How to grow your SME by Innovation?

Flanders Make is the strategic research centre for the manufacturing industry. The Flanders Make Fieldlab is focusing on the industry with pre-competitive research supporting the manufacturing companies in product and production innovation. A dynamic, collaborative ecosystem is created based on the triplex helix concept.

The Flanders Make Fieldlab is committed to support the manufacturing companies in its journey to continuously innovate at a high speed and to embrace and support the digital transformation of the industry. Therefore, the infrastructure of the Fieldlab (3 competence sites across Flanders) combined with the knowledge to operate it is of utmost importance.

Flanders Make aims at creating a strong and performant collaborative environment where researchers are empowered for delivering excellent research, for levering on each other competences to accelerate in research execution leading to a strong innovative culture striving for the best results and supporting companies in tackling challenges. It has adopted a business strategy which is based on three value drivers: sector intimacy, operational excellence and research & valorization leadership. In different phases, selecting from these value drivers at different points in time, we will have the appropriate focus to become a highly ranked and locally and internationally recognized and respected research center and innovation hub. Today Flanders Make counts 600 researchers who work full-time as a unique research community on a joint industrial research agenda.

Flanders Make is part of the Flemish Innovation ecosystem where we work together with stakeholders to (a.o.) support Flemish manufacturing companies in their digital transformation. Flanders Make is an active participant in different (digital) Fieldlabs in Flanders and is connected to different Innovation Hubs in Europe.

Services

• Testing, validating, experimenting Testing and validation of cobotics and robotics technology, augmented reality and virtual reality etc. Testing and validation of joining techniques. Mechanical durability tests on components and systems. Testing and validation of drivetrains in machines Hardware-in-the-loop tests for drivetrains in machines. Testing the energy efficiency of bearings. Mechanical durability tests on components and systems. Hardware-in-the-loop tests for drivetrains. Testing and validation of drive systems. Battery tests for electric vehicles.
• Training The Make Lab is a mobile laboratory in which different Industry 4.0 related technologies are displayed. Companies can make use of this mobile lab. The Make Lab as well as the fixed infrastructure in the different Flanders Make sites is used for research (validation of results), valorization (testing) and for training purposes. Operators as well as engineers from companies can use the infrastructure to experience new Industry4.0 related technologies. Flanders Make will provide the infrastructure, the technological support and company dedicated trainings.
• Ecosystem building and management The Flanders Make Fieldlab ambition is to be recognized as an excellent partner within the ecosystem around its target markets, by building and exploiting the related defined key competences and infrastructure including the relationships within the innovation ecosystem to fully deploy and valorize its competences. The Flanders Make Fieldlab activities are embedded in a network of companies and other research organizations that carry out research which, though part of the Flanders Make ecosystem, is considered out-of-scope for Flanders Make own research. These organizations can therefore be approached by the Flanders Make Fieldlab as possible partners. Knowledge build-up is monitored and exchanged in both directions to foster the overall success of the ecosystem.
• Knowledge dissemination and transfer The Flanders Make Fieldlab will continuously upgrade its competences, its technology infrastructure and its IP. An importance task is to use this to help companies to upgrade their competences, technology and use of IP. Several mechanisms are used to transfer the knowledge in general. This transfer is depending on the company’s actual knowledge at a certain level of system ability. This transfer leads to an upgrade of the state-of-the-use or a further development of the state-of-the-art.

Additional information

Flanders Make is listed as a “fully operational” DIH in the European catalogue, partner in different DIH projects (TRINITY, DIHHELP) and currently applying for the European Digital Innovation Hub status together with other organisations such as the Flemish Chamber of Commerce, LSEC (Cybersecurity), Highschools, iMEC, Sirris and a private investment organisation. Flanders Make actively seeks collaboration across borders, is willing to exchange ideas and good practices, learn from others and to support other DIHs.

The Flanders Make strategy drivers can be presented by 3 value drivers: sector intimacy, operational excellence and research and valorization leadership. The interaction with the companies is mainly done by the outreach team and it results in lead generation. A pipeline management process filters the leads according the Flanders Make strategy and its role in the innovation landscape. All requests are managed by the central system. It is the goal of Flanders Make to answer all requests within the existing ecosystem of organizations. Requests that are outside the scope of the network Flanders Make will help the company to find the most appropriate partner for the request.

There is an active and intense collaboration with the 5 Flemish Universities (Brussels, Leuven, Ghent, Hasselt and Antwerp); 11 of their labs are included in our Innovation ecosystem as “Flanders Make Core Labs”.