow interactive spaces. In the Blue Water Garden, the outdoor water garden, a variety of interactive exhibits offer great fun and it is directly linked to the indoor exhibition. The 4-D movie explains the production of tap water.

Innovative novelties Circular water and energy project In Hidrodoe we want to close the water and energy cycle as much as possible and reduce the use of fossil fuels to an absolute minimum. We inspire our visitors, but also challenge ourselves, on how to use energy and water wisely and sustainably.

Water With a water scan/audit, we mapped out the water consumption, the water flows and the water sources. We focus on advanced watersaving techniques, whereby our ambition is to reduce the consumption of tap water in our visitor center by 50%. An installation to upgrade the sanitary waste water to flush water for the toilets will be one of our first steps.

This way, we can use the rainwater

for drip infiltration in the garden, for infiltration via a large basin (to replenish the groundwater table) or in dry summer months for irrigation by farmers in the area. The installation is placed on the drain of the anhydrous urinals that recovers struvite (phosphate) from the urine stream. Struvite is a valuable raw material that can be used in agriculture. In addition, we also invest in innovative techniques that remove phosphorus from other sanitary waste water. For this we use IOCS granules (iron oxide coated sands), a residual product from the nearby water production center. Closing material and water cycles are central to the techniques we use.

Haanheuvel 7 2200 Herentals Belgium Tel: +32 14 44 26 44 Email: info@hidrodoe.be

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Energy Together with an energy expert, we identify the best energy – saving measures to reduce our energy consumption and use alternative energy sources.

A hydrothermal heat pump will be installed. The heat energy is obtained from a drinking water storage (two (2) giant cellars of 1000 m³ each) at the water production center nearby.

The drinking water has a constant temperature of +/12 °C. Hidrodoe will use this energy to heat and cool the building.

Hidrodoe Hidrodoe hidrodoe_herentals

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THEY ALWAYS SAY TIME CHANGES THINGS, BUT YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO CHANGE THEM YOURSELF.“ – ANDY WARHOL

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INTERIOR DESIGNER AND ANTIQUE DEALER BRENDA THIJSSEN, OWNER OF “DE NILLE ANTIQUES”, CREATED TOGETHER WITH HER HUSBAND KURT A TIMELESS COUNTRY MANOR IN A HISTORICAL STYLE

Elements from the 18th and 19th centuries were combined with a classic plan structure.

The house, which is the company, with an enormous prevalence of light and mainly constructed in recycled materials, oozes character.

The property in the Antwerp Kempen region was built on a protected dune, 4 metres higher than the neighbouring streets and surrounded by woods and greenery.

As an antique dealer, Brenda wanted to offer a new concept to the profession from the very start. Too often, the antiques trade is associated with being old-fashioned and conservative.

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The reuse of materials is fully in line with her vision of ecology, which is very topical today.

She is convinced that a lot of forest felling can be prevented by reusing existing and, in this case, very old materials. By having a great respect for the environment, they return to their essence.

What distinguishes De Nille Antiques is that the collection of antiques, collected

over a lifetime, is perfectly combined with minimalistic design in old materials. Often adapted to the wishes of their international clientele.

De Nille Antiques currently sells worldwide and places customer satisfaction at number one. This has already created many personal connections with private and professional clients that can be innovative.

The company has a clear vision of the future in terms of creating designs and expanding the search for recycled materials worldwide.

Through this drive they want to influence the different interior flows from all over the world with Belgian creativity and innovation.

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by Hendrik Biegs

Contemporary interiors often aim to be modern structures that are only permeable to austere design. She wanted to create a concept in which unique reclaimed materials are processed in a minimalist and original design, with great respect for traditional old techniques.

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The traditional carpentry, the custom-made work, the antique restorations and designs are realized by the company that Brenda runs together with her husband Kurt.

The interior design, with a timeless and subdued color palette, comes into its own through the addition of unique antiques.

The house is constantly changing because the antique trade is presented from the interior. Each time new items fill the space and once sold, the atmosphere transforms.

The stock and thus the basis of the interior can be very eclectic, with only one common thread, simplicity.

The love for pure lines and balanced proportions is palpable.

Items from all over the world, with a unique and pure character, contribute to the beauty of the house.

They create harmony!

Whoever wanders through the house and antiques’ store will feel that the rooms radiate a special receptivity and pleasant warmth.

The combination of art, antiques and old materials transformed into design, creates a nice balance.

The company has already attracted a great deal of interest from publishers and has appeared several times in architecture books and magazines.

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PERSONAL BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHY FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Ever since I was a young girl, I have loved photography immensely.

In the darkroom I felt like a fish in water.

Meanwhile, much has changed.

Analogue is (almost) gone and of course I switched to digital a long time ago.

Digital or analog, photography remains my greatest passion.

I love writing with light and I love connecting with people.

But after 20 years of photographing families and children, I felt it was time to take a different path.

Sue Bryce, an American photographer, was my great inspiration to start photographing women entrepreneurs.

Translating her concept to the European market became my goal.

Life is becoming more and more digital and impersonal, it is therefore very important for entrepreneurs to distinguish themselves from others.

People like to know who is behind a brand or company.

A quote from marketer Seth Godin sums it all up well.

People don’t buy goods and services.

They buy relationships, stories and magic.”

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From flow to visibility.”

Because I noticed that many entrepreneurs find it difficult to show themselves, we recently started a unique concept.

From flow to visibility! During this day the customer will be completely pampered by me and my team.

At an exclusive location a holistic life coach will greet you and will start your session with a holistic pulsing massage.

After a relaxing massage the customer will be professionally treated by a make-up artist and will stand confidently in front of my lens.

The end result is not only a nice and relaxing day but the customer will also have a fantastic image bank that can be used for business, both online and offline.

Do I only photograph women?

No, men are also more than welcome, but women simply come across my path faster.

Recently we also started offering video.

Think of short atmospheric video footage of your company, business or events.

Katrin

As an entrepreneur, you need imagery of yourself.

Then it’s nice when you find a photographer who thinks along, who puts you at ease, who you have fun with, who knows her craft and surprises you with pictures that make you very happy.”

Lien

Her great eye for beauty and detail combined with a lot of empathy make Sigi a unique and exceptional photographer.

Photo shoots are ‘out of the comfort zone’ for most people . Sigi creates a comfort zone instantly.

We chatted and laughed our way through the shoot and suddenly I had an amazing, impressive, beautiful image archive.

