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Today, Flanders works continuously at maintaining an innovative information economy. The top Flemish priority is an on-going co-operation between university centres, the government and trade and industry. The lion’s share of the money put aside for scientific research by the Flemish Government is allocated to biotechnology, environmental technology and information technology.

During the past decades the strategic importance of encouraging science, technology and innovation has been recognised by the consecutive governments of Flanders. The Flemish Government wants to turn the Flemish economy into a ‘Creative Economy’. Therefore, a new initiative has been set up: “Flanders, District of Creativity”. With this project the Flemish Government wants to set up space for creative entrepreneurship. The aim of the initiative is to strengthen the Flemish economy. Internationally, this means working with foreign regions on political and economic issues. The goal is to eventually arrive at concrete business opportunities.

Main fields of research in Flanders

Flanders is a leader in its field when it comes to biotechnology, micro-electronics, multimedia and information technology.

Biotechnology, VIB

The Flemish biotechnology researchers, Prof. Dr. Walter Fiers and Prof. Dr. Désiré Collen, are among the hundred highest quoted researchers in the world. Flemish research groups publish their biotechnological discoveries in highly regarded journals. Since the beginning of the 1980s the Flemish company, Plant Genetic Systems, has been developing high quality plants, seeds and crops, resistant to viruses, moulds and weed killers. Biotechnology will be one of the key sectors in the future. It stands for revolutionary breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, nutrition, the chemical industry and environmental health.

In the 1995, the Flemish Government established the Flemish Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) so as to give the impressive concentration of knowledge and know-how in the field in Flanders every opportunity to develop. The VIB is rapidly expanding to become an exceptional centre of knowledge and an attractive prospect for national and foreign investment.

Micro-electronics, IMEC

Flanders is also leading the way in micro-electronics. The Interuniversity Micro-Electronics Centre (IMEC) is the most important independent research and development centre in Europe.

Telecommunication/Multimedia, Septentrio

In this age of the Internet and telematics, telecommunications are of vital importance. Flanders is perfectly equipped to meet this challenge. It has a hyper-modern telecommunication network. Moreover, Flanders is the spearhead of new applications in this field. In fact, approximately 95% of Flemish homes have cable TV and radio. This extensive cable network provides unique opportunities.

Flanders is also well equipped in the field of broadband internet access. In the near future, this broadband network will be used for applications such as digital interactive television.

In addition, the Flemish Government has started two research programmes to stimulate innovation in the telecommunications and multimedia industry:

  1. Information Technology Action Programme: The Information Technology Action Programme is aimed at stimulating technological research and development in the fields of system technology for the multimedia infrastructure (network infrastructure, access networks, multimedia technology, mobile and satellite communications…) and different types of software applications.
  2. Medialab Action Programme: The Medialab Action Programme wishes to expand and mobilise the expertise in the field of the consumer aspects of multimedia broadband services. A better insight into the legal, socio-economic, marketing and perception problems of multimedia services could increase the use of electronic services and accelerate the process of innovation.

Actors

The Minister for Economy, Enterprise, Science, Innovation and Foreign Trade is responsible for the science and technological innovation policy, whereas the Minister for Education and Training is responsible for the training of researchers and for the structural funding of scientific research at the universities and schools for higher education. The Flemish Council for Science Policy (VRWB) is the most important advisory body. The Science and Innovation Administration (AWI) provides the necessary support for the preparation and evaluation activities and plays a co-ordinating role towards the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders and the Fund for Scientific Research-Flander. It is the intention of the Government to reorganise these administrative structures to further improve their transparency, efficiency and quality.

Agencies

The Flemish Science and Innovation Administration (AWI) is the Flemish bridgehead organisation responsible for the operational co-ordination of the Flemish Network of Mobility Centres.

IWT facilitates the search of enterprises for technological partners, as well in Flanders www.innovatienetwerk.be, as on European level throughout the IRC-network (www.iwt.be/irc). IWT can also accompany each applicant to one of the 100 innovation centres in Flanders, moreover helping to choose the most appropriate formula of support, including the measures of the European Commission, especially the European Framework Programme (Flemish Contact Point) or the best instrument coping with the specific need of the firm.

Funding

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