Antwerp has a modest number of inhabitants – more or less 540.000. Due to its small size it has a very dense ecosystem. Everything is located close to each other. But nevertheless it is home to 175 different nationalities – this gives Antwerp a very international feeling. This combination between the diversity and the density gives Antwerp the unique position of being a human size metropolis... that is the economic powerhouse of Belgium.  

Antwerp again made the Financial Times top 10 ranking of cities with the strongest economic potential for 4 years in a row.

Everything I told you up till now is serious stuff. But life, and business life as well, is not always about serious things. Work hard, play hard, is the motto in many innovative hot spots of the world. Antwerp offers a cool city to live in, with a high quality of life. It has a rich culture with many museums, galleries, theatres with international performances, a big multiplex cinema complex. It is a shopping paradise, low cost and luxury. And finally, there is an abundance of bars and restaurants: traditional or innovative. Low cost or with Michelin stars. Antwerp offers a world of opportunities to everyone. 

The city of Antwerp and private developers have invested enormously in the renewal of the city. New South is a completely new neighbourhood next to the Scheldt river. Little Island - or Eilandje in Flemish – has been strongly renewed. The Handelsbeurs is a new event location annex hotel. And Botanic Sanctuary is a five star hotel in a heritage location. It are just some examples of many. 

The private sector is very well developed in Antwerp and is very innovative. It gets all support from a local government that is as innovative as its private counterpart. 

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a European frontrunner in digital & sustainable port innovation. It has numerous projects which have been addressed in this presentation. 

The City of Antwerp is digitalizing its own administration and working hard on data. Moreover it is Open for Business: the City facilitates alle new (and existing) business in their innovative drive. 

The University of Antwerp is a knowledge institution, but at the same time an active stakeholder in all kind of innovation projects and a source of spinoffs. 

A maybe surprising mention goes to the local fire brigade. It is working hard on innovation with the aim of doing more efficient interventions. Together with the private company Hydroscan it has developed a system to predict overflooding. It invests in digital intervention management systems. And together with the local police it has set up a private 5G network.

Innovation in Antwerp bubbles up from many incubators and accelerators.

• The oldest one is start it@kbc. Started in Antwerp and now active in 9 cities, in Belgium and abroad.

• Imec.istart is chosen as the best Business Accelerator in the world. Imec has its smart city head office in Antwerp.

• In chemistry BlueApp and BlueChem are a pre-incubator and incubator.

• Plug & Play, one of the world’s best accelerators, has opened in 2021 a maritime innovation platform in Antwerp.

An important source of new startups is the University of Antwerp and its valorization department, linking the business to the academic world and important source of many successful spin-offs.

An initiative from University of Antwerp and employers organization Voka Chamber of Commerce Antwerp-Waasland is Start-Up Antwerp. It is a platform connecting all incubators and accelerators with startups companies and bigger companies and corporates.

Antwerp has several venture capital funds which make it possible for the thriving startup scene to grow into scaleups. 

Antwerp has many elements to be succesfull. But success can only be realized if all stakeholders work together in one vision and one strategy. And that is exactly what the City of Antwerp, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the University of Antwerp, and the local Voka Chamber of Commerce are doing.

Antwerp is a very international oriented city. It is a university town and attracts a lot of international students, especially at the University of Antwerp and management school AMS. 

The City participates a lot in FIT economic missions.

City of Antwerp has a strong Foreign Direct Investment policy. In 2023 it realized 50 new investment projects, 629 new jobs (+19%) and €1.93 billion investment (+59%).

To be an innovative city you need a solid digital infrastructure. Nokia and Proximus have recently activated the world fastest fibernetwork with 25 Gigabit technology, developed in the Nokia Headquarters of Fixed Access, located in Antwerp. 

Antwerp has the 12^th fastest mobile broadband speeds among 150 cities globally – higher than in New York, Zurich or Vienna.

Antwerp is a forerunner in private 5G-networks. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the Local Police and the Antwerp fire brigade have all set up a 5G-network. And Orange opened in October 2021 its 5G Living Lab in The Beacon.

The city of Antwerp