Fabienne

Sigi is a master in taking spontaneous photos that really show your personality.

From flow to visibility, is really a statement for her!

Since my website is live, I receive many positive comments about the look and photos.”

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TEXTUP COPYWRITING: lifting your technical content to a higher level

Copywriters come in all sizes, colours and weights.

A technical copywriter that adheres to the principles of SEO is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

TextUp Copywriting specialises in writing technical SEO copy and content revision.

TECHNICAL COPYWRITING Letting the world know about your business isn’t that hard. Getting your message across, so that everyone can understand it, is an entirely different story. All too often, business owners and CEOs flaunt fancy words to give a certain weight of expertise to their business. Unfortunately, that usually has an adverse effect.

Katrin De Preter

“People don’t seem to understand what it is I do.”

“For some reason I attract the wrong type of customers.”

If clients don’t know you exist, don’t understand what your business entails or don’t know how you differ from the competition, they can’t choose to work with you.

Does this sound familiar?

It’s time to put a stop to these issues!

Every entrepreneur, whether they’re thinking small- or large-scale, has the right to a clear message. Customers won’t opt for you unless they: • Know who you are • Understand what product or service you have to offer • Understand how you’re different from your competitors

TextUp Copywriting’s mission is to share content for technical trades in a simple and attractive way without resorting to jargon. That way, everyone understands your business, how you make a difference and why you’re the ideal solution to your customer’s problem.

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SEO SEO is contemporary marketing’s #1 buzzword. Your webcopy or blogs should be SEO-proof in order to be found by search engines such as Google. If you want to appear at the top of the results, you should use all the SEO tricks in the book for your web content.

An SEO-copywriter therefore focuses on search engine optimalisation.

TextUp Copywriting masters the tools of the trade and arranges the right words neatly. This makes both Google and your readers love your writing. Your reward? Google shows your website at the top of its results and your potential lead or customer remains fascinated by what you have to say.

We all have our talents – fortunately! If you aren’t a talented writer, if you don’t have time to tackle your content or if you just don’t like writing it’s in your best interest to hire a professional. Why not? You visit a doctor when you’re feeling ill, or a mechanic to have your engine checked?

To keep your content vital and healthy, you go to a copywriter or reviser. This ensures that you maintain a professional image.

CONTENT REVISION Content without grammar or spelling errors remains hard to find these days. Nevertheless, writing correctly is important for your professional image.

TextUp Copywriting is your helping hand when it comes to: • Content creation for websites, blogs, flyers etc.

• SEO-proof and easy-to-read technical writing • Text revision

Would you confidently go into business with someone who nonchalantly handles their written content?

Take a look at our website or send us an email. Together we’ll write your story.

“IF THEIR WORK RESEMBLES THE WAY THEY WRITE…”

Email: hallo@textupcopywriting.be

textupcopywriting.be

This line of thinking isn’t justified, of course. Not everyone is equally motivated to write, which of course does not affect their competences.

It does, however, prove that first impressions are crucial. Every first impression matters, whether it’s visual, auditive or written language.

Make sure your writing is flawless. That’s usually the start for building trust with (potential) customers and/or other business relations.

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GORILLA MARKETING - THE TIMECHAMBER

Gorilla Marketing is a full-service marketing agency founded in 2020 by Philippe Van Doninck, Thomas Deckers and Dean Pynaerts. After managing several successful projects in the past, they decided to combine their knowledge, experience and ambitious minds. By joining forces, Gorilla Marketing was born.

Merely a couple of months after launching their enterprise, two enthusiastic and entrepreneurial spirits, Debora Tsibulevsky and Boris Terzic, hopped on board to complete ‘the Gorilla family’. This core team of five runs the company today, each with their own strengths and expertise.

The Gorillas With the same vision in mind, the gorillas describe themselves as a cohesive team with a hands-on mentality and a creative spirit. They all contribute and want to make Gorilla Marketing and The Timechamber a huge success.

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Philippe Van Doninck Digital Overlord

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Debora Tsibulevsky Chief Happiness Officer

Thomas Deckers 360° Marketing Ninja

Dean Pynaerts Chief Everything Officer

Boris Terzic Brand Warrior

Let’s go bananas

While Philippe is a master at coming up with out-of-the-box concepts, Dean is very sharp at turning these ideas into something phenomenal. In addition, Boris is a born strategist and always knows how to get things done. Thomas likes to take the reins and is the unofficial captain of the ship. Despite Debora being the only woman on the team, she can stand her ground and is a hack at connecting people. Together they can face any challenge.

When choosing Gorilla Marketing, you choose an entire team. Together they’ll fulfill your company’s needs and support you from A to Z. Due to their wide range of services, they might just make the difference for your company. And to educate your in-house department and lift them to a higher level, you can take advantage of their social media or marketing workshops.

With their fresh, innovative ideas they already proved themselves worthy as a marketing agency, helping dozens of companies defining their position in the market and upping their (digital) game.

As young, enthusiastic creatives with our hearts and minds in the right place, we want to ensure correct pricing and impressive quality. We believe that corporate agencies will be challenged by lean & mean marketing machines like ours.”

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Time to create An average marketing agency? Definitely not! What makes them so unique is their creative content studio - The Timechamber. The name and concept of this studio is based on The Hyperbolic Time Chamber from Dragon Ball Z. It’s a space where the team plays with time and where time works for them, because the impact of great content can’t be underestimated.

The mastermind behind this concept is Philippe, he came up with this urban content jungle concept. Over time, the gorillas have transformed this studio into a networking hub with advice and creative services. It’s definitely more than just an office, it’s a place where people can connect with themselves and others. The ultimate goal is to build a community of creators and creatives.

When you spend time in the studio, you can use various tools including high-end photography and videography equipment, green screens, proper lighting, etc. Whether you’re a company, a start-up brand or a young content creator looking to grow or in need of support in content creation, The Timechamber is the place to be.

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The Timelab Transforming fun ideas into reality? Two product development students, Lars Van Dyck and Senne Bernaerts, are up for the challenge. Together with the team, they set up a creative makerspace, The Timelab. It’s a separate space inside the Timechamber where they work on their projects.

Armed with a couple of 3D-printers and a bad-ass laser cutter, they are able to mold all digital creations into tangible, physical objects. They engrave anything you can imagine and make unique, real life gadgets. If a company wants to take their branding to the next level, these guys will make it happen.

