Sweco Podcast – Transforming Society Together Sweco Belgium

In Belgium, as in the rest of the world, we are faced with major societal challenges: climate change, the economic recovery, industrial renewal, huge demographic developments and so on. All of these are complex, interlinked issues that determine our general well-being. A scientific approach is called for here. How does this work in practice? Johan Op de Beeck talks about it with Caroline Pauwels, rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Erwin Malcorps, managing director of Sweco Belgium. Two organisations that are already open to the essence of this challenge, namely knowledge sharing and lifelong learning.

The European Union wants to become completely climate-neutral by 2050 at the latest, and obviously this should not be achieved at the expense of energy supply. That is certainly a monumental challenge! That is why we are currently undertaking the largest ever reconstruction of our energy system in Belgium. Energy efficiency, renewable energy, hydrogen and storage technology, interconnectivity, CCUS (Carbon Capture Usage and Storage), ... these terms are not yet part of our daily vocabulary, but they are part of the solution to a sustainable energy transition. The optimism of Minister for Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten and Tom Van Den Noortgaete, Division Director Energy at Sweco Belgium, is already infectious: "The coming 10 years will be incredibly exciting in terms of energy transition."

From liveability to quality of life

Our cities are hotbeds of diversity, creativity, and gathering. Living, working, shopping, relaxing ... everything is possible here. The attraction of the city is both a blessing and a challenge for the climate. How do we keep it liveable? And what role can local authorities and companies play in this regard? Mohamed Ridouani, mayor of Leuven, believes in a collaborative approach where cities settle into coalitions, while also facilitating them with knowledge institutions, companies and inhabitants. For Johan Van Reeth, Operational Manager, BUUR Part of Sweco (Sweco Belgium), the future solution lies in combining social and economic interests, but also vice versa!

Despite some preconceptions or claims, industry is the driving force behind the necessary innovation in climate ambitions.

The Flemish industry does not only provide 12% of the employment and 60% of the total export in Flanders, this sector is also responsible for 80% of R&D expenditure. The fact that Flanders is a leader in innovation is something our discussion partners in the field understand perfectly well. Daan Schalck, CEO North Sea Port: "A port is a robust environment, certainly in the Flemish and Dutch context. There are few places in the world where industry, logistics and innovation are so closely intertwined. Here too, a port is so much more than a transhipment platform. The industry has a vision of the future and is well supported in Flanders by initiatives such as Moonshot and Capture, research by top universities, and expertise from engineers in engineering firms such as Sweco. It is a combination of knowledge institutions, authorities and private companies. This allows us to operate effectively and make the connection towards innovation."

Filip Verheyen, Division Director Industry at Sweco Belgium, joins in with this 'Triple Helix': "You can indeed consider Sweco as more of an applied knowledge institution. We have long been assisting key industrial customers and effectively tested new technologies together. This will make a difference in the transition to a sustainable society. I can confirm that Flanders is leading the way, especially in the chemical sector."

Of all the current themes, mobility is perhaps the one that most makes us long for the future! Technology is completely at the forefront of this transition and it will make our mobility more efficient, safer and more sustainable. We can expect a convenient network of electric shared cars and bicycles, small-scale collective transport with self-driving cars, access to all public transport with a single ticket, better coordination between rail, water and road transport, etc. This modal shift will be successful. Now for a mind shift!

Forget all the clichés about hospitals and care homes. The care facility of the future is well accessible, a place bathed in sunlight... Big data will keep the side effects of medication to a minimum, immunotherapy will be personalized and microscopically small cameras will do the scanning work. But however advanced the technology may be, the wellbeing of both patients and healthcare workers will always be crucial. In this podcast, we hear from hospital managing director Catherine Goldberg and Diederik Van Der Linden, Director Pharma at Sweco Belgium, how all this works in practice. And clearly, we can’t talk about the healthcare sector during the Covid-19 pandemic without touching on Belgian expertise in the pharmaceutical sector as well.