delaware co-innovates with its clients at the first DEL20 in Wallonia

An ecosystem that turns digital transformation into a reality

In our time of digital transformation, entire sectors – from tourism and the automotive industry to media – can suffer big consequences because of disruptive newcomers and patterns. That’s why for many companies, the ability to innovate has become a prerequisite to prosperity, perhaps even survival. 

The challenge however is finding ways to really integrate innovation into companies so that it can really yield sustainable results. Various studies estimate that more than 80% of innovation projects have no viable outcome. This can have many different causes: a lack of skills, resources or time. Or a lack of internal participation, because innovation can stir up the order that has been established. In his latest work, Fons Van Dyck, Belgian expert in marketing, insisted on the necessity of seeing innovation from a long-term perspective, while respecting the identity of each company. 

That’s why delaware launched the DEL20 two years ago. This ecosystem brings together some of delaware’s main clients and aims to overcome obstacles to give innovation a fighting chance. After Flanders, where hundreds of innovative projects have been initiated (in artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things or even Blockchain), the DEL20 has now extended to Wallonia.

A space for co-creation to discover new horizons

The principles of this ‘innovation club’ are simple: delaware offers its clients the opportunity to test ideas and share these among themselves, in full confidentiality. There is no competition within the DEL20. The CIOs, in partnership with their alter-ego ‘professions’, are encouraged to experiment and try new technologies. 

The DEL20 is a real exercise in co-creation, where delaware provides its technical skills in the form of free consulting services, whereas the clients provide an expertise in ‘business’ through case studies. This results in an interesting cross-fertilisation between various projects. Nineteen projects were presented of which six were selected by the clients themselves to be carried out. 

The first edition of the DEL20 in Wallonia was held in an inspiring location near Huy (Wanze). The participants could also visit various booths, where delaware highlighted the disruptive potential of technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality and the Internet of Things. Several start-ups such as e-Peas, who are specialized in IoT sensors, and Robovision, experts in ‘deep learning’, also presented their state-of-the-art know-how.

In a few months, the progress made during the first DEL20 in Wallonia will be shared, so make sure to follow along via our LinkedIn page.