In this project we developed a MOOC to guide future farmers into creating a strategic plan for a farming business of the 21st century. Strengthening the position of the farmer has been recognized as one of the key factors for the transition towards more sustainable food systems. By following the 5 modules in the course, developed by a team of experts from both academic and non-academic institutes, farmers learn how to create and refine their business model.
Agri-food systems are among the most important human-environmental production systems that shape our society. Current research on global drivers of change unambiguously demonstrates the role of the food system in the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Strengthening the position of the farmer has been recognized as one of the key factors for the transition towards more sustainable food systems.
In this course, we will explain the current context, problems and opportunities of the value food chain and more specifically the role of the farmer in this system. We clarify why it is of crucial importance to create a good business plan. We will also explain step-by-step how you can create a strategic plan for a farming business.
First we will look at the values, norms and internal factors of a company. Thereby identifying strengths and weaknesses. Next we will dive into the external factors of the business by using the 5 forces of Porter and the PESTEL analysis. Once you know all the factors that define and influence a business, we can start with the creation of a strategy.
You will learn about market segmentation and will be able to determine the target groups that fit with the created value propositions. Finally, we will look at the business model canvas and explain how the nine building blocks interact with each other and can be optimized.
We realize every farm is unique. There is not one receipt for a successful farm. Yet, we offer you a background, insight and inspiration that helps you to develop a robust, resilient and future-proof business model.
Our partners
- KU Leuven
- ILVO
- Rikolto
- Fachhochschule Soest
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Within the multidisciplinary research line (digital) care innovation, we create partnerships between various stakeholders such as care providers, care users, care organisations, governments and companies, with the aim of sustainable implementation of (digital) care innovation.
By entering into discussions, we map out all possible barriers to the sustainable implementation of (digital) care innovation. We then formulate jointly supported solutions on the basis of practice-based research.
The feedback of these developments to the study programmes within the university is an essential task of our research line, in order to make the care providers of tomorrow aware of the complexity of the care landscape and how (digital) innovations should be given a place in it.
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Do you want to get more out of your data by enriching it with data obtained from external parties? Or do you see an opportunity in trading your own data? In this project, we will find out how this can be done in a privacy-friendly way.
Within this project, the project results are demonstrated in two domains: the healthcare sector and the logistics sector. The aim of this project is to support Flemish SMEs in setting up collaborations that involve the sharing and processing of sensitive data.
This project initially experiments on available public datasets. In a later stage of the project, concrete use cases will be worked out, supplied by and tailored to companies in the user group. Prototypes will be built and presented to test and demonstrate the possibilities and applicability of these technologies to the user group. The user group will be composed of companies that want to exploit data themselves, companies that want to rely on third-party data or companies that want to facilitate this. Eventually, a set of best practices will be extracted that helps companies to select both suitable anonymisation techniques and valid processing techniques, as well as guidelines on the use and sharing of third-party data.
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Artificial Intelligence
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Federated Learning
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Datasharing
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Privacypreserving
Our project partner
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In the constant evolution of energy-conscious and sustainable building, the contractor is an important link. The current concepts of sustainable building, energy-conscious building, passive buildings, low-energy buildings, circular building and so on can only succeed with a professional, correct implementation, in accordance with the rules of the art.
Buildings have a major impact on our environment and consume masses of energy. There is not only the energy consumption for heating and cooling, but also a large amount of embedded energy in the materials used.
Thanks to the evolutions in the EPB regulations, buildings have become increasingly energy efficient. A great potential in dealing responsibly with our climate therefore lies in reducing the environmental impact of building materials and maximising the reuse of building materials. In this respect, the building contractor needs practical information/manuals to translate the current insights regarding reusability and environmental impact into future-oriented construction on site.
Our innovation target
The creation of a high-performance communication platform that provides access to 3-dimensional circular nodes. The result is an educational and user-friendly guide to the correct construction of circular nodes with low environmental impact. The circular aspect is made clear on the basis of the degree of 'harvestability' (urban mining, detachability, reversible construction, .....) of the nodes. This 'harvestability' of the node becomes tangible in the form of a process-related (disassembly manual), technical (type of connections, etc.) and financial (duration, complexity, residual value) aspect. Maximum releasability will, in addition to the minimum environmental impact, be the parameter in the design of the construction nodes.
