Looking back on Blue Innovation Village in 2024

Jan De Nul is involved in a wide range of activities, including dredging, installing offshore wind turbines and heavy installations, and laying underground cables.

At the stand you could view an unmanned survey vessel, try out VR glasses and take a ride with a dumper truck in a simulator. There was also a photo booth, and the kids could color their own T-shirt.

VITO demonstrated various techniques to make better use of rainwater on industrial estates and promoted greening with more trees, ponds, and greener parking spaces.

The stand also contained various booklets and games to convey the problem of water scarcity in Flanders in an understandable way to young and old.

Fabrieken voor de Toekomst (Factories for the Future) and The Reef are involved in, among other things, the dismantling of wind turbines, offshore testing platforms and training infrastructure for the blue economy.

The stand featured several drones and a model of the Blue Accelerator, an offshore testing platform in the Belgian North Sea. You could also play a game about recycling offshore wind turbines that have reached the end of their lifespan.

The University of Antwerp is involved in, among other things, nature-based solutions, ecosystem protection, AI use in shipping, and projects for the European Green Deal.

At the stand you could become acquainted with various current and past projects. There was also a test setup that demonstrated the added value of natural protection of our coast.

Blue Cluster brings companies, institutions and governments together to start innovative projects in the blue economy. We are also the coordinator of the Blue Innovation Village.

In our stand you could watch various videos about the blue economy, learn more about the winners of the Blue Innovation Awards and discover the finalists of our drawing competition. There was also a craft corner for the kids.

The company DEME specialises in offshore wind projects, tackles pollution at sea, and is involved in land reclamation. They actively strive for a more sustainable world and have more than 5,500 employees from 80 nationalities.

At the DEME stand you could test out VR glasses, view various scale models of their ships, and take a ride with a dumper truck on a simulator.

ILVO conducts research into passive fishing and aquaculture, focuses on plastic pollution and studies the impact of offshore wind farms on the seabed.

At the stand you could learn more about sustainable fishing techniques, see various jars with marine organisms, and test your knowledge of the marine ecosystem on a computer.

Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) conducts research into the impact of climate change on the North Sea and is concerned with the interaction between the ocean and human health.

Their charity work was central to the stand. For example, you could buy various nice T-shirts and hoodies. There were also several educational games for children.

Antwerp Maritime Academy offers various maritime courses and conducts research into hydrography and coastal erosion, among other topcs. They also try to find solutions to various challenges for the shipping industry.

At the stand you could learn more about the various training courses and the various projects they are working on, such as the use of simple sensors to tackle problems such as corrosion and ship emissions.

KU Leuven - Bruges department conducts research into, among other things, the foundations of wind turbines and coastal protection with dunes. In this context, they carry out various drone flights on the coast every month.

There were various posters in the stand that provided some explanation of their activities. There were also demonstrations of some of the projects they are currently working on.