Flemish Minister of Mobility kicks off hackathon FTI Hasselt, together with delaware

Co-innovation with five Flemish educational institutions 

Employees of companies and students from five Flemish educational institutions will have the opportunity to realize innovative projects thanks to delaware and FTI. Students from Howest, Ghent University, Karel de Grote-Hogeschool, UHasselt, and Thomas More will collaborate on various business projects and form interdisciplinary teams to achieve the best results together. During hackathons in Antwerp, Ghent, and Hasselt, delaware will provide guidance. Some of these projects will also progress to delaware's internal innovation track DEL20. This is an accelerator and ecosystem for innovation that delaware launched several years ago. It provides participating companies with the space and expertise they need to experiment with new technologies such as AI, robotics, IoT, and more, without having to worry about competition, budgets, or the risk of failure.

The importance of innovation for a sustainable future

he hackathons in Antwerp, Ghent, and Hasselt focus on different sectors. In the collaboration between delaware & FTI Hasselt, the emphasis is on issues related to mobility and energy. FTI Hasselt itself offers a wide range of topics. With the theme 'Hasselt, city of the future', FTI Hasselt aims to generate a lasting impact on the city and strengthen the efforts that the city of Hasselt is already making become more sustainable. Mobility and energy are crucial in this regard, but circularity, food, fashion, and even urban culture also play an important role. Each of these themes will be explored in-depth during the week of March 16 to 21 through engaging lectures and debates, as well as workshops, presentations, and installations. FTI Hasselt is a city event where everyone – from citizens to policymakers – is involved.

At the kickoff event on February 20, the selected innovation pieces were announced, and the Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works emphasized the importance of innovation. "In March, we welcome FTI Hasselt, part of Flanders Technology & Innovation (FTI), in Limburg. During FTI, we bring everyone in Flanders together to learn about technology and innovation. We are among the world leaders in this field. It is therefore important that we invest intensively in regional collaborations between government, our knowledge centers, and private players. It allows us to jointly address various challenges posed by societal themes such as mobility, circularity, or energy."

The Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works continued: "We will demonstrate various innovative techniques to the general public during FTI. Flanders is in the midst of a transition, and technology will increasingly provide solutions to improve daily life, including in the field of mobility and traffic safety. A nice example is the MIA project where we detect unsafe traffic points with drones. Another example is the implementation of intelligent traffic lights in Hasselt. Thanks to this hackathon, companies and students can already experiment extensively with new technologies such as AI and robotics."

Start-ups UZE Energy and Kerv Automotive were also at the kick-off event to share their innovative approach and vision for the future of mobility and energy with the attendees.