The world is faced with far-reaching changes, many of which cannot even be imagined today. Western economic thinking is also strongly on the rise in the world. Economic activity, however, must be linked to respect for nature, our environment and other human values. Moreover, sustainable development – the combination of People, Planet and Profit – is not a Western concept, but rather a universal human value that applies to all countries of the world.
Sustainable development and its technological basis, cleantech, have been the major pillars of VITO research since it began in 1991. Consequently, on the one hand, we are convinced that our research and our relevance can only grow in the coming years. On the other hand, we note that our research increasingly is related to that which governments and industry throughout Europe see as their major challenges, the so-called ‘grand challenges’.
Substantively and strategically, VITO is well armed to fully assume its role in Flanders, Europe and the world, in 2012 and beyond.
