The first edition of FTI Hasselt has come to an end, and what an incredible week it was. Families, entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, and students came together for six days to experience and co-create the City of the Future at more than 25 locations in and around Hasselt and Genk. FTI Hasselt was the perfect moment to discover technology and innovation up close and personal.
VITO reflects with satisfaction on the successful completion of the EU-India Water collaboration project “Pavitra Ganga”. In this Horizon2020 project, European and Indian partners demonstrated innovative solutions for India’s challenges related to water quality, wastewater treatment and resource recovery. VITO coordinated the project along with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), based in New Delhi.
To be armed for the challenges of the coming decades, the Flemish government has firmly chosen to embrace sustainable innovation. This is evident in the new management agreement signed today by Flemish Minister of Economy, Innovation, Employment, Social Economy, and Agriculture, Jo Brouns, Ingrid Vanden Berghe, Chair of the Board of Directors of VITO, and Inge Neven, CEO of VITO. Minister Brouns announced an initial funding of 8 million euros for the operations and research within VITO. The signing was accompanied by a visit to the fully operational settings of LignoValue and Pillar II, the first and only pilot line of bio-aromatics from lignin in Europe.
S+T+ARTS4WATERII is excited to announce the Call for Artists for the second edition of the S+T+ARTS Residency Programme, which is dedicated to water sustainability and innovation at the nexus of science, technology, and arts. This time, the programme has a specific focus on the environmental challenges of ports, port cities, coastal areas, and waterways.
VITO is the coordinator of S+T+ARTS4WATERII. The other partners of the consortium are TBA21 (Spain and Italy), Camargo foundation (France), WAAG Futurelab (the Netherlands), GLUON (Belgium), OGR Torino (Italy), ADAPT Research Centre (Dublin), Klima Biennale Vienna-KunstHausWien (Austria), Drugo More (Croatia) and PiNA (Slovenia).
Niamey, the capital of Niger, is one of the hottest places on earth. At the same time, it also experiences unprecedented population growth. It is therefore particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In the Niamey Climate Forest Project, VITO developed together with ACMAD and CO2Logic an effective strategy against heat stress, based on a scientifically underpinned tree planting campaign and smart financing mechanisms.
Flemish companies engaged in materials research receive support for high-risk long-term research. In collaboration with VLAIO and the Department of Economy, Science, and Innovation of the Flemish government, MateriNex facilitates and manages sustainable materials research in Flanders by fostering collaboration between industrial and academic stakeholders with the aim of strengthening the materials research ecosystem in Flanders.