Curriculum Vitae
Experience, overview
| Since 8/96 |
Scientific Advisor |
IWT Flemish Institute for the promotion of scientific-technological research in industry, Brussels, Belgium |
| 11/94 - 8/96 |
Product manager |
Premier Industrial Corporation, Zaventem, Belgium |
| 2/87 - 8/94 |
Research & Development Manager |
Lastek N.V., Herentals, Belgium |
| 5/80 - 2/87 |
Researcher/developer |
Lastek N.V., Herentals, Belgium |
Specific experience
He was strongly involved in the development of the IWT-KMO-Netwerk. He developed the electronic network tool, including the database, the protected extranet-site and the monitoring tools. He also adapted this set-up to the needs of the European innovation relay centres and developed the technical set up for the Star request system (which is now a pilot project in which six of the IRCs are involved).
He is presently co-ordinating and monitoring the IWT-KMO-netwerk and is responsible for its further expansion and for the implementation of new options.
Joining forces on innovation: the IWT-SME-Network.
Parallel Session A.3 and Demonstration
(Parallel session C)
As in any European region, also in Flanders there are a lot of 'intermediary' organisations that are active in one or another field related to innovation.
All these intermediary organisations have close relationships with their 'own' industrial clients. In addition to this, their expertise is often complementary : joining their skills and unlocking the information they dispose of undoubtedly results in a synergy.
When SMEs are confronted with questions related to research - or innovation in it's broadest sense - they will first try to get the information they need with 'their' intermediary organisation, rather than consult research information systems for themselves.
IWT - The Flemish Institute for the Promotion of Scientific-technological research in Industry - has taken the initiative to join the forces of these intermediaries by creating a network : the IWT-SME-Network (IWT-SMEN). Technically, the network is based on a world-wide web-extranet, centred around a database (address : http://www.iwt.be/kmo-net/; as an extranet, this is a username and password protected site).
The IWT-SMEN provides the opportunity to Flemish SMEs to address their questions related to innovation to a majority of Flemish intermediaries at once (by using their intermediary as entry point). As the IWT is hosting the Flemish Innovation Relay Centre (VIA), the IWT-SMEN is also 'connected' to Europe : VIA relays relevant information between the IWT-SMEN and the European IRCs.
As such, this network provides a way to make research information of all kinds available to Flemish (from Flanders and Europe) AND European industry (from Flanders).
As the IWT-SMEN includes organisations like:
- interface services of the universities and polytechnical schools,
- sectorial research institutions,
- technological advisory services,
- regional development agencies,
- sectorial cluster organisations,
- Flemish Innovation Relay Centre (VIA),
- IWT - Flemish Institute for the promotion of scientific-technological research in Industry.
Research information coming from all these sources becomes available to the industry through channels where it is familiar with : it's intermediary organisations!
Just to give some examples of information that is distributed:
- research results from European RTD-results (databases like CORDIS,..., are frequently used by IWT and other intermediaries),
- research results from universities,
- research results from Flemish sectorial research institutes,
- 'tacit knowledge' coming from technological advisory services,
- industrial research/development results to and from Flemish Industry (from and to European industry).
As this information is distributed in response to concrete problems or questions from the industry, it is readily absorbed and consequently, extremely good use is made of it. The first results of the IWT-SMEN are under evaluation and future developments are considered.
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