Research projects

To support the growth and development of the economically significant sector 'Blue Energy,' a state-of-the-art training center is being established in Bluebridge at the Ostend Science Park, in collaboration with POM West Flanders.                                                  

EDIH DIGITALIS provides support to local businesses in the areas of AI, industrial digitization, and cybersecurity.As part of Digital Europe, a call was launched to establish European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH).                                                                 

Internationally, there is a growing trend of cross-over collaborations between the gaming industry and the music sector, experimenting with virtual productions.                                                                                                                        

Many schools have the ambition to implement Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), or overarching eXtended Reality (XR) in their offerings. Especially for students for whom skill training is a core task, XR applications can add value.                                       

This project focuses on digital transformation in government. How can we enhance, expedite, and innovate public services to citizens through new technologies?                                                                                                                          

The clinical (pediatric) ophthalmic practice is confronted daily with the limitations of available visual assessment and rehabilitation tools. Ophthalmologists consistently face challenges in obtaining reliable results from vision tests in children.                               

XR Factor aims to survey Flemish secondary schools with dual finality and/or labor market finality that have diverse XR expertise. To obtain a comprehensive overview, we also engage in conversations with external stakeholders involved in XR implementations in schools.            

Through the deployment of a high-quality 5G network, the Westhoek becomes a true smart region. This aligns with the objectives of the integrated economic regional vision of the Westhoek, 'The Westhoek Impulse Plan.'                                                                 

This project harnesses 5G technology for unmanned navigation on inland waterways, focusing on semi-autonomous inland navigation with support through 5G connectivity. Howest is exploring the possibilities of a 360° camera and VR applications on the boat & will conduct field tests.