Officenter Hasselt is working with the Dutch company Microlab on the CR2SE project in which they are building a modular Smart Sustainable Building system.

Smart Buildings can make a major contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. A smart building 'thinks' along with the user based on data and automatically adjusts its building systems (heating, ventilation, lighting etc.) and building services (e.g. cleaning or maintenance) based on actual use. This makes for a highly efficient building, so that 10 to 20% CO2 reduction can be achieved compared to normal buildings. Thanks to the modular system that Microlab is developing together with Officenter Hasselt, existing (office) real estate can be converted into 'intelligent' real estate at an accelerated pace. All the building systems and services will then be used very efficiently, which will make a major contribution to making the built environment more sustainable.

Project "Modular smart-building retrofit system (PROJ-03516)" was funded within the Interreg V programme Flanders-Netherlands, the cross-border cooperation programme with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund. More information: www.grensregio.eu

CrossRoads2 Sustainable Energy is a project within the European programme Interreg Flanders-Netherlands and aims to stimulate cross-border cooperation between SME-SMEs in Flanders and the Southern Netherlands (Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg). The focus is on innovation projects concerning sustainable energy, energy efficiency and renewable energy that have a direct impact on CO2 reduction in the border region.

The core task of CrossRoads2 Sustainable Energy is to stimulate innovations in the field of CO2 reduction with a cross-border added value by means of:

• Matchmaking: bringing together companies (possibly supplemented with knowledge institutions) and setting up and supervising Flemish-South Dutch consortia that set up projects together in the framework of a low-carbon economy;
• Subsidy for innovation projects with a direct focus on CO2 reduction: financial support of innovative partnerships between at least one SME from the South of the Netherlands and at least one SME from Flanders (50%, maximum € 150,000)
• Follow-up: follow up on these projects and proactively think along with follow-up steps and valorisation of the acquired knowledge.

CrossRoads2 Sustainable Energy is expected to deliver 19 innovation projects in which 38 SMEs will participate. The project aims at a reduction of 200 tons of CO2 per year per subproject, starting with the market introduction of the developed technology.

Financiers

The CrossRoads2 Sustainable Energy project is receiving European funding as part of the Interreg VA Flanders-Netherlands programme. Through the Interreg programme 2014-2020, the European Union makes more than € 152 million available from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for cross-border cooperation that strengthens and promotes innovation and sustainable development in the border region. More information: www.grensregio.eu.

In addition to Interreg VA Flanders-Netherlands, the project is also funded by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Dutch provinces of Limburg, North Brabant and Zeeland and the Flemish Region.

Project partners

The CrossRoads2 Foundation takes care of the financial and substantive project management of CrossRoads2 Sustainable Energy. Within the foundation, the following project partners work closely together: BOM, REWIN, NV Economische Impuls Zeeland, LIOF, VLAIO Team Bedrijfstrajecten vzw, Stimulus Programme Management and Flux 50.