Seek and innovation in Wallonia

The health of the Walloon economy depends to a large extent on the capacity to innovate and Research & Développement of the companies. The share of the total expenditure in R & D reaches approximately 2% of the Walloon GDP, but the objective is of tending towards the 3% from here 2010. The objective is not only budgetary: it is also a question of better articulating the various actions carried out by the actors of research, and especially of posting without delaying a clear political will.

13000 Researchers in Wallonia

According to the minister Marie-Dominique Simonet, the eight Walloon university institutions occupy more than 7.000 researchers, without counting those which work in the research centres associated with the industrial institutes of higher learning. Moreover, a thousand of scientists work in about thirty centers of technological competence established in the area. If one adds to it more than 4.000 active scientists in the innovating companies, the manpower of sciences and technology in Walloon region approaches the 13.000 researchers.

This potential should be reinforced, because the European resolution of Barcelona must lead the Walloon region to increase from here 2010 its means of search of 50% in the public sector and 40% in the companies, which will result in the recruitment of several thousands of additional researchers. For the minister, “only an massive investment in research and the valorization of its results will make it possible to create the activities necessary to the satisfaction of the needs economic and social of Wallonia (and) this dynamics could not be engaged and carried out to although if it carries the adhesion of all.”

Walloon participation in the European research programs

Principal instrument of financing of the research implemented by the European Union, the European outline programmes of research (PCRD) are established for some 5 years periods and are addressed as well to the universities and research centres as with the companies. The current programme (6th PCRD) treats the period 2002-2006. It is equipped with a global budget of 17,5 billion euros and has as main objectives to reinforce the competitiveness of European industry and to contribute to build the European Space of Research.

It concentrates on 7 priority sets of themes fields:

Génomique and Biotechnology for health.
Technologies for the company of information.
Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, multipurpose materials based on knowledge, and new processes and devices of production.
Aeronautical and spaces.
Quality and food safety.
Sustainable development (energy, transport), planetary changes and ecosystems.
Citizens and Governorship in the company of knowledge.

CPC-Wallonia informs on the developments of the 6th PCRD and assistance to register the projects in this 6th PCRD.

C.R.I.W. : Center Relais Innovation of Wallonia

The CRIW belongs to a European network of 71 Centers Relay Innovation set up since 1995 by the European commission. This network is integrated in the special program " To structure space European of Recherche" 6th Outline programme. The main objective of the C.R.I.W is to promote near the companies, and particularly SME, the Innovation, the analysis of the results of research and, especially, the transnational technology transfer. The Center Relay Innovation of Wallonia (C.R.I.W.) is a consortium formed by:

Head office of Technologies, the Research and the Energy (D.G.T.R.E.) of the Ministry for the Walloon region. It ensures coordination and acts like catalyst of the potentials present in the consortium. Its role in particular consists in defining the actions to be carried out according to the needs and of the interests expressed by the companies and also, to define the area markets of Walloon industrial fabric.
Groupement d'Interet Economique of the Centers of Companies and Innovation Walloons (G.I.E. - C.E.I.). Specialized in the assembly and the accompaniment of projects. It deals with in particular the emergent files collected following the investigations at SME, of the visits in companies and the telephone contacts. It then accompanies them in the step by assistance to the preparation and the development by projects by innovation or technology transfer, in transnational matter.

The C.R.I.W is addressed to the Walloon companies in a general way but, more particularly, to SME of Walloon industrial fabric eager to reach the Technological innovation (capacity to successfully produce, assimilate and exploit a new technical thing) on the European scene or to establish technology transfers (transfer of license, integration of new technologies, valorization of search listings,…) at the transnational level. Its strategy is characterized by a taking into systematic account of the search for transnational technological opportunities (supply or demand), in relation to the composition of industrial fabric and the Walloon economic situation.

Scientific and technological competences

Two main categories of institutions take part, in Walloon region, with the development of the scientific knowledge and the technological advancements necessary to economic development and social regional.

universities and high schools in which Wallonia lays out internationally recognized research teams.
the collective research centers which complete basic research tasks and develop activities of scientific and technological day before directed towards the needs for a whole of companies.

The Walloon region also entrusts to the operators of research the mission of promoting, of diffusing, of developing the new scientific knowledge and technological and of making them thus more accessible to the potential users, mainly the companies. As well in the universities and high schools as in research the collective centers approved, " doors of accés" at the scientific and technological resources available were installation.

