IDEA Consult evaluates various key actors in the Flemish innovation landscape

Within the framework of Flemish science and innovation policy, the Flemish Region has covenants with various knowledge institutions in the Flemish innovation landscape. They set out the mission of these institutions for a period of five years, as well as the corresponding government funding.

In 2021, the current covenants will expire for the strategic research centres of imec (nanotechnology) and VIB (biotechnology), as well as for the research institutions of VLIZ (Flanders Marine Institute) and the KMDA-CRC (Antwerp Zoo Centre for Research and Conservation). In the run-up to the renewal of their covenant, the Flemish Government Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) has instructed IDEA Consult to evaluate the operation of these institutions in the first half of 2021. These evaluations will be carried out on the basis of the strategic and operational objectives and indicators set out in each of the covenants.

For the evaluations, the IDEA evaluation teams will combine document analysis with, among other things, a large number of interviews with stakeholders from the organisations themselves and the broader quadruple helix (industry, policy, other knowledge institutions, other stakeholders), benchmarking and insights from visits by panels of international experts. In addition to an ex-post evaluation of the operation and impact since the start of the current covenant, particular attention will also be paid to evaluating the position of each of these knowledge institutions in the broader innovation system in Flanders and their social impact in the future (ex ante).

The results of the evaluations will not only lead to the conclusion of the new covenants with these knowledge institutions, but will also be used more broadly to support (future) policy-making with regard to science and innovation.