CERN and POM Limburg, Limburg's provincial development agency, signed an agreement today to establish the first CERN Innovation Hub pilot at Corda Campus in Hasselt, Belgium. The hub will give Belgian industry access to technologies and expertise developed at CERN. Jan-Paul Brouwer, CERN Director for Finance and Human Resources, will sign on behalf of the Laboratory.
In line with CERN's new strategy for innovation and technology transfer, the initiative creates a direct link between CERN and regional networks across its Member States. Businesses and research organisations have direct access to the Laboratory's technologies, expertise and unique facilities through this connection. It will bring together CERN's innovation capabilities and local business strengths.
"The technologies developed at CERN for fundamental research in particle physics have historically found important applications in areas such as medical imaging, advanced sensors, precision engineering and data processing," said Jan-Paul Brouwer. "The Innovation Hub will draw on the campus' existing staff, facilities and business network to help companies and research institutions identify where CERN's technologies and expertise could meet their needs, and to explore opportunities for joint research and development."
The exchange is bidirectional: on the one hand, CERN's innovations are transferred outwards and the return to Member States increases; on the other, know-how and ideas flow from Member States back to the Laboratory. The first hubs will help to gauge demand and identify the areas where collaboration will have the greatest impact.
"This CERN Innovation Hub, initiated together with POM Limburg, is the first of a small group of hubs that will be established this year to pilot the new model," said Han Dols, Head of Innovation and Technology Transfer at CERN. "Working with a partner committed to regional innovation, we aim to help companies and researchers apply CERN's knowledge to challenges across a range of fields. This hub will help strengthen the innovation ecosystem in Belgium, stimulate socio-economic growth and deliver tangible societal impact."
The CERN Innovation Hubs are being designed to extend CERN's reach beyond a single location. By embedding collaboration within established ecosystems across Member and Associate Member States, the new model can strengthen the Laboratory's scientific and technical capabilities, increase the value returned to participating countries and broaden CERN's contribution to society.
