Advisory Report 49: Making Better Use of Strong Science: Opportunities for Technological Development in Flanders

Flanders has a strong scientific foundation. The data analysis accompanying this advisory report shows that Flemish science ranks highly internationally in terms of technological potential and that this knowledge has a visible impact on technological development worldwide. The challenge, therefore, does not lie in the quality or relevance of Flemish science, but in the extent to which Flemish and European actors build upon it at the local and regional levels.

Today, a large portion of the technological development based on Flemish science takes place outside of Flanders. For a small, open knowledge economy, international knowledge diffusion is valuable and desirable. At the same time, VARIO sees a clear opportunity to create additional economic and societal value by anchoring more technological development in Flanders, Europe, and the surrounding regions.

The TRL analysis complements this picture. Flemish R&D funding has risen sharply in recent years. The funding distribution across Technology Readiness Levels has changed only slightly. Furthermore, it appears that thematic funding is relatively concentrated -including through the Strategic Research Centres - while ‘open’ funding is more fragmented across instruments and funding organizations. This highlights the importance of more coherent funding pipelines that better guide promising innovation trajectories from research to application.

To make better use of this opportunity, VARIO has formulated recommendations addressed to the Flemish Government:

• Recommendation 1: Build strong ecosystems to better leverage Flemish science in local (and regional) technological development
  • Recommendation 1.1: Continue to invest in strong and innovative Flemish knowledge production   
  • Recommendation 1.2: Promote interaction between knowledge institutions and businesses through the IOF and TTOs     
  • Recommendation 1.3: Continue to monitor the regional and European integration of Flemish science
• Recommendation 2: Design innovation funding that spans TRLs
  • Recommendation 2.1: Streamline the R&D&I toolkit for innovation by increasing flexibility, speed, and milestone-based monitoring
  • Recommendation 2.2: Use TRL as a portfolio tool, not as a ‘linear ladder’
  • Recommendation 2.3: Take the initiative at the European level to strengthen scale-up funding and deepen the single market
• Recommendation 3: Demonstrate technological optimism and leadership in policy
  • Recommendation 3.1: Implement a domain-specific commercialization policy based on potential, relative strengths, and utilization rates through a strategic agenda
  • Recommendation 3.2: Place greater emphasis on innovation-friendly procurement and monitor the participation of innovative companies
  • Recommendation 3.3: Recognize and promote academic entrepreneurship policy

With these recommendations, VARIO is pursuing a clear win-win situation: Flanders continues to reap the benefits of strong international knowledge dissemination while simultaneously increasing the economic and societal impact of Flemish science through additional technological development and its integration into Flanders and the surrounding regions.