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Colloquium 2023

At the VARIO-colloquium, VARIO launched four ambitions to safeguard Flanders' position as one of the most innovative regions in the world and also to capitalize on it through entrepreneurship:

  • Give innovation policy the leadership it needs
  • Streamline innovation funding
  • Secure more innovation talent
  • Work on a sustainable and prosperous innovation economy

Aftermovie VARIO-colloquium

Watch the aftermovie of the VARIO colloquium here and find out in a nutshell what the attendees thought.

VARIO chairman Lieven Danneels gave the kickoff around innovation and entrepreneurship

The world around us is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA). How can we prepare for this and remain successful in the future? The answer is: create more impact through excellence in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Under impact, VARIO understands an increase in our productivity growth in a multidimensional sense. This can be done through innovation, digitalisation, but also through high quality education, by focusing on circularity ... This will allow to generate more financial resources, making new investments permanently possible, especially in innovation and infrastructure, and thus to realise the necessary transitions. That is the key to creating a VUCA-proof Flanders. Innovation as well as entrepreneurship are not ends in themselves, but means to build a better future for all.

Scenario thinking exercise VARIO

In this AI video, VARIO president Lieven Danneels talks via an 'avatar' about the 'Future images for science, innovation and entrepreneurship for 2033'.

But what does that future look like? We can't know for sure, but we can reflect on it. That is what VARIO has done in an exercise in scenario thinking. The result is a description of four extreme futures: It's a fine(d) society, red greenhouse, adaptive era, high tech is cool. These four extreme futures are represented in the video by the 'avatar' of VARIO chairman Lieven Danneels.

VARIO council members introduce memorandum

VARIO chairman Lieven Danneels and VARIO council members Johan Martens, Katrin Geyskens and Vanessa Vankerckhoven then premiered the memorandum to political parties and stakeholders from the research and innovation landscape. The memorandum includes four ambitious objectives to maintain Flanders' position as one of the most innovative regions in the world and cash in through entrepreneurship.

  • Give innovation policy the leadership it needs
  • Streamline innovation funding
  • Provide more innovation talent
  • Work towards a sustainable and prosperous innovation economy

Followed by a political debate

There was a political debate with Michiel Awouters (Vlaams Belang), Stijn De Roo (CD&V), Kim De Witte (PVDA), Rita Moors (N-VA), Mieke Schauvliege (Groen), Maurits Vande Reyde (Open Vld) and Thijs Verbeurgt (Vooruit) from which we would like to distil a number of key messages:

  • The research institutions and sector federations present heaved a sigh of relief when it became clear that there is broad political support in terms of maintaining the growth path towards 1% public R&D funding. According to the latest figures, Flanders currently sits at 0.82%. This is good news for strengthening Flanders 's fledgling innovation leadership position, for which we have fought so hard in recent years. After all, the Flemish Government aspires to a place in the top five is and we are not there yet. Flanders currently holds position 23 on the European Regional Innovation Scoreboard.
  • However, not everyone is convinced of the need for governance around innovation at the highest government level, although there is unanimity on the importance of innovation for all policy areas.
  • The urgency around the numbers of STEM diplomas , the PISA results and lifelong learning is recognised by all parties (STEM is a collective term for 'science, technology, engineering and mathematics'). In that respect, innovation in education must be a clear top priority in the next Flemish government. The ambitious research lab 'the Einstein telescope' (for fundamental research on gravity waves) of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium can also become an unprecedented pole of attraction for domestic and foreign STEM talent.
  • The need for a Flemish industrial policy is recognised, preferably aligned with a European industrial policy that monitors a level playing field for member states.

Response from minister of innovation Jo Brouns

Minister for Innovation Jo Brouns is proud of Flemish technology and innovation and responded enthusiastically to VARIO's four ambitions: "Staying at the top of innovation is and remains our ambition. With the new memorandum, VARIO sets out important outlines for science and innovation policy in the coming years."