Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) promotes international enterprise in Flanders in a sustainable way as a key factor in the social and economic development of our region. FIT does so by supporting the international activities of Flemish companies and by attracting foreign investors to Flanders. We assist, support and stimulate companies in international business. Flanders Investment & Trade offers tailored advice and guidance.

PMV is a do and dare company that is shaping the future of the Flemish economy. It provides funding for promising companies businesses, from the day they first open their doors, through their various growth stages and even on to operating internationally. Working with and for the government and other partners, PMV implements projects that are important for prosperity and wellbeing in Flanders.

North Sea Port is a cross-border port that consolidates the port areas of Vlissingen, Terneuzen and Ghent. Owing to its central location in the middle of the logistical heart of Europe, North Sea Port is an economic hub. North Sea Port provides 96,750 people with a job in some five hundred companies. The port area is 9,300 hectares wide and comprises 19 docks/harbours and 39 kilometres of quay walls. The multimodal mix of transport connections by road, rail, inland and shortsea shipping and pipelines make sure that daily products reach your home.

A wide and flexible spectrum of modular unit operations combined with the experience of our highly competent engineers and technicians enables us to translate your biobased lab protocol into a viable industrial process. Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant enables the conversion of renewable feedstocks into biochemicals, biomaterials, biofuels and other bioproducts by using technologies such as biomass pretreatment, biocatalysis, (gas)fermentation, green chemistry and product recovery and purification. Since its establishment in 2008, the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant has grown into a mature organisation employing 140+ dynamic and engaged staff members. From 2013 to 2020, Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant successfully conducted more than 450 bilateral (private) projects with over 150 different small, medium and large sized companies. Along with private, bilateral projects, Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant is currently involved in many consortium-based projects.

With the VITO4STARTERS competition, VITO supports young companies that contribute to greater sustainability with technical knowledge, a proof-of-concept and/or access to infrastructure. In this way, VITO strengthens the start-up community and the Flemish economic fabric. VITO highly values sustainability and is very active in the start-up community through its own spin-offs. With VITO4STARTERS, VITO wants to give existing start-ups a boost. VITO thinks in the long term and even after the competition there are various possibilities for collaboration. VITO has several technologies with very high potential and also its own investment fund - the Clean Vision Invest fund.

Vlerick is a leading international business school... with a difference. Yes, we offer fully-accredited, world-class education programmes combining a healthy mix of theoretical knowledge and practical insight. Yes, we are a leading academic institution with a strong tradition of innovative and independent research. Yes, we boast internationally recognised, expert faculty with close ties to the corporate world. And yes, we are consistently ranked amongst the top business schools in Europe and the world. However, what truly sets Vlerick apart is not just what we do but the spirit in which we do it. The Vlerick spirit is defined by openness, vitality and a passion for innovation and enterprise. It is a spirit that can be found in every aspect of our school and its activities: from our enthusiastic, highly motivated staff to our innovative and pragmatic teaching methods; from our global network of students, alumni and corporate partners to our inspiring, vibrant campuses. It is all these elements together that have made Vlerick Business School the leading institution it is today: a place where people and organisations come together to shape the future of global business.

ASTROBIO™ is the leading Italian industry in developing bio-based solvents. They are Pioneering Biosolvents since 2006 and using their know-how to improve sustainability and circular economy in well established and novel industrial processes. They help and encourage the transition of manufacturing companies from a polluting chemistry to a green chemistry based on the conscious use and enhancement of renewable natural resources.

The B2BE facilitator wants to link producers of valuable biomass to companies that are looking for (components from) biomass for the production of innovative, biobased products. The B2BE facilitator does this around a concrete themes and concrete business cases, in a defined timeframe of 6 months. The B2BE facilitator's extensive network in the primary sector as well as other industries is a major asset.

Crelan is a Belgian bank with a wide range of banking and insurance products for private individuals, the self-employed and entrepreneurs. In addition, Crelan also has a close historical bond with the agricultural and horticultural sector, which translates into specialized financial advice for this target group.