SIX Mobile Work Machines: Tour Belgium

SIX Mobile Work Machines cluster was exploring the Benelux Region with a journey of Influencing, Innovation and Collaboration.

The trip to the Benelux region was a mixture of meetings, discussions, and insights seeking for relations and partnerships for innovation and collaboration. From Brussels to Bruges, we had the opportunity to engage with key stakeholders, explore cutting-edge projects, and envision the future of research and development.

Day 1: Brussels

The journey began in Brussels, where the first meetings were organized at the Embassy of Finland hosted by Business Finland. The morning was filled with productive meetings with Finnish stakeholders, Office for EU R&I and the Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU. The discussions were held on the upcoming framework program and the importance of cross-industry collaboration.

Before lunch there was a meeting at the Tampere Region EU Office. The conversation highlighted the role of the tampere.eu office for example in monitoring suitable funding opportunities and preparing for infrastructure projects.

After lunch the meetings continued with the representatives from Batteries European Partnership Association, DG Research and Innovation as well as the 2Zero partnership. The discussions were held to find ways to include the NRMM topics in upcoming working programs. Some new funding instruments were identified, and more information will be shared later on. Some cross industrial collaboration opportunities were also identified, and it was agreed that they are worthwhile to be looked into in the coming programs.

The last meeting of the day was held with the European Innovation Council, where mutual funding opportunities to NRMM applications were discussed. Further discussions on the topics will follow.

Day 2: Bruges

The second day started in Bruges with a visit to Citymesh exploring their Drones Projects. The project aims to provide comprehensive coverage across Belgium, with a focus on emergency response and data security. The visit to the Zedelgem Test location and the following visit to KU Leuven campus showcased the region's commitment to innovation and technological advancement. The research activities at KU Leuven included autonomous system safety, electrical motor maintenance and durability research. Hopefully further collaboration will be seen with them in the near future.

Day 3: Zedelgem

The final day was spent at Case New Holland Zedelgem, where a tour to their showroom and impressive production plant were organized. The discussions were held around the use of data for predictive maintenance and the potential for collaboration in upcoming research challenges. The data utilization for various purposes was extremely impressive.

The whole trip was inspiring and gave great insight to the numerous innovation and research activities in the region as well as valuable information on EU activities with a touch of influencing future funding for RDI, too. We look forward to continuing our partnerships and exploring new opportunities for growth and development with the experts we met during the delegation trip.

The delegation members represented a nice balance from research institutes, universities, Mobile Machinery OEM’s and component and service providers. The next trip is already under planning and we are looking forward to paying visits to similar institutes and companies. More about future adventures after the summer holidays!

Johannes Hyrynen, VTT

johannes.hyrynen@vtt.fi