Their client base consists mainly of event agencies, hospitality businesses, and youth movements.

Developing and personalizing products such as stamps, signage, and promotional gifts are no secret to Lars and Senne. This is also due to their extensive knowledge in the world of 3D-modeling, and software like Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and After Effects.

Their purpose is to help others by providing qualitative and professional products, especially when it comes to the branding of a start-up, product development, prototyping or super cool video animations.

The possibilities are endless!

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PFL

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PERSISTS IN BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE!

PFL Group has been active in the audiovisual sector for more than 23 years and offers technical support for live, hybrid and virtual meetings and events, creative and video solutions.

“I AM, AND REMAIN, CONVINCED THAT HAPPY EMPLOYEES MAKE HAPPY CLIENTS, IN BELGIUM AND ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD. ” DOMINIC DE GRUYTER, PFL’S CEO

The corona pandemic brought the entire events sector to a standstill, and this was no different for PFL. However, this did not stop Dominic De Gruyter, PFL CEO, to switch to virtual events in the early stages of the crisis.

people to come to Brussels. For this edition, however, PFL re-purposed a large warehouse to a control room with multiple screens, attracting no less than 6000 unique visitors to a virtual conference.

They already had the expertise!

With the acquisition of ABBIT three years ago, this virtual expertise grew enormously. They were triggered by the multi-hub story of Abbit’s founder, Maarten Vanneste, in which groups of people gather in different locations or hubs. The hubs virtually connect in a multihub system. Even when thousands of miles apart, it feels as if all participants are in one location.

Moreover, multi-hub event organisers focus on sustainability as they make considerable savings on travel expenses and CO² emissions.

The successful organisation of Sustainable Energy Week in June 2020, an assignment for the European Commission, has elevated PFL to a new level. This yearly event would attract three to four thousand

During the pandemic, they took the risk to keep on investing.

They acquired WIMEC Event Centre in Turnhout. This conference centre was refurnished with ready to use virtual studios, designed as a cosy living room, a spacious TV studio and a green key studio.

Recently, an impressive and ready to use hybrid setting was added, enabling PFL to bring the best of two worlds together: live and online.

They are all set for the events of the future!

Additionally, they successfully boosted their sales department during the pandemic, resulting in the delivery and installation of equipment in boardrooms with online facilities, the furnishing of cultural centres and even the entire audio installation of the Beerschot football stadium.

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION: PFL = PRE FADE LISTEN

The name says it all.

They love to listen to your requirements, and they aim for 100 % client satisfaction.

No audiovisual challenge is too big, nor too small: a local exhibition or an international multi-hub meeting, a unique company event or an intimate birthday party.

Thanks to the strong growth and their varied offer, they have – again – outgrown their current warehouse. By the end of 2021, they will double the space to accommodate: • • • • •

A professional tv/broadcast studio (15x25m²) Three (3) brand new editing rooms Innovative meeting facilities Training rooms Additional storage space

The studio will be the showpiece of the PFL Group and will comply with the current safety norms. This space will be soundproof and lightproof, with separated ventilation and air-conditioning systems. The rig points on the ceiling will be able to support 6 tons.

Dominic De Gruyter, PFL’s CEO

Guaranteeing consistent quality is extremely important for PFL Group. That is why the team is their most important capital.

Because it is challenging to find skilled staff in the sector, they decided to train their team members in the PFL Academy. PFL experts train new team members so that they can work as professionals with the latest techniques for sound, light and video.

In the meantime, the team has grown to 50 permanent employees and a pool of experienced freelancers.

PFL is also taking further steps in making international meetings more sustainable. While technicians used to travel from all over the world to the event location, PFL now hires experienced local technicians to support the events.

Recently, PFL Iberia opened in Barcelona, Spain. This fits in their long term plan to have an affiliate in every major European congress city.

With the participation in the VOKA Charter for Corporate Sustainability, they made a deliberate choice to commit to sustainability. At the same time, they put a lot of effort into the comfort of the team.

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Since the start of the summer in 2021, PFL is working on live events again. According to Dominic De Gruyter, it felt like coming home.

PFL Group Rouwbergskens 8 – 2340 Beerse (Industriezone Beerse-Zuid) Tel: +32 14 44 08 70 Email: info@pfl.be company/pfl-bvba PFL.av.rent.events pfl.audiovisual If you can dream it, they can create it!

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WHATEVER YOU CAN DO, OR DREAM YOU CAN, BEGIN IT. BOLDNESS HAS GENIUS, POWER, AND MAGIC IN IT.”

– JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

SPACE

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THE SPACE TRAINING ACADEMY NANCY VERMEULEN TRAINS ASPIRING ASTRONAUTS IN HER SPACE TRAINING ACADEMY

The Space Training Academy was founded by astrophysicist, airline pilot and space travel instructor Nancy Vermeulen. She prepares aspiring astronauts physically and mentally for their first trip into space, using a unique training program developed in collaboration with the Desdemona Aerospace Simulator and the Delft University of Technology.

Why the Space Training Academy was founded People often have mixed feelings about space travel.

“Why do we even want to go into space?” some people ask. “Haven’t we created enough problems on Earth already?” Or they say, “Commercial space travel is just the next hobby for the superrich.” In reality, it’s a lot

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more complex than that. And that is why the Space Training Academy was founded: to contribute to scientific research and help the general public understand the significance of space travel.

The vision: space travel is a source of innovation People who see space as a playground for the super-rich fail to see the most crucial characteristic: space is a huge source of innovation. Most of the things we are using every day are here because of space travel. Solar panels, GPS, portable computers, recycling techniques, even water treatment facilities. Almost every solution we have on this planet was developed to solve a problem in space

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and was then commercialized for daily use on Earth. Space exploration challenges us to continuously develop new technology, which eventually makes life on Earth better.

The mission: to unite people around the significance of space The Space Training Academy wants to educate and inspire the public through training, workshops and lectures. The more people understand the beauty and significance of space, the better. The ultimate goal is humanitarian: we should stop being distracted by the things that separate us and start focusing on the things that unite us. Because we are all “Earthlings”, and we will all have to work together to survive in the long run.

The offer: education, research and training The academy offers spaceinspired lectures and workshops for the general public and further academic research.

In addition, the academy prepares private astronauts physically and mentally for space travel. The training consists of different modules, and each activity is tailor-made to fit the candidate astronaut.

