Setting the tone in Flanders

Setting the tone in FlandersBalance between welfare and

wellbeing

Our Mission

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North-East of Belgium

400.000 inhabitants

1 350 km² -27 cities/villages

In 1997: high unemployment

Production sector - Relocate

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The Board

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PARTNERS SPK

Provincial Authoritiesof Antwerp

Christian Trade UnionAssociation of Christian

Employers

Regional Manager Strategisch

Plan Kempen

Christian Associationof the Middle Class

Association ofChristian Employers

Socialist Trade UnionBOARD OF DIRECTORS

Farmers Association of the District

1/3 representatives of employers1/3 representatives of employees1/3 government

Chamber of Commerceand Industry in the

Kempen

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Subcon-tracting

Services

Applying technology

Offer of cultural products

Education

Government services

Infrastructure

1988 2002

Added value

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Method: Strategic Planning• General economic Strategic Plan

• Strategic Plan for Tourism

• Strategic Plan for Unemployment

• Strategic Plan for Agriculture

• Strategic Plan for Telecommunication

• Futur plan Kempen 2015

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• Stimulating the growth of existing companies (directly)

• Stimulating starting enterprises (directly)

• Attracting Belgian and foreign companies (directly)

• Stimulating employment through amelioration of the enterprise

environment (education, research, government) (indirect)

Main topics general strategic plan (1987)

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An SME Business Development

& Networking Programme

PLATO™PLATO™

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Greek philosopher: analysis & synthesis

Acronym:Peterschap (parenthood)Leerplan (training programme)Arrondissement (district)Turnhout (name of district)Ondernemingen (enterprises)

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What: an intensive counseling program for supporting & coaching start-up & growing SME’s.

The principle: large companies accept the parenthood of SME’s and perform coaching and transfer of know-how and experience.

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Observations

• Starting and growing SME’s experience thresholds.

• Entrepreneur/owner is professionally isolated.

• Failure rate is high for starting companies.

• Expertise of large companies is not made

available in SME’s.

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• Large companies accept parenthood of local SME’s to transfer know-how and own experience.

• secondment of senior/potential managers as Group Leaders

• monthly (evening) meetings of each group• Group consisting of 10 to 15 SME owner/entrepreneurs• 2 year cycle• All business subjects are covered• exchange of experience working groups

sounding board individual advicenetworking global meetings

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+1000 SME’s active in Kempen+7000 SME’s active in the Belgian

PLATO™ network and+ 12000 SME’s active mainly

within EU

An international network 12 countries ... 39 regions …

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A future programme to make the Kempen in 2020 into a leading region on sustainable technology

Leading to

• Knowledge centers

• Companies

• Sustainable region

“Kempen Sustainable”

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Some Opportunities• SCK – VITO – KHK – Kamp C – knowledge center horticulture

• Umicore, Suntechnics, Hydrogenics, Philips Lighting, Smet, Leysen, IOK, APT, Horticulture, construction, …

• Spin-off and business development initiatives (VITO-project)

• Environment-incubator in the neighborhood of VITO

• NIRAS-project: stockage nuclear waste + socio-economic leverage

• ELAt: Eindhoven & Leuven in the neighborhood

• Cleantech seed capital

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Vision

Ambition 2020:=> Kempen as international leading region in sustainable energy and

environmental technology:1. Be at the top on specific areas of technology development

2. Strong economic growth dynamics in big and small companies wordwide active in the energy & environmental business

3. International leading example region in the area of energy and enveronmental sustainability

We are motivated by building on our strenghts, and don’t

let to immobilize us by looking on our weaknesses

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Success factors knowledge economy knowledge centers

companies/role models

clusters

networks

seed capital

international companies

infrastructure

education/schoolinfrastructuregovernment

quality of life

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Knowledge region = economic ‘ecosystem’

Knowledge centra

Companies as R&D-partner of knowledge centra

Innovative companies,spin-offs

Knowledge intensivesuppliers, services

Diverse relatedactivities

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10 Key projects“Kempen Sustainable”

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“Kempen Sustainable”1. Create new technology companies (New Business Development

2. Knowledge and business network “Marketplace”

3. Guiding SME’s in innovative enterpreneurship

4. Knowledge center “Kempen Sustainable”

5. Breakthrough and demo-projects

6. Education sector part of the game

7. Strategic planning infrastructure

8. Attract relevant (international) Companies

9. Sustainable Developmentfund Kempen

10. Network Sustainable entrepreneurs Kempen

Co-operation model of different partners

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Questions ?