Tyre Asia April/May 2018 121
research that other
institutions and countries can
emulate?
When we started Flanders Make, we
created an ecosystem that focuses
on collaboration and is based on the
strengths of different actors. It consists of
knowledge centres, research institutions,
the industry and even the government.
however, we soon faced conflicts of
interest. For example, as academic
research groups belong to a specific
university, they didn’t necessarily have
the experience of working together. To
some extend they were even competitors
as available funding is distributed based
on a competitive submission. In addition,
researchers on the payroll of Flanders
Make were also seen as competitors
for valorization of research towards
companies.
In order to avoid this, we focused on
programming research. We adopted a
thematically oriented approach based
on industry needs and global trends,
organized in eight different roadmaps:
1.clean energy-efficient motion systems
2.Smart monitoring systems 3.high-
performance autonomous mechatronic
systems 4.Intelligent product design
methods 5.Design and manufacturing
of smart and lightweight structures
6.Additive manufacturing for serial
production 7.Manufacturing of high-
precision products 8.Agile and human-
centred production and robotics systems.
That resulted in eight smaller ecosystems
based on the specific expertise and
competencies of the participants. The
research roadmap for each ecosystem is
executed through project ideation and
definition. Instead of distributing money,
we encourage the participants to work
first on industry- relevant ideas which are
developed, then the needed expertise is
identified and finally project proposals
are worked out, including the financial
support. Together, we describe a plan
for executing the project and we decide
who is in charge of the different work
packages. As such, companies are part
of the whole process too, without getting
into each other’s way.
We have noticed that this approach is
very effective in creating the necessary
speed for innovation that is needed for
our industrial sector. Because of the
industry involvement, we can adjust our
strategy on theirs and constantly support
them in their needs – with or without the
support of the government. We support
companies today via contract research,
tomorrow via government supported
projects and the day after via the
technology of the knowledge centres and
competence-based research projects.
The processes and instruments that we
use to set up and manage these networks
are independent of the region. They can
be used elsewhere as their strength is that
they cover the entire innovation value
chain. We focus on value and translate
that value into concrete roadmaps.Knowledge is built within the network,
and then transferred to the companies.
In the end, they use the competences
and the technology and that’s howtheir competitiveness grows. The best
thing is that this model doesn’t only
work for big companies. It is tailored to
the innovation leaders– SMe’s and big
corporations alike. In practice we notice
that companies learn from each other
within our ecosystem as well as from the
individual participants of the knowledge
centres that are involved. This results
in an accelerated and quadratic learning
effect, which speeds up innovation. It
is all about collaboration or team work.
We define team as “together everyone
achieves more”.At a time when autonomous
vehicle research is picking
pace, what are your views on
the future potential growth in
this field?Today, a lot of effort is spent on
autonomous driving as it is very complex.
no single oeM can develop reliable
and integrated technology on its own.
Therefore, collaborations between
brands are set up to develop and test the
technology. Suppliers join in as they have
crucial technology that can accelerate the
development. Tier 3s become Tier 2s and
Tier 2s become Tier 1s.A good example is nVIDIA, a world
leader in visual computing technologies
that contributes strongly to pattern
recognition integrated on a single
hardware platform: a combination of
hardware and software that is difficult
to beat. But I hardly see any effort being
made to develop business models for
using the technology for autonomousdriving. A solid business model is needed
to ensure a fast pick-up and broad
utilization of the technology.
We need a holistic approach towards
mobility such that technology is
converted into value. Autonomous
driving isn’t a goal on itself. All too often,
we want autonomous driving because
of the autonomous driving, and that is
why the technology is delayed. The real
question is why we want autonomous
driving. Because of mobility or improved
road safety? Such goals raise important
questions.- Is our (road) infrastructure adapted
for autonomous cars? •How about the
rest of the environment (traffic lights,
mobility monitoring systems, parking lots
for entrance without human inference)?
•Can we cope with self-driving cars?
Do we accept the technology usage?
The psychological aspects are strongly
understated. how do we react, not having
control of a car that might jeopardize our
future existence? •How about liability,
legislation, or insurance? • What is our
approach to (old/older) vehicles that
are to be adapted for accommodating
autonomous driving technology?
All these questions need to be addressed
on a local and global level, beyond
country borders. Different actors in the
industry will need to collaborate to face
these complex issues and speed up the
introduction of the technology. Both
cars and infrastructure need to become
smarter. We should not underestimate
the impact of those (new) mobility
business models. When shared mobility
becomes very popular, will it mean that
fewer cars are needed, leading to an
overcapacity of production? Are brands
still important as mobility from A to B
becomes the driver of the capital asset
decision? Finally, the road quality will also
play a role in the introduction and the
usage of autonomous cars.
I foresee a different timeline for
passenger vehicles, transport and off-
highway vehicles. It will take a while
before passenger driving will be fully
automated. We will probably see fully
autonomous vehicles first on highways
(2020), then intercity (2025). Local
driving will not be before 2030.
What is your take on electric
powertrains? What are the
prospects of hydrogen fuel
cells in the light of most
countries planning to phase
out diesel and petroleum
driven vehicles by 2020-2040?F
landers Make’s research in
vehicle industry technology
and competencies is broad based:
for example electric vehicles,
power- and drivetrains, lightweight
materials, exhaust systems,
functional safety and methodologies
to consistently develop products and
product families better and fasterContinued on page 116