For example, you can take part in a zero-gravity flight to find out how your body responds to weightlessness. Or you can take the high-G centrifuge training to expose your body to the same high-G acceleration that an astronaut experiences in space. Are you curious to know what happens to an astronaut if there is a loss of pressure in the cabin while travelling? You can prepare for this pressure drop emergency in a hypobaric room under the supervision of our experts. Or you can simulate a real commercial

space flight, virtually dock with the ISS and even land a spacecraft yourself.

Who it is for Candidates who take the training are not always planning to go to space. Some just want to know what space travel feels like in a simulated environment. Others are serious about their space endeavors and take the training as an actual preparation for a future commercial space flight.

About the founder: Nancy Vermeulen Nancy Vermeulen is an interdisciplinary professional with a broad range of experience in the space science and aerospace sector as an astrophysicist, airline pilot, flight instructor, senior aerospace consultant and strategic

advisor. She took part in the ESA astronaut selections (2008), organized the 8th European Mars Conference and was commander of a Mars simulation mission. As a visionary entrepreneur she specialized in Private Astronaut Training and founded the Space Training Academy. She is also a published author – she wrote the book “Iedereen Ruimtevaarder”.

How to get in touch The training facilities of the Space Training Academy are spread across Belgium and The Netherlands. Candidates can send their applications to info@space-training.com or consult https://space-training.com/ for more information.

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BE AN INNOVATOR, NOT AN IMITATOR.” - AUDREY CARBALLO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

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CREATIVEYEWORKS

HAVING THE GREATEST POSSIBLE SOCIAL IMPACT AND CREATING A REALISTIC SOCIAL, CIRCULARECONOMIC SELF-SUSTAINING SYSTEM. THIS IS THE MISSION OF THE CREATIVEYEWORKS PROJECT. THE PROJECT AIMS TO CREATE A GREAT ADDED VALUE THAT FLOWS COMPLETELY BACK TO SOCIETY. I am Koen Van Pottelbergh and due to a serious accident where I lost half of my sight, my view on life changed drastically. That is why I created the concept “CreativEyeworks”. Because everyone in the world has the right to see well, and to take all opportunities life has to offer!

The concept is based on five pillars, which are put into practice by different concepts and organizations. The intention with “CreativEyeworks” is to develop and streamline these five pillars properly. Each pillar is equally important for success, because these are the communicating vessels.

Eyes For The World Is the “Social pillar”. It aims to give as many people as possible around the world and in Belgium the opportunity to see fully.

Galleria Het Oog Our cultural pillar. We collaborate with young artists from the region and give them the opportunity to exhibit their work to a wider audience. We start from the motto “seeing gives art a soul”.

Each time, a local artist is given a month to exhibit his/her works in the physical store of “Den Brillenman”.

This is a win-win situation for everyone, in the first place for the artist, who becomes more famous, but also for the visitor who has a nice extra pigment when they come to the store.

Refaced For example, approximately 350,000 people worldwide have been helped with the “FocusSpecs”, self-correcting glasses. These projects span South America, Africa, Asia and Europe and are done in collaboration with numerous organizations. This is done with the help of donations and gifts from people and organizations, but also gifts from our commercial pillar “Den Brillenman”. This model is called: Business to Society ( B2S) In Belgium, we work together with various organizations such as the Red Cross, Fedasil, but also social houses of the municipalities around the city Mechelen. The intention is to pursue this form of cooperation with social houses to help throughout the whole Belgium.

Den Brillenman Represents our “Commercial pillar”, it is an optician concept-store in Mechelen that started as a pop-up store in 2019, but is now permanently located in Mechelen.

The physical store/webshop is the commercial aspect within the larger concept “CreativEyeworks”. However, it is essential to also have a commercial pillar and therefore a shop in order to be able to implement the socio-economic aspect on a large scale. And eventually be completely self-sustaining.

Is the “Circular pillar” and is very important to us. As a society we have the responsibility to overthink our consumer behavior, we need to transform from a mass-consumption to a re-consumption model. Refaced is the new concept that we want to develop and deploy. The aim here is to collect old and second-hand glasses and give them a new life, so that the economic life can be extended. This makes it possible to make the process circular. We want to start a recycling process with the recovered lenses as well. With this concept we want to improve the quality of glasses and decrease the price of it.

Education and personal development of people, especially from disadvantaged groups, is also extremely important within the entire concept of “CreativEyeworks”. That is why there is currently already a collaboration with the city of Mechelen to give people from disadvantaged groups the opportunity to do an internship at “Den Brillenman”. These people are trained mainly through a practical approach to learning on the job.

The intention is to also enter into even more collaborations, such as with the VDAB, social houses, etc. in order to employ even more people. The profession of optician has become a bottleneck profession and if we want to make this socioeconomic circular concept a success that can be implemented on a large scale, we just need a lot of good opticians. That is why we see it as our duty to give these people a chance and to train them well and to develop our “educational pillar” as well.

I am convinced that this project will succeed and will have a disruptive and positive impact on the optical sector and society as a whole.

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DE SATELLIET OF DE MAANWANDELAARS IN BOECHOUT WHERE DIVIDING UNITES

De Maanwandelaars are well known for offering housing solutions and meaningful daytime activities for adults with medium or severe mental disabilities. With five locations in the southern outskirts of Antwerp, they consciously opt for warm small scale and flexibility. This forms a favorable framework for offering people maximum participation in their own care plan. As far as possible, people are encouraged and guided towards greater self-reliance and self-confidence.

One of the targets is to live as much as possible in the midst of normal society. For hundreds of years, people with mental disabilities were safely hidden away on specialized islands of care. Initiatives such as the day workshop De Satelliet run by De Maanwandelaars are helping to make the change.

Close-by the center of Boechout you’ll find a spacious workshop behind the Heuvelstraat residence of De Maanwandelaars, sharing is the theme for the operation of this workshop and what it is all about.

Sharing with all families from the wider area with children under the age of 12 thanks to the children’s bicycle library. Children’s bicycles in

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all sizes are collected and checked so that they are safely available to children for a minimal fee. Cycling safely is a wonderful asset, but children grow like weeds and regularly need a larger size of bicycle. De Satelliet works here to lower the threshold.

Sharing with everyone from a wider area of people who do not immediately throw away in the container park every device that breaks down. De Satelliet serves as a turntable for the Repair Café volunteers, who are only too happy to first check whether the device can be easily repaired.

