Symposium 2025

Welcome to the Flanders Make Symposium 2025! This exciting event is taking place in person on Thursday, 13 November 2025. Join us for a day filled with innovation, collaboration, and inspiration.

During this inspiring day, you will:

• Experience plenty of demonstrations of our latest innovations;
• Get inspiration from local and international keynote speakers;
• Receive insights in the latest trends and technology.

On our symposium you will meet, a.o. business managers, CTOs and R&D-managers of large companies and SMEs. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out in your career, the Flanders Make Symposium 2025 is the perfect place to gain new insights and connect with like-minded individuals. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to expand your knowledge and grow your network!

Programme

• 09:00 -  Welcome with coffee and breakfast
• 10:00 - Opening session "Science meets solutions" - Grisja Lobbestael, CEO Flanders Make
• 10:30 - Photonics as an enabling technology for innovation - Jürgen Van Erps, Core lab manager at FlandersMake@VUB
• 11:00 - Flanders Make & Company cases
  • Powering the future: DAMEN Shipyards uses battery sizing tool to guide ship electrification strategy
    • Peter Rampen, Principal Research Engineer at Damen Shipyards
    • Stephan Schlimpert, Senior Technology Domain Leader - Drivetrain technologies at Flanders Make
  • Beyond CRM: Unlocking the power of analytics and AI in industrial customer relationships
    • Bert Vandendriessche, Data Science Lead at Daikin Europe
    • Peter Depypere, Partner Data Science & Analysis at Element61
    • Matthias Bogaert, Professor of Data Analytics at FlandersMake@UGent
• 11:45 - Highlighting our technological vision for the future - Koen Maertens, CTO Flanders Make
• 12:15 - Lunch, demo visits & tours and matchmaking
• 14:30 - Bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI and the operating room - Jente Simoens,Project Engineer at Orsi Innotech
• 15:00 - Core tech powering industries, bold bets shaping the future - Vincent Theunynck, Co-founder Vintecc
• 15:30 - Technological innovation meets engagement: How to get people on board - Katrien Verleye, Co-director Center of Service Intelligence UGent
• 16:00 - 7 attitudes that lead to top performances - Ellen Schouppe, Sport & Performance Psychologist of the Belgian Cats, Belgian Cheetahs and Red Panthers
• 16:30 - Industrial challenges & Flanders Make - Geert van Poelvoorde, Chairman of the Board of Flanders Make
• 17:00 - Closing speech - Matthias Diependaele, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, and Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation and Industry; Foreign Affairs; Digitalisation; and Facility Management
• 17:30 - Reception and walking dinner