This international course 'AI for everyone' is a collaboration between 6 European universities and offers a broad introduction to the topic of AI and its significance to a broad range of global challenges.

The rapid rise of generative and agentic AI is fundamentally changing how products and services are conceived, designed, and improved. This TETRA project translates complex technologies into concrete applications for the New Product Development (NPD) process.

In Belgium, around 210,000 people live with dementia, and cultural heritage has been shown to stimulate memories, emotional engagement, and cognitive well-being. This project develops a mobile installation using experience cards, projection, and AI-generated narratives to help heritage professionals facilitate conversations and evoke deep memories in people with dementia.

EXPANSE AI accelerates the market entry of European AI research. Through its Scale-Up Academy, the project provides promising pilot teams with expert training, investor matchmaking, and access to real-world testing facilities to turn high-potential prototypes into trusted, investable solutions.

The care sector is under growing pressure due to ageing populations, staff shortages, and rising costs, creating a clear need to develop and test digital and AI-based solutions in a structured and collaborative way. ZIMPACT adds value by creating a single conversational interface for information and guidance on legal and ethical frameworks, user-facing AI, and sustainable implementation.

CamoTEXTtreme is a European collaboration to develop Multifunctional Textiles for Camouflage and Resistance to Extreme Environmental Conditions. Our research includes the study of thermoregulation and ergonomics (human factors), developing prototypes and user testing.

The ASTRA project develops a research-grade experimentation platform for studying Agentic AI and conversational interfaces in real-world settings. By combining rapid prototyping across devices with a behavioral experimentation suite, it allows researchers to evaluate user trust, acceptance, and human-in-the-loop dynamics through rigorous "in-the-wild" testing.

Flanders is strengthening its position in stage technology. The Stagetech Flanders project develops an experimental hub in Boom to initiate innovative stagetech pilot projects with local stakeholders. Using foresight methods, we map trends, generate innovation ideas, and develop roadmaps. Our expertise in futures methods and Living Lab processes supports this trajectory.

As part of the European ENLIGHT program, we are co-developing a blended intensive program (BIP) on empathy for students. The “Empathy in Action” initiative aims to empower students to use empathy as a driver for innovation and social change through challenge-based learning methodologies. The program consist of 3 blocks: an online pre- and post-phase, and a one-week on-sight course.

This PhD focuses on Living Labs in healthcare. The aim is to study and develop new tools and methods to increase the successful implementation of innovation in healthcare. By exploring emerging technologies and trends, the project develops and integrates these into new methods and tools that strengthen and support the Living Lab methodology in healthcare.

This dissertation explores how Virtual Reality (VR) improves product design by enabling early concept evaluation before physical prototyping. It introduces the ExperienceDNA framework, combining VR, behavioral observations, and physiological data to support structured design evaluations, improving collaboration while reducing development time, costs, and prototyping effort.

The PhD project investigates how technology innovation ecosystems can become more accessible and inclusive, enabling people with diverse needs to participate in shaping emerging technologies. Using participatory and inclusive design approaches, it studies and develops tools, methods, and environments that lower or prevent barriers to engagement in innovation processes.