Sharing with inhabitants of Boechout who have a financially difficult time and who make use of the food sharing organized in De Satelliet via the Municipal Social Welfare. A growing group of shops, traders and growers are keeping surpluses aside in order to share them with the people in need.

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Sharing with refugees who can shelter in Boechout. Thanks to a sewing workshop in De Satelliet, volunteers from Gastvrij Boechout give sewing courses so that people can learn to make and repair their own clothes.

This unique mixture and collaboration between volunteers with neighbours and counselors forms a very natural context in which people with mental disabilities easily find their own role. All activities take place at separate times so that De Satelliet is not as busy as a beehive.

This would be confusing for the users and counterproductive.

The spacious workshop is also arranged in such a way that everything is well-arranged and essentially restful. In the center is a large table and chairs. Due to the mix of volunteers and visitors, De Satelliet is in fact also a meeting place. At any time people are able to sit down to chat and have a cup of coffee. When it is summer there will certainly be a few chairs outside in the garden where sun and shade will also be shared restfully.

At De Satelliet, inclusion is so much more than a word.

When interested you can contact Nele Moris, our coordinator of The Satelliet. Please mail her at nele.moris@demaanwandelaars.be

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CITY PIRATES

FOOTBALL THE ENGINE - SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT THE FUEL & DIVERSITY - THE POWER! Where others see problems, we see opportunities.

We believe that if we give these youngsters the trust, the warm welcome and the structure they need, they can and will amaze us. And what better way to make the connection than through football?

And it works. We currently reach 1400 Pirates on a structural basis, aged between 5 and 25, boys and girls; 100 nationalities. What binds them in the first place is the love for the game.

We have a team of nine social workers. Based on the trust that is built through football we can visit the players at home. During such a visit parents ask us questions about administration, job search, debt mediation, the school results of their kids, violence…

Because of the vulnerable and complex context the youngsters grow up, we also try to assist the parents in their pedagogy.

Although our youngsters have the dream to become a professional football player, we need to be realistic. Most of them won’t make it to the professional football player league. That is why we focus on their school results. We get in contact with their schools, we do follow ups on their results and the youngsters get homework assistance at the club.

School results always come first.

City Pirates is a social football project in Antwerp, Belgium. We believe that football can change the world. We are active in five complex areas (Merksem, Linkeroever, Luchtbal, Deurne & Dam). Areas that are known for poverty, unemployment, drug trafficking… The youngsters growing up in these areas are often vulnerable and connected to the streets.

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But that’s not all. We are helping them with Dutch language courses. We also give other competence workshops like acquiring digital skills, music and dance workshops in our River Side Studio, assistance in finding a (student) job, cleaning the neighborhood, organising European Eramus+ Projects, and are actively present on the public squares in various neighborhoods.

City Pirates is a project for, of and together with the youngsters. We really want them to participate in the project. We also motivate our youngsters to take certain responsibilities in the club. They can become a volunteer, coach, referee, part of the youth council… In a strong community, everyone helps each other. We expect that our youngsters help others. For

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example, if we helped certain players to find a student job, we expect them to assist the younger ones later on. In this way, we can grow as a sustainable project.

Whereas football binds our youngsters in the first instance, we find that being a Pirate becomes a positive identity for the youngsters that nurtures a sense of belonging. As a Pirate we are all equal, and we can all be who we really are. It also comes with responsibility. Each one of them is an ambassador of the project. If they misbehave in public, at school, or during a student job, they misbehave as a Pirate, and we will be able to start the conversation.

They are a part of City Pirates and they need to want to grow together with the project.

Many youngsters in the city of Antwerp want

to become a Pirate. We see the effect on our waiting list. Currently there are 700 children on our waiting list. A challenge we want to be able to tackle in the future, but which is of course connected with resources.

City Pirates wants to become a leading example of how football is used to change the position of vulnerable children. Not by holding their hands, but by giving them responsibility, belonging and chances. They have the talent; the world just needs to be able to see it. We hope we convince more clubs to follow this vision and are already sharing our methods with some of them.

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CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

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SUCCESS IS STEADY PROGRESS TOWARD ONE’S PERSONAL GOALS.” – JIM ROHN

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FORUM ADVOCATEN

FORUM ADVOCATEN WAS FOUNDED IN 2012 BY FOUR ASSOCIATES: REINER TIJS, FREDERIC ROSIERS, JANA KERN AND ILSE DE GEYTER. THEY DRASTICALLY CHANGED THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE WITH THEIR UNIQUE METHODOLOGY: THEY BASE THEIR WORK ON A RELATIONSHIP-ORIENTED APPROACH TO LAW.

At the root of this is the idea that clients are a hub of ‘relationships’ and ‘interests’ that need to be monitored, supported and/or improved.

Rather than just looking at what is “ legal “ in a specific “ case “, the focus is on what is really important for clients in their professional (and non-professional) relationships with other actors.

cultural heritage, nature, etc. sectors). If the Codex Environmental Planning is applied without taking all these relationships and interests into account, this can lead to (lengthy) procedures, while our clients benefit from sustainable solutions. This is exactly what we prioritise when dealing with these types of cases”.

Reiner Tijs, who specialises in both public and environmental law, illustrates this with an example: “Realising a construction project is not a matter of merely applying ‘environmental law’. The main objective is to maintain relations with the authorities (who are responsible for issuing the permits), with local residents (who must be convinced of the quality of the project in their environment) and with the advisory bodies (who monitor the interests of the water,

“The same applies to construction and real estate law,” adds Ilse De Geyter. “If the client/ contractor/architect relationship goes sour, nothing good can come of it. Sometimes a construction partner has a legal claim, for example to suspend its payment obligation, but exercising this right could lead to a full-scale standstill. In which case, it is not only important to be aware of the contractual rights and obligations, but also to be aware of the interests

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of all parties in order to ensure that the ultimate goals of the project are not compromised by blind litigation. At the end of the day, all that matters is the result, is in our clients’ favour.”

Frederic Rosiers also recognises the advantages of this relationship-based approach: “I mainly deal with cases in the field of entrepreneurial and corporate law. Companies are microsocieties with associates, directors, shareholders and employees. Conflicts within the company can degenerate into lengthy procedural wars.

But a deeper insight into the real underlying interests of the various stakeholders can often prevent this. This is particularly applicable for family businesses and SMEs, where personal and family relationships very often define the business climate.” Frederic, who also took a course in mediation, also states: “We negotiate and mediate when possible, but litigate when necessary.”