With regard to the universities and high schools, the economic valorization of the results of research is dealt with by the cells of valorization and interface. Each French-speaking university has such a structure while a single interface, the ADISIF, ensures the valorization of the competences held by the whole of the High schools established in Wallonia.

Within the research centres, the promotion of new technologies is ensured by technological guideurs. High level engineers, they have in particular the role of sensitizing the companies, and SME in particular, with the interest which new technological developments in their field of competence represent.

Cells of valorization and interface

Cell Valorization of the Research of university Faculties Notre-Dame of the Peace of Namur
Service of Valorization of the Research of the polytechnic Faculty of Mons
Service of Valorization of the Research of the University of Mons-Hainaut
Interface of the ADISIF
Interface of the Universit3e libre de Bruxelles
Cell of Valorization of the university Faculty of agronomic sciences of Gembloux
Administration of the Research of the catholic University of Leuwen
Interface of the University of Liege

Walloon clusters

The clustering is a innovating form of entrepreneurial organization based on the principle of the setting in network. It aims at allowing that a significant number of companies of a given sector can answer in an adequate way, fast and competitive with the challenges of their industrial environment. I.e. Cluster places at the disposal of the services and of competences and that it supports the meeting of SME and positions them compared to competition; it is thus a frame of mind to develop the businesses.

To reinforce its competitiveness in sectors for which the Walloon region has a potential already, the Walloon Government decided, within the framework of the Marshall plan, to develop a policy of poles of competitiveness. This policy aims at developing a carrying branch of industry for the Area so that it can reach a level of excellence such as it generates a dynamics of new growth and makes it possible to position Wallonia on the international plan.

Poles of competitiveness:

the Aeronautical and Space pole
the pole Agricultural processing industry
the pole Sciences of alive the
the pole Transport and logistic

Then clusters were defined:

the aeronautical cluster
Cluster Car-Mobility
Cluster Céramique
Cluster Déchets Solid
Cluster éco-construction
Cluster spaces
Cluster nutrition
Cluster clinical research
Cluster TIC (Communication and Information Technologies)
Cluster Transport & Logistique

Some examples of projects

3WSA Project of the Aeronautical and space pole aiming at the development of the applications on the ground of space information (satellite of teledetection and satellites of géo positioning (GALILEO)). The Aérospace pole of competitiveness, consisted the clusters Space and Aéronautique, will take care to structure positioning of the whole of the Walloon actors in this very carrying field of activities.
Biowall Project of the pole agricultural processing industry: the goal of this research project is to develop plastics identical or to the properties identical to petroplastic but starting from raw materials renewable and ready to be degraded after use.
Project “Translogistic” of the pole transport-logistics: this pole, which resolutely rested on the cluster “transport and logistic Wallonia, wanted to center one of its project-headlights on the multimodality of which each one agrees to recognize the importance for the economic growth. Their project relates to the development of an integrated system for management real-time of the traffic multimode freight (primarily starting from the rail-bound transport via the development of the corridors of freight).
Project “Keymarker” of the pole sciences of the alive one. Centered on pathologies of cancer, the inflammatory diseases and the diseases of the brain, the goal of project KEYMARKER is to identify new types of molecules (genes or proteins) whose presence is closely dependant on the disease and its evolution. The presence of these biomarqueurs will be highlighted and will be followed by the most recent techniques of medical imagery (FART scan for example).

Technological guideurs

Guidance technological has for object realization, for companies which requests the scientific report or technique of the research center, performances of service which consist of technological audits of problems involved in processes or products, and in councils of orientation towards technological competences. It thus aims the promotion of the technological innovation in the companies.

The guidance is supported by an activity of technological survey consists in making it possible the research center to be held permanently informed scientific progresses and techniques occurred, in Belgium and abroad, in fields which are of its competences and which have a high potential of industrial innovation.

Currently, the Walloon region subsidizes approximately 40 guideurs, each one specialized in a pointed technology. These guideurs are engineers high level seniors.

