City of Antwerp again kicks off 6 innovations in digital, circular and in health

68 projects were submitted. Out of these, 16 were selected. The entrepreneurs were each allowed to pitch and explain their innovation. After this round of questions, an independent jury finally selected 6 projects: 3 innovations in digital, 2 innovations in circular and 1 innovation in health.

A total budget of €552,000 was awarded; each project will receive a maximum of €100,000. The selected companies will help - through collaboration with other companies - to strengthen the Antwerp ecosystem built around technology, sustainability and health.

Proud to introduce these 6 innovation projects:

Flyblast - large-scale production of recombinant proteins and growth factors for cultured meat

Flyblast, a start-up based at BlueChem, works on the biggest bottleneck in cultivating cultured meat that is the very high cost of the growth medium, due to the high cost of recombinant proteins and growth factors. With the funding from the city, this start-up plans to build a pilot plant to sustainably cultivate FlyBlast-BSF on organic waste. BSF stands for Black Soldier Fly (or "black weapon fly", Hermetia illucens), a harmless tropical fly species, used worldwide to cheaply convert waste streams into animal feed and pet food on a large scale. Flyblast is developing a technological platform to henceforth produce the very high-quality recombinant proteins and growth factors needed for the commercial breakthrough of cultured meat.

Johan Jacobs | flyblast.bio | +32 468 14 20 86 | johan@flyblast.bio

Polyperception - identification of full-sleeved objects in waste processing

Polyperception developed an artificial intelligence-based tool for more efficient sorting of waste. With that tool, waste management companies can recycle better. With funding from the city, Polyperception is looking for a solution to process full-sleeved objects. These wrapped bottles and jars do not allow identification of the material underneath. This project makes it possible to build AI models that recognize the underlying material. As a result, data-driven operational decisions can be made to further improve recycling rates.

Parshva Mehta | polyperception.com | +32 489 73 95 38 | parshva@polyperception.io 

Skybase - automated industrial drone inspection in complex environments

Skyebase is a technology company based in The Beacon. This scale-up combines industrial drone inspections with data technology and digital transformation. This allows inspection processes to be automated, making inspections safer, faster and better. With the obtained funding, they will significantly improve inspections in complex and dynamic environments such as pillars under bridges, historical buildings, sewers with varying water levels or hanging power lines.

Bart Daniëls | skyebase.be | +32 499 83 66 81 | bart.daniels@skyebase.be

Dockflow - BlueCarbon, a tracking platform for sustainable, maritime logistics

Dockflow, a start-up based at The Beacon, is pioneering with developing a tracking platform for maritime logistics: the ‘BlueCarbon’ project. With this funding, sustainability mapping will now be added. This platform will be capable of doing more than just tracking containers; it will make the emissions from container shipping visible, provide opportunities for offsetting emissions (offsetting the carbon footprint) and make offsetting transparent by validating compensation.

Pauline Van Ostaeyen | dockflow.com | +32 3 376 46 07 | pauline@dockflow.com

Innocens - AI and computing for better care of premature babies

Innocens is a health spin-off of Antwerp University and Antwerp University Hospital. The company deploys predictive AI and edge computing to recognize abnormal patterns in patients' data that indicate the first symptoms of an infection, for treating diseases faster and better. Their work is based on an enriched dataset which eliminates risk factors. With the city's financial support, Innocens is working on the detection of the risk of sepsis (blood poisoning) in infants early, allowing healthcare providers to start medication sooner.

David Van Laere | innocens.be | +32 473 22 84 10 | David.Vanlaere@innocens.be

Mutani - launch of accessories inspired by characters from video games

Mutani, a growing Antwerp-based start-up, aims to bring fashion and design with influences from the gaming world. Mutani aspires to launch an innovative and stylish collection of accessories inspired by characters from video games. Under the name 'Virtual-to-Reality Fashion Merchandise', Mutani will bring 3D printed accessories enhanced with interactive AR elements. Mutani opts to work with a digital-first design, production and sales method to release this collection sustainably.

Shayli Harrison | mutani.io | +32 485 92 01 94 | shayli@mutani.io

All these projects will be completed by 2024. In addition to financial support, the entrepreneurs will be guided by project leaders of the Business and Innovation-department, who will assist by matchmaking the entrepreneurs with relevant parties.

In total, the city of Antwerp has already called on entrepreneurs 9 times to submit innovative projects. Overall, 571 innovative entrepreneurs submitted a proposal and 63 entrepreneurs received financial support to accelerate their innovation.