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Jana Kern, proficient in (international) labour and social security law, acknowledges this by saying: “Naturally, both employers’ and employees’ rights and obligations must be respected. However, this does not diminish the fact that there are often underlying professional and/or personal interests, which require attention in order to find solutions in the clients’ interest. Speaking the right language helps as well.” Additionally, Jana has an asset that holds particular importance for a relationship-oriented legal profession: she is fluent in six languages and lived in 5 different countries. “Law can be a means to an end, but proactive, clear and transparent communication is often a more powerful weapon. Acknowledging the different international and cultural backgrounds of all parties involved is of the utmost importance.

This is one of our firm’s key ambitions. We say what we do and we do what we say.

By doing so, we build long-lasting relationships with our clients and with our staff members within the firm. That really is a key to success.”

“This innovative strategy within the legal profession is greatly appreciated by our clients,” notes Reiner Tijs. “In 2022 we will be celebrating our tenth anniversary. We have grown from a practice with four lawyers to a specialised and close-knit team of about 20 lawyers. Meanwhile, we are working alongside our clients on many large and sustainable projects. For instance, we are currently collaborating on the realisation of the Oosterweel connection, the completion of the Antwerp ringway. This project will drastically change the traffic situation and the way of life in the city of Antwerp through connection and innovation. We are proud to be at the forefront of one of the largest megastructure projects in Europe.

Recently, we also realised one of our own projects,” Ilse De Geyter points out: we moved to a brand new, easily accessible location at Rijnpoortvest, on ‘de Leien’ in Antwerp.

“We opted for a lot of light and glass, which highlights our open communication and transparent working method. This is the way we want to proceed, alongside our clients and the entire Forum Advocaten team. We work for people, not just clients.”

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KOMMA BOARD

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

In 2013, Komma Board started out as a consulting company in ICT & Finance. Our business model is atypical, as we act as a subcontractor to main ICT or Finance contractors for multinational or international Fortune 500 companies.

Acting as an independent partner, this specific market position allows Komma Board to get deeply involved with its employees. Our collaboration with our customers (the contractor) is based on mutual co-dependence and involves a long-term partnership. On the other hand, our customers take on the commercial responsibility, whereas Komma Board becomes their recruitment and HR department, while economically operating as two separate legal entities.

This market position separates the contractual obligations between project consultant and project client. As Komma Board represents

the employee, the contractor represents the end-customer. This endcustomer is the organization where the project consultant fulfills his ICT or finance consulting assignment for a designated period of time.

This model allows Komma Board to act as an intermediary between employee and (end) customer. The innovative human approach of Komma Board differs from its competitors, as the Komma Board employee is responsible for their own career-path.

The Komma Board consultants decide for themselves if they want to work on a particular project, or not. They also decide for themselves the period they want to be engaged in said particular project.

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Sitting in the driver seat of their own career, they need to develop a high level of selfempowerment.

The power of the guidance of Komma Board is the final competitive advantage.

Emotional Intelligence as a key business driver Being the driver of your own career, implies finding a balance between freedom and responsibility. Finding the balance to match your own skills and natural talents within a complex, fast-changing and high-demanding economic environment, requires a high degree of personal growth and personal development. It means growing your own trust and connections in yourself and in others, and to accept vulnerability into a business setting. It means breaking down sets of belief systems installed by the industrial revolution and releasing judgment towards the self and towards others.

As a consultant, Komma Board helps and guides its employees throughout their career, not only by teaching them technical skills, but mainly by developing (inter)-personal skills. Facing fears, thinking creatively, empowering of the self and being able to build trust amongst each other.

contributors to a profit-oriented system.

Living up to the standards that are set out in our western way of thinking and educational programs.

A changing business life is the only constant nowadays. Learning to include all of our senses (mind, heart and soul) into our work lives and living up to our true nature makes us feel more fulfilled and less subject to burn-outs or boreouts. We live in times where the mental shift restructures our belief in systems, religions, institutions as governments, large corporate entities, nations and politicians.

Building dreams, not careers Being the most talented workers, we are trained to be the most engaged employees for our organizations and their leaders. We are used to living up to the expectations and recognition of others, and as such are productive and efficient

However, people need a sense of belonging to a group. As it gives meaning to their own life to be involved and “heard” in something bigger than one’s own.

At Komma Board, we develop our people to live up to their own dreams, which are allowed to be created and are supported by the organization.

The path to self-actualization is therefore no longer subject to what someone is expecting people to become as a result of what society prescribes to what it means to be “successful”.

Genuine success, is being able to create the career-life, together with co-workers who believe in each other and who feel each other’s vibe and lifting this to a higher state of conscious work. This is where EQ comes in: in order to get into the natural state of where you want to be in your work-life, people need to go within and develop inner belief and strength.

This is the reason why we install programs in our company in order to help our employees to: 1. Believe in ones-self and in and your own capabilities as humans, and 2. Believe in the power of a group (colleagues) to help one another in fulfilling each other’s dreams.

We do this by combining individual coaching, innovation bootcamps and personal development programs. We believe in creativity and the power of the mind. Persistence and positive mind-sets, also when it comes to how you deal with set-backs and overcome difficulties.

Our innovation lies in the empowerment not only of the individual but the organization as a whole by giving the individual the power to belong to a system where people can find meaning, significance and purpose. Making profit is no longer a goal, it becomes a result.

That’s why we teach our employees to be aligned with their heart, mind and soul. We teach about positive mindsets, dreaming big and visualizing ambitions. Developing emotional intelligence (heart), and as being equally valuable as developing only rational intelligence (mind).

And we learn to act upon it. Our future is now, as we need to start being its own creator.

Together.

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PASSION FOR BUSINESS THIS EXPLAINS HOW I, BEING A SINGLE MOM AND BUSINESSCOACH, COULD CREATE MY DESIRED LIFESTYLE (AND HOW YOU CAN TOO) On the very day of the deadline of this article, my son becomes ill. He can’t go to day care. He doesn’t like day care anyhow. During the first year of his life, I nearly spent all my time being with him. A conscious decision.

It was my biggest desire.

For years. To become a mother. I have moved heaven and earth to become a single mom. It might not have been my first choice, but it definitely was my best: to never give up on my dreams. In 2019 he finally was born: Andres.

After years of putting my career first, my priorities changed.

Neither did I want to continue my 60-hour work weeks, nor did I want to continue the daily involvement in staffing problems. Yes, I was successful. Yes, I had built a million Euro revenue career coaching company.