At present, the services of technological guidance supported by the Area relates to the following fields: the transformation of wood, ceramics and glass, technique of plasmas, coatings organic, industrial waste recycling, the use and the development of communication and information technologies, E-business via the use of opened systems, the innovating application of polymeric materials, identification and treatment of the pollutants emitted by materials in confined surroundings, the instrumentation optoelectronics, the textiles technical and the paratextiles, the prevention and the control of the risks related to the chemical contaminants, the quality of the textile products, the extraction and the purification of natural extracts, packing and conditioning, the design and the realization oftools and of material hydroelectronic, the physical interpretation of the stress fields met in the industrial processes, assembly of thin metal elements, design, realization and repair of welded joints, the placement of metallic materials, monolithic and composite, the esthetics and economy of metallic materials, the restoration of the buildings, techniques of implementation in joinery, the placement of the special concretes, the air-conditioning and the interior comfort of buildings, E-collaboration in the process of construction, the repair of the concrete, acoustics in the building, glass in the building, work of infrastructure (geotechnical, industrial grounds), technologies of treatment of the primary and secondary solid matters, rapid prototyping, design of products and engineering of materials, injection of technical parts, Smart mechanics & process, integrated computer-integrated manufacturing, the traceability of the products, surface treatments, draining.

Assistances

Financial aids constitute one of the principal levers implemented by the Walloon region to achieve its goals as regards research, of development and technological innovation. The devices of assistance set up are addressed to three main categories of actors:

For the companies, it acts to help them to innovate on the technological level by supporting the development of new products, processes and services, the acquisition of new technologies and the reinforcement of their scientific and technological potential.
For the operators of research - universities, high schools, research centres - it acts to make it possible to the research teams to develop their competences and their expertise scientists and technological with the service of Walloon industrial fabric, to promote the exchanges between scientific world and industrial world and to help the Walloon actors to form part of the European and international networks of research.
For the organizations of diffusion of sciences and technology, it acts to help them to implement project intendeds to sensitize the general public, and the young people in particular, with the evolution of sciences and technology and to develop the trades which are associated there.

Prométhée

Within the framework of structural bases Europeans 1995-1999, the Prométhée program aimed at defining the priority actions and the reforms to be implemented to stimulate the dynamics of innovation in Wallonia and comprised three building sites whose objectives can be defined as follows:

Building site 1: To better know the potential of innovation of Wallonia;
Building site 2: To support the partnerships and synergies by the implementation of bunches of innovation;
Building site 3: To organize a network of offers of competences adapted to the needs for the companies and a framework carrying innovation. It was a question within this framework of carrying out an in-depth reflection on three topics:

the organization of the search and the structures for support which have the role of supporting the innovation in the area (collective and assimilated research centres, interfaces,…) ;
the utilization of the results of the university research
the access to public finance and private for the projects at the risk.

Prométhée II

Via Funds FEDER, the European commission decided to cofinance the innovating Action plan of the Walloon region entitled Prométhée II, for one two years minimal period covering the years 2004 and 2005. The budget of the program, of an amount of 6 million euros, is financed for half by the Walloon region and half by the European Union. The framework of the program Prométhée II is to allow the reflection on the R & D (Research and development) in Wallonia.

Two strategic topics were selected for their particular importance in the economic policy of reconversion of the Walloon Government: “Regional economy founded on knowledge and the technological innovation” and “eEuropeRegio, the company of information to the service of regional development”.

Indeed, in the “Declaration of regional policy 2004-2009”, the Walloon Government recalled its will to support a policy of research and effective and integrated innovation on the one hand, while reinforcing on the other hand, the accessibility of all with the tools of the company of information.

The general objective of the program is to contribute to the integration of the Walloon region in the company of information by the implementation of innovating measures aiming at increasing the valorization of the scientific and technological potential Walloon in favor of the economic development of the Area and to give access to the TIC a greater number of TPE/PME, applicants for work, workers and citizens.

Prométhée II aims to better registering Wallonia in the company of information by promoting the use of the TIC by the citizens and the companies. It sticks more particularly to the following objectives:

to reinforce the competitiveness of the companies in the incentive with more resorting to the TIC,
to reduce the digital divide as well social as territorial by an action of proximity near the public ones disadvantaged and an action of coaching near the companies.

Walloon price of the technological innovation

The Walloon price of the technological innovation is the heir to the Grand Prix of the innovation in Wallonia, initiated in the Eighties and started again in spring 2005 on the initiative of the Walloon Council of the scientific policy (CPS), this reward intends to underline the dynamism and the creativity of innovating companies. It is supported by Marie-Dominique Simonet, Minister for Research, new technologies and the foreign relations of the Walloon region, and the Head office of Technologies, research and energy (DGTRE). From now on bi-annual, the contest is equipped with an global amount of 7.500 euros. The innovation prizes are opened with very undertaken having at least a seat of exploitation in Walloon region.

