Drone innovations

The drone sector is in full development encompassing a variety of technologies (airborne, soilborne and waterborne) and a multitude of potential applications and related economic opportunities. Within the Province of West Flanders, the need has been identified to support this emerging sector in a coordinated way and to attract, develop and embed the appropriate knowledge and facilities in view of research and innovation.

To this end, Drone Hub initiatives have already been established in Koksijde, Ostend and Zeebrugge. The necessary cooperation between these initiatives is shaped via the DronePort West Flanders partnership coordinated by the Provincial Development Agency. Through this project, the partners aim to concretise the elements of research, innovation and testing from the DronePort West Flanders partnership through a number of targeted investments and activities to promote and facilitate co-creation and innovation.

On the one hand, this involves starting a province-wide programme that unites and strengthens the 3 locations via a number of investments for the benefit of the 3 locations (e.g. in terms of data management and data communication). On the other hand, a number of investments are planned at the Koksijde site, where the spatial possibilities both on the ground and in terms of airspace provide an ideal environment for research and testing activities.

Blue Cluster acts as a partner in this project and will take a number of targeted initiatives in terms of dissemination and communication together with Flanders Make (Euka).