But a major part of my turnover was spent on paying my team and all the overhead costs. On a monthly basis, I spent over 10.000 € to marketers and advertising. Stress all day, firefighting, and a continuous staff turnover. An oversaturated market. Government regulations changing all the time.

Being pregnant with Andres, I simply knew I had to do it differently.

I sold my company. And started looking for another business model which was much more simple and far more efficient.

Happily I discovered an innovative high-end business model. Now, I am working as a Business Mentor with the nicest clients coming from all of Flanders and the Netherlands, in the beautiful offices of Fosbury and Sons. I guide aspiring entrepreneurs to successfully sell a high-end offer, so they can earn very well with a simple business.

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My clients are coaches, trainers, consultants who are successful (revenue + €100K), but they get stuck. Growth is no longer possible with the business model that brought them here. My clients are very enthusiastic: they learn new things (to make +50K programs for instance), they can work with better clients who achieve much better results, they feel more fulfilled and they make more money.

“From a 70-hour workweek to a 24-hour workweek, doubled turnover and each month € +1000 passive income” - VIP-client Karine Van Oosterbos, coach and coach trainer.

In the past six months I made a revenue of almost 300K. I work 30h a week so I have enough time for my son, social life and doing sports. I tell you the figures, to show you what’s possible.

No big team, no ads, no high costs, no agenda full of appointments…

Can you imagine? Maybe you are in the case where you are no longer happy with the business you have. You miss the spark in your eyes… you risk a bore-out or a burn-out in your own company. Working too much, with in the end too little money in the bank account.

Stress, too little time for family life, sports, friends… Do you recognize all this?

Maybe you are one choice away from a totally different experience…

How will it be when you can position yourself at the top of the market, so that you can work with the best clients who are willing to pay very well for your knowledge and the services you provide?

You are attracted by quality, more than quantity.

You can ask premium prices for a premium offer working with premium clients, online or on premium locations. Of course, a price adjustment is more than just adjusting numbers. It requires different skills and a different mindset. I help you with this beautiful discovery...

Are you a coach, consultant or trainer earning 100K but stuck in growing further?

Do you want to know how this high-end business model can work for you?

Request a Free Strategy Session: https://passionforbusiness.be/contact/ and I can tell you which possibilities I see for you.

I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Katrin Van de Water Business Mentor Passion for Business

Let’s connect on katrinvandewater Katrin Van de Water Business Mentor Passion for Business

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‘Lef’ is the Dutch word for ‘guts’ or ‘courage’, which is the perfect description of what I do: with LEF I push organizations and their leaders to explore, examine and create business opportunities for the day after tomorrow. Not only by optimizing their strategic thinking and solving underlying problems that limit their development, but also by making them aware of and implementing game-changing trends.

LEF IS MORE INNOVATION HAS A FACE

HOW IT STARTED My path might not be the most conventional one. I’ve been a lawyer, have a background in marketing and worked in general management and change management. These were all great experiences, but I wanted to do more. I wanted to help more organizations than just the one. I wanted to see more businesses flourish, more entrepreneurs reach their true potential and really make an impact on the world. Enter: LEF.

HELICOPTER MIND & 360° VIEW: THE LEF STRENGTH To stay competitive, organizations must innovate. But from my own working experiences I knew that was easier said than done and that it often requires a new set of eyes. Most companies are preoccupied with day-to-day operations and are having trouble seeing what needs to be done in order to be future ready.

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Especially in times of crisis it’s important to be able to shift to an adaptive mindset. I think the pandemic made that crystal clear to all of us.

And that’s where my strength comes in: I have a helicopter mind. I see where and how we can translate abstract terms into the practical field and vice versa, like a helicopter that shifts between different altitude levels. To do so, we look at the company from every possible angle, a 360° view: we look into the future, the past, the big picture, the core values, the fortes, and what actions to take…

This not only enables companies to make a durable shift, it also helps to identify organizational challenges, as every activity is being questioned in terms of its purpose, its value, its methods, processes and other requirements.

That link between what already exists, and the bigger picture is very important to me. It’s not a rigid, but a human way of looking at things. I believe innovation doesn’t necessarily mean throwing everything down the drain and starting from scratch, but that it’s staying true to the DNA of your company, while chiseling it into something more durable and futureproof.

TRENDS ARE THE WAY TO GO Preparing companies for the future also means spotting possibilities to stay ahead of the game.

And that entails truly understanding the

audience. It would be wrong to believe that your audience is an immovable group of stone figures, it’s a living and breathing system with evolving desires and emotions.

As a trend analyst I help my clients understand in which direction their audience is evolving: how is their behavior changing? Which innovations are coming their way? And how do you distinguish long-term trends from hypes?

These trends are extremely fascinating in my opinion. They not only offer you a clear insight into today’s society, but it also puts a human face on innovation, which we too often only link with technology.

REMARKABLE PROJECTS City of Antwerp: In 2021 I’ve been the Innovation Project Leader of the Chief Digital Officer-team and helped the city to put their innovation strategy into practice. Through future labs for example. It has been a very interesting challenge which will create a lot of impact, I’m sure.

Higher education: I’m connected to several universities like Karel De Grote Hogeschool and Thomas More, where I give guest lectures on entrepreneurship and have a seat in several committees for example. I strongly believe in lifelong learning. And I hope that as a mentor I can pass on this vision to younger generations, while learning from them at the same time.

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BLUE & WHITE

TRAINING THE BLUE AND WHITE COLLARS IN ORGANIZATIONS TO ESTABLISH A SUSTAINABLE SAFETY CULTURE Do you work in construction, transport or logistics, or are you a manager or manager in one of these sectors?

Then safety training has no secrets for you. From transport and logistics training to health training, from road codes and freight documents to training with rolling bridges, excavators and fire extinguishers: you are required by law to successfully complete safety trainings. When you obtain a certificate or attestation, you can get started with peace of mind.

Or not? Do you find that this is not enough? Don’t your employees’ noses point in the same direction when it comes to safety? Or do accidents still happen too often? In that case, you need guidance that suits your employees and enables you to achieve success together. In this article you can read how BLUE & WHITE (formerly known as NOA Academy) can help you with this.

BLUE & WHITE works with you on sustainable growth The mandatory safety training courses, where the necessary hard skills are worked on, are only one way to build a safe working environment. The other way runs along the soft competencies: communication and reflection, leadership, value-oriented (collaborative) working, and so on.