World leaders

While giving their respective price to the companies prizes winner to Namur the October 10th 2005, the minister Marie-Dominique Simonet stressed that those had some common points between them and other nominated companies: to be world leaders in their branch, to be financed by venture capital , to profit from the services of the Walloon Agency to export (AWEX) and, for the majority, to take part in the 6 {{E}} European outline programme of research and development.

3 Prizes winner in 2005

The KitoZyme company gains the price in the category spin-off. This company of Herstal, close to Liege, which will celebrate its fifth birthday next December, was born from the Université from Liege and controlled a production process vegetable of biopolymères of origin fungic, respectful of the environment and usable in several applications to high added value, such as the systems of administration of drugs, the cosmetic products, the assistance with the fight against obesity or the cholesterol or the clarification of the wine.

Delta Services industrial] (Dsi) carries the palm of the young innovating company. Located at Orcq, close to Turned, and created in spring 2000, Dsi developed techniques of radiotraçages which make it possible to optimize the internal combustion engines, the lubricants and their additives by analyzing their operation in real-time. This measurement uninterrupted allows also the follow-up of the degradation of the systems of depollution of exhaust fumes. The automobile research centres of famous brands appear among its customers.

Free Field Technologies is crowned as undertaken senior whereas it is hardly older than its two colauréates, since it was founded in 1998 with Leuwen-the-New. Its leading product is an acoustic software of simulation which makes it possible to reproduce the complex mechanisms of generation and propagation of the noise and the vibrations. This software, baptized Actran, is used in particular in auto industry and aeronautics - thus it was used to optimize the behavior of a380 Airbus.

Other nominated projects

the company Delphi Genetics (Charleroi): products innovating and of the original services - management of the patents - in the field of the Biotechnologies. It developed a single innovation with the world, Staby-Express train, marketed in the forms of ten Kits of molecular biology which in particular make it possible to produce by fermentation of proteins recombining in a way much more effective than with existing technologies. The ambition of the firm is to conquer a place privileged on the market of production of proteins and DNA, in sustained high growth.
the company Nanocyl (Sambreville): nanotubes of carbon, a material of the future which presents extraordinary properties. They are used in a broad range of applications: flat panel displays, fire-resistant protection, ballistic shieldings, etc the company, which is the largest European producer of nanotubes of a purity raised with a daily production of 15 kilos, seeks new outlets in chemical industry, in the aerospace sector, of the car and electronics, inter alia.
the company Belrobotics (Genval): Bigmow mower which is at the same time autonomous, quiet and non-polluting and which reloads its batteries without human intervention.
the company Intelligent Software Company (Arquennes): planning system advanced which was concretized by the Progiciel Li3 marketed since 2003 after being tested in a dozen companies of various sectors. Built on innovative concepts and original algorithms, the Li3 continuation makes it possible to the managers to plan, manage and control the resources and the activities of their company, with a true help with decision making. The software package already allured Jansen Pharmaceutica, the group 4 Falck and the Airports of Paris.
company C.P. Borough (Short-Saint-Etienne): development and manufacture of machines of completion for printing works, particularly in the sector of the automation of the treatment of paper. One of its last innovations is thermorelieuse sheets with square back which allows the manufacture of books of format and thickness variables very high rate - more than 500 specimens per hour - without any preliminary manual adjustment. Marketed since 2004, this machine was already sold with 172 specimens in the whole world.
MACtac Europe (Soignies): self-adhesive intended for printing works, decoration, marking, the photograph, the imagery numerical and various other industries, like furnishing, electronics and the car. Inter alia innovations, the firm developed special self-adhesive films anti-graffiti intended for the freight vehicles public. This process makes it possible to eliminate the graffiti in an economic and ecological way, without deteriorating the original painting of the vehicles. This special film protects in particular 12.000 cars from the railroads Italian and 30 oars of the subway of Brussels.

External bonds

Of many examples of Walloon innovations
the Athena review, the window of the Walloon technological innovation (free)
Research and innovation in Wallonia presented on a site of the European Community.
Special issue " Dialog Wallonie" devoted to research (n°28)
Walloon clusters (news forms collective entrepreneurial organization by sector to dope the innovation)
an example of " Club of innovation" in the cluster " Ceramic industry and verrière"
the R & D in Wallonia: inventory of fixtures and prospects in 2006 (bond pdf). This document is based on Evaluation report of the scientific Policy of the Walloon region and the French Community (bond pdf).
Glances on Wallonia 2005 + Additional statistics (bonds pdf). See chapter 5: " Research and development, an essential component for an economic growth and social durable".

In Hainaut

the innovation in Hainaut

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