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Execute construction nodes
We have already successfully realised this similar research project. To date, this site has been consulted an average of 200 times a day, by both contractors and students. In this project, the focus was on the EPB-accepted construction nodes.
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Our partners
- Cell Innovation - Building Union
- Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Research Group Building Physics - Ghent University
- Network Architects Flanders (NAV)
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Within this project, DUBiT is developing a hands-on practical guide and training concerning the use, design and installation of a cathodic protection system for the lifetime extension of existing concrete structures. The need for sustainable repair techniques, long-term vision and adequate spending of the renovation budget is essential. Within this project, the existing expertise is reinforced through consultation with the field, qualitative market research, inventory of existing cases and experimental research on a laboratory scale. An actual cathodic protection system on the campus in Aalst will serve as a demo set-up that is part of a unique course offered by Odisee in Belgium.
Cathodic protection as a sustainable repair technique for life extension of existing (civil) concrete constructions. Within DUBiT, we try to provide an answer to the pressing question: how can damage to concrete bridges be tackled in a sustainable manner?
DUBiT wants to be a pioneer in putting cathodic protection on the map as a sustainable concrete repair technique in Belgium, with the following strategy: raise awareness -> inform -> advise -> activate.
Our partners
- Sanacon bv
- Research group DuEL, Antwerp University
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Circular construction - the mobile unit
Many academic studies have already been conducted on the theme of circular construction. Now there is an urgent need to translate that knowledge into hands-on implementation techniques that can be used directly on site. By designing a mobile unit in which various models of circular construction are exhibited, it is possible to make the principles accessible and tangible for the contractors.
A step-by-step plan is provided in a visual manner, answering the question of how to put circular building methods into practice.
The starting point for selecting the structure of the models is the recently developed TOTEM tool. This gives an indication of the environmental cost of various building components: www.totem-building.be. Furthermore, we apply the principles of change-oriented construction, so that the materials can be easily dismantled. For this purpose, we use design sheets and the accompanying catalogue.
We make a selection of techniques that can be used in both new construction and renovation projects. By testing the TOTEM buildings against the circular principles and the experience of the contractors, we focus on economically and ecologically feasible methods.
It is a process of co-creation in which the various partners, the knowledge institutes, the training centre and the contractors consult each other at regular intervals in order to arrive at the most relevant solutions for the various models. During the design and development of the mobile unit itself, our team will apply the principles of circular construction as much as possible.
Our partners
- VDAB: Flemish Service for Employment and Professional Training
- Bouwunie (Building Union)
- Ghent University
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Start 2 AIM: Artificial Intelligence for marketing purposes
Artificial Intelligence offers a lot of interesting possibilities in the field of marketing, but Flemish SMEs often do not have the right knowledge and/or resources to benefit from it. This project has set up a coaching trajectory for these companies, so they can optimise their customer experience.
Start 2 AIM: Artificial Intelligence for marketing purposes
Customers want speed and convenience and are becoming increasingly demanding. Their expectations are rising, so as a company you have to put customer focus first. The big (often foreign) players have been using smart AI (predictive) algorithms for a while now to better profile their customers and make personalised offers, among other things. However, smaller players often lack knowledge about which opportunities AI can offer them and how they can get started.
In this project, we want to set up a 'Start 2 AIM' trajectory tailored to Flemish SMEs, in which they learn the possibilities of AI-driven marketing automation with the specific aim of optimising the customer experience. The intended end result was the setting up of a coaching trajectory (both on a business and technological level) around AI and marketing automation.
Specifically, we want to make it easy for SMEs to start using AIM and we want agencies to be able to roll out AI as an innovative technology to their customers. Low-threshold, recognisable good practices should remove the idea that many SMEs are 'too small' or have 'too little data' to apply AI.
Our partners
VUB AI lab, VUB - Faculty of Social Sciences & Solvay Business School, Sirris, Safeshops, Belgian Association of Marketing (BAM) - expert hub Technology, BeCommerce, FeWeb, Sirius Legal, WebFaster, Cropland, EMakers, The Reference, Casual Context, Dropsolid, MultiMinds & Era Hajdari (marketing consultant).
