A region of knowledge
The Knowledge Centre for Sustainable and Renewable Energy
The energy knowledge platform Power-Link is a recent joint initiative of the Port of Ostend and Ghent University, located at the Greenbridge science park in the outer port of Oostende. As a centre of competence, Power-Link and its partnering university colleges aim at maturing into a sub-regional information and technology agency on sustainable and renewable energy.
Power-Link provides a central information service on green energy technologies and encourages rational, reduced and alternative energy use. As a network partner, Power-Link interacts with the innovative and creative move of the new production and consumption energy market and, moreover, creates a research platform with an own clean tech environment, i.e. the Greenbridge science park.
Greenbridge is the West Flemish science park of Ghent University, creating an innovative and enterprising climate in the Ostend region. The park provides incubator facilities designed to help high tech start-ups build up their company, next to a science park area of 20 ha open to new and experienced companies in promising domains such as clean tech energy, nutra- and pharmaceuticals, environment, health and wellness, etc.
In synergy with Power-Link, Greenbridge seeks high-tech investors in clean technology, in particular energy related, and aims at implementing and demonstrating high potential techniques. Hence Greenbridge intends to contribute to the low carbon economy and to meet the requirements of an eco-industrial park. Emerging research and investment projects concern plasma technology, green hydrogen applications and grid R&D.
Power-Link was accepted as an energy competence centre by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), an instrument offering financial support with the aim of improving convergence, strengthening competitiveness, creating employment and increasing sustainable internal cohesion.
The province of West Flanders, developing its profile of 'energy province' with a high potential for 'green' and 'high tech' energy technologies, is a stimulating environment for Power-Link. The collaboration with numerous actors in the SRE area is challenging and future oriented. Precisely through its focus on (high-tech) SRE technologies Power-Link aims to support and extend the employment in this sector.
Flanders InShape
Flanders InShape – Flemish Competence Centre for Product Development and Industrial Design – in Courtrai was founded in December 2006 and is a joint venture involving the Flemish Industrial Federation, a number of service companies, colleges of higher education and specialised centres of knowledge.
Flanders InShape encourages and advises companies in the field of product development and industrial design and develops the necessary knowledge and tools to do this, in collaboration with partners where necessary.
The Flanders InShape operation includes both corporate and individual service as well as research projects.
