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GENERATIES, Flanders’s Innovating Force in Renewable Energy Technology

TOGETHER WE ARE BUILDING THE CORNERSTONES OF A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE!

GENERATIES is the industrial innovation platform for renewable energy technologies in Belgium’s Flanders region.

The region is home to companies continually setting standards in renewables through, innovation in solar cell development and performance levels, world renowned developments in wind turbine key components and offshore applications, and advanced groundbreaking research in biofuels and their applications etc.

GENERATIES brings together these leading companies to put Flanders at the forefront of new developments in renewable energy technology and services through the excellence of its scientific and technological innovations. The platform supports companies and organisations by promoting their expertise, products and services worldwide, in order to stimulate economic opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

To achieve its goals, GENERATIES cultivates a proactive and structured innovative approach, supported by the establishment of strategic cooperative projects in focused applied and industrial R&D.

Its actions are based on four priority axes :

To provide its members with dedicated market and technological information on renewable energy
To stimulate innovation through capabilities analyses, identification of concrete opportunities, partner matching, guidance to set up and follow-up of advanced R&D cooperation between its members, with national and international knowledge and research centres and companies
To promote its members’ activities, services and products and to develop pragmatic and beneficial export support, contributing to the recognition of innovative techniques and solutions on an international scale
To organise workshops and events aimed at knowledge sharing, providing a platform for generating ideas, and contributing to the better understanding of the industry and renewable sector, from a technical and non-technical standpoint.

To date, GENERATIES is a shining example of what can be achieved through knowledge sharing and strategic cooperation. By the end of 2009, four strategic initiatives had been launched (more info on http://www.generaties.net/Default.aspx?tabid=241). Members benefit from yearly Technology Watch publications on photovoltaics, solar thermal, wind and bio-energy, fact finding missions in various countries, visionary conferences, project guidance for technological innovation and much more.

Started in 2004, the GENERATIES initiative was made possible by the close cooperation of its founding member organizations. More than 70 companies have since joined the platform.

The steering committee is composed of representatives from multiple sectors:

Industry: Wienerberger for solar energy, Hansen Transmissions for wind power, Vyncke for stationary biomass, Alcogroup for biofuels),
Research groups (IMEC, KUL-EST, VITO, U. Gent),
Stakeholders and professional federations (Agoria, ODE Vlaanderen, Ghent Bio-Energy Valley).
IWT Vlaanderen participates in GENERATIES as an observer, and the engineering company, 3E, manages the operational framework of the platform.

GENERATIES works in close collaboration with Agoria Renewable Energy Club and Ghent Bio-Energy Valley.

Financial support is provided by IWT Vlaanderen (The Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders) and its members.