Flanders

In partnership with a number of private partners, American computer giant Microsoft plans to open its third Belgian Microsoft Innovation Centre (MIC) this year. So far there is already one in Bergen (Wallonia) and one in Brussels. The new Flemish MIC will be divided between two locations: the C-Mine site in Genk-Winterslag (Limburg) and Kortrijk (West Flanders). The government of Flanders will inject 1.416,000 euros into the project. The new centre, which will be one of the 90 Microsoft innovation centres operating throughout the world, will focus its activities on IT applications for the healthcare industry. The software industry, authorities and academics will work together at the new centre, and local businesses will be given the opportunity to develop new products while start-up entrepreneurs can build new products with the latest developments as a starting point. The innovation centre in Bergen already produced 50 projects and created 150 jobs during the past two years. Microsoft’s choice of Kortrijk and Genk is mostly due to the local presence of businesses and research institutions which fit the profile of the MIC.

The support given by the government of Flanders for the initiative is due to the overlap with Flanders Care, the platform used by the government to stimulate innovation in the care sector. The latter committed itself to deliver 35% of the available budget for a period of three years, with an annual ceiling of 472,000 euros. MIC-Genk and MIC-Kortrijk will eventually create 300 to 400 jobs.