Just as you call on a specialized company for the mandatory training courses, it is also best to consult an expert for these courses.

That expert is not the one who waves a finger or condemns you. On the contrary, he takes the time to get to know you, maps out and confirms what is going well but also exposes the pain points. He does this in all honesty and with understanding for the points of view of managers and employees – the “blue and white collars”

BLUE & WHITE TRAINING AND COACH ING EMPOWERING LEAD ER S AND TEAMS

At BLUE & WHITE, our task starts when the certificates have been distributed. It is our mission to achieve sustainable growth by bringing business managers, managers and staff closer together and letting them work towards one common goal: the success of their company.”

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GROW: the basic philosophy of BLUE & WHITE

From a one-off workshop to a long-term process, we always strive for sustainable growth.”

Ingrid Nys, Owner Blue & White

The credo GROW! is the basic philosophy of BLUE & WHITE. It is also the foundation of any guidance trajectory or training.

GROW! refers to the end goal that BLUE & WHITE has in mind. Whether it is a workshop or a long-term process, the goal is for sustainable, professional and personal growth.

GROW! stands for four values that are a prerequisite for sustainable growth: 1. Granting: only when you grant each other happiness and success, you come to a collaboration that takes your team and company to a higher level.

2. Respect: it is by giving respect that you will earn respect.

3. hOnesty: the basic condition for long-term sustainable cooperation, in addition to honesty and authenticity.

4. Willing: only if everyone involved has the will, there is also a way.

Towards a supported safety culture with BLUE & WHITE Based on the GROW! philosophy, BLUE & WHITE developed a complete offering for management and employees – for the blue and white collars. BLUE & WHITE consciously focusses on both groups distinguishing itself from other training centers that mainly focus on the white collars.

Because sustainable successes only arise from collaboration, they place people and the team at the center of their offerings without sacrificing impact. They bring people together and work towards common goals. They do this with an offering that they have built around a few central pillars. We explain the four most important ones: 1. Safety culture A successful business needs a safety culture supported by the blue and white collars. That’s a culture where people are intrinsically motivated to avoid risks and take care of each other. This concerns both psychological and physical safety.

Involvement and recognition are of great importance.

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2. Leadership To achieve success in a safe working environment, everyone must be on the same page. And that requires good leadership.

A good leader builds trust and connection and creates a climate in which growth and well-being are central to involvement and recognition.

3. Communication & self-reflection Clear and transparent communication are essential building blocks of good leadership.

But employees also have every interest in communicating clearly. That starts with self-reflection. By gaining insight into your own professional identity, you can also gain insight into the position of others and communicate effectively and empathically.

4. Value-driven (collaborative) working Values are the basis of all this. You can only communicate well and in a targeted way, lead and work on a safety culture if you do so based on your values. So you have to make it explicit and follow it. These values are the compass of your team and your company.

blue-white.eu

INNOVATION IS SEEING WHAT EVERYBODY HAS SEEN AND THINKING WHAT NOBODY HAS THOUGHT.”

– DR. ALBERT, SZENT- GYÖRGYI

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INDEX 3D Cadworks Absolem Achilles Design

A N T W E R P

134 21, 115, 120 128

AGC Glass Europe

24

Arco Information

148

ATHOMA Clinic

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MiniOne Systems

98

NOBI

88

ODTH First Class Logistics Open Manufacturing Campus - OMC

164 20, 110

Passion for Business

236

PCB Solutions

122

Peace of Meat

194

Bedenk

136

PFL Group

216

Blue & White

240

Port of Antwerp-Bruges

162

Power to Methanol

104

AVIA-Gis

BlueChem

60

23

96

City Pirates

228

PUXANO

CreativEyeworks - Eyes For The World

224

Q-Lite

124

CrowdScan

150

RiceMeUp

176

De Nille Antiques

204

Sadechaf

115

De Satelliet of De Maanwandelaars

226

SAM Sensory & More

Dekimo

117

Sigi Hermans

208

Signify 3D Printing

114

Delta Care

90

92

Domein Walterus

186

SkyeBase

152

Ergotrics

117

Sluys International

180

Solenco Power

116

Flanders Bio

19

Forum Advocaten

232

Space Training Academy

220

FX de Beukelaer

184

Streekplatform Kempen

14

Geysen

142

Succes Koffie

1, 29

Technopolis

198

TextUp Copywriting

210

The Ecological Entrepreneur

172

The Timechamber

212

Global Village Publishing Inc. GNA - Global New Automation Gorilla Marketing Groep Van Roey

27, 140 212 28

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17, 50, 84, 190

Heirbaut aLgriculture

192

Thomas More

Hello

156

Thomas More Experience Hub

146

TRI-VIZOR

166 106

HERAN Partners

80

Hidrodoe

200

Triple Helix Group

IBEVE

170

UltraZonic

86

IMBY Pet Foods

178

Vaccinopolis

52

INEOS

22, 100

Van Roey ICT Group

Janssen Beerse

18

Van Schaik (Dr.)

Janssen-Cilag

62

VITO

Komma Board

234

Vlaamse Regering

158 72 26, 132 6 4, 30

KU Leuven

16, 38, 48

LEF Is More

238

Vosschemie - V-Sure

Luxexcel

114

Voxdale

130

Media Office

154

WaterstofNet

116

VOKA - Chamber of Commerce Mechelen-Kempen

244

25, 108

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InnovationsoftheWorld.com

SHOWCASING THE BEST OF THE WORLD - CONNECTING MINDS - BUILDING COMMUNITIES

The Innovate series is a 300-page in-depth study and AR video series that showcases the people and companies that are leading the race within the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems of each city and industry. A book with augmented reality video, an online platform and a global network with a common goal of ensuring the brightest minds of the world connect and succeed.

IT’S A KIND OF MAGIC...

DOWNLOAD THE GLOBAL VILLAGE AR APP TO VIEW 100 AUGMENTED REALITY VIDEOS IN THIS BOOK! To experience the future of print, download the Global Village AR App from the IOS or Android App stores. Open the App and hold it about 30cm above any page that contains an image with the “play” Icon.

Make sure your back camera is pointing at the page. Click the Play button that appears onscreen and immerse yourself in the latest updated content with reference to that page.

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THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU DO TODAY.” – MAHATMA GANDHI

© Global Village Publishing Inc. ISBN: 978-1-949677-28-7