The Interdisciplinary Institute for BroadBand Technology (IBBT) was created by the Flemish government to make Flanders a leader in information and communication technology and broadband. IBBT stimulates multidisciplinary research at various knowledge centers to develop solutions for Flemish businesses and government. It brings together specialists from academia and industry to conduct demand-driven research. IBBT also builds a network of actors to facilitate collaboration across fields and provides testing infrastructure for new broadband applications and services. The goal is to boost innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness in Flanders through highly skilled human capital and concentrated research efforts.

1. IBBT. Breaking Borders and Building Bridges.
IBBT, a new research institute in Flanders for ICT and broadband
• The Flemish government wishes to make Flanders an international leader in the information society.
• The Interdisciplinary Institute for BroadBand Technology (IBBT) is contributing to this by stimulating multidisciplinary
research in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and broadband. This research is at the service
of Flemish business and government and is demand-driven.
• The multidisciplinary approach by which IBBT builds bridges between knowledge centres, businesses and government
guarantees the building up of highly competent human capital.
IBBT helps to answer companies’ ICT research questions
• The purpose of the research is the development of generic knowledge in the medium
term.
• The institute is demand-driven:
o Businesses or government bodies put their research questions to the IBBT.
o The IBBT fits these questions into innovation platforms, which create a broader social
context for ICT challenges.
• IBBT employs three forms of research:
o interdisciplinary strategic basic research from the research institutions
o joint basic research with clusters of businesses and other partners
o bilateral research contracts with businesses and other partners
• The approach is multidisciplinary: in order to facilitate the effective development of
broadband services, technological, social and legal aspects all come into play.
IBBT builds bridges between Flemish businesses, government and research
centres
• The research takes place across boundaries: specialists from the scientific and business
world jointly formulate an answer.
• IBBT creates a forum for the creation of a broad network of scientific, economic and
social actors.
• IBBT combines forces within Flanders:
o A number of research groups in existing knowledge centres form the basis. The com-
position of the research groups is adjustable in line with the evolution of the nodes.
o In order to manage all this, IBBT possesses a limited number of central functions.
IBBT provides a test environment for broadband services
• The marketing of successful products and services requires extensive technical and user
tests.
• The IBBT provides the infrastructure for technical feasibility and prototype testing on the
different broadband platforms.
• This comprises both the network technology itself and its influence on applications and
services.
• The Centre for Usability Research supports the design and evaluation of user-friendly
applications.

2. What IBBT means for Flemish businesses
• Innovation: IBBT stimulates pioneering research in new application areas.
• Efficiency: IBBT forms a single contact point in Flanders for ICT research.
• Made to measure: the research is demand-driven and tailored to the strategy of the
partners.
• Quality: IBBT gives companies access to the know-how of the best Flemish
ICT researchers.
• Result: the end results can be exploited economically and socially.
What IBBT means for Flanders
• A lever for playing a leading international role in the future information society.
• International competitiveness through the formation of highly competent human capital.
• The building up of a solid knowledge infrastructure through the concentration of forces.
• More jobs and economic growth through the anchoring of knowledge.
Contact New address:
www.ibbt.be IBBT vzw,
Karen.Boers@ibbt.be Gaston Crommenlaan 8 (bus 102) ,
tel.: 09/331 48 00 9050 Gent-Ledeberg
fax: 09/331 48 05