08 October 2019 | 10 October 2019 | Belgium

The city of Antwerp hosted the 22nd TCI Network Global Conference from 8 to 10 October 2019, organized by Flanders Investment & Trade in partnership with Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) and VisitFlanders.

In Antwerp, experts from around the globe gathered in a forum setting—while seeking to make headway in the domains of cluster development, regional competitiveness andinnovation support. At the TCI 2019, Flanders showcased its clusters and its expertise in cluster development, while providing ample occasions for international networking.

Two main types of clusters

As part of its official cluster policy, Flanders has launched various innovative business networks. These networks aim to create a dynamic within a group of companies, and are expected to implement a concrete action plan:

• by fostering intense cooperation between the participating companies;
• resulting in demonstrable economic added value.

Launched over a year ago, Flanders’ spearhead clusters constitute a second type of cluster in the region. These initiatives boost long-term and cross-sector collaboration projects for enhanced innovation in some of Flanders’ most advanced and promising sectors: chemicals(Catalisti), food (Flanders’ FOOD), energy (Flux50), logistics (VIL) andsustainable materials (SIM).

Local clusters with global potential

Putting Flanders’ spearhead clusters on the global map is a key goal of Flanders Investment & Trade, as part of ‘Vlaanderen Versnelt’ or ‘Flanders Accelerates’. This refers to the official internationalization strategy aimed at promoting the region’s global potential in five main domains:

• life sciences and health;
• food and nutrition;
• solution-driven engineering and technology;
• smart logistics;
• sustainable materials, resources and chemistry. 

Download the ebook to find out more about how Flanders supports innovation through cluster development.

Take a look at the promotional video for the TCI 2019 Global Conference here: