News

At the end of 2021, Blue Cluster had 110 SMEs among its members, accounting for 61% of our membership. Via the SME committee, we try to involve these innovative small and medium-sized enterprises as much as possible in our activities.

Offshore wind turbines generate energy without emitting any particulate matter or CO2, and thus help combat climate change. However, they potentially have an impact on the marine environment in which they are built.

Over 3 billion people depend on the ocean for their livelihoods, and 80% of global trade takes place via the seas. These factors put enormous pressure on this essential ecosystem. It is therefore crucial to address any negative effects proactively.

Our eleventh call has been open since 7 March 2022. Each project proposal that fits within the Blue Cluster roadmaps and meets the cooperation requirements is eligible for funding. The current call is open to all innovation domains of Blue Cluster and to all project types, with the exception of cSBRs.

There is a growing trend in the international market to shift the responsibility and the financial risk connected with the maintenance of coastal areas from the contracting authority to the contractor. In this context, new contract types such as DBFM (design-build-finance-maintain) are taken into consideration.

The Belgian blue economy is moving forward. New activities are developed in various fields and plans are made for the future. And that is a good thing for our general economic growth.

It is not always easy for start-ups to break into the market, even if they offer a ground-breaking product or concept. For this reason, Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) has launched a second call for Support for Innovative Starters.

Companies with a ground-breaking idea often have to overcome many challenges before they can actually develop that idea. The R&D feasibility study by Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) is aimed at assisting these companies with advice and financial support. From now on, such feasibility studies can be submitted continuously to Blue Cluster.

Aquaculture accounts for approximately one quarter of all seafood products consumed in Europe. However, only 10% of the seafood consumed in the European Union is actually produced in the EU. This means that there is still a considerable margin of growth.

The Belgian federal government has decided to increase the capacity of the wind turbines off the Belgian coast to a maximum of 3.5 GW. In combination with the existing offshore wind farms, the total offshore wind power capacity in Belgium should amount to 5.8 GW by 2030. This is an almost threefold increase compared to the current offshore capacity.

In Flanders, we are under the illusion that there is an abundance of water. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Flanders is one of the regions in Europe most affected by water scarcity. It poses a serious risk to our economy.

Why and how will Belgium build its energy island? What is the concept behind the Danish energy offshore hub? How does this compare to natural islands? During this webinar we dove into the details of what is possible today and how we could proceed in the near future.