Renewed Sirris labs accelerate industrialisation and scalable innovation
The innovation centre Sirris aims to grow into a leading European hub that connects innovation and industrialisation for the manufacturing industry.
This afternoon, Sirris, the innovation centre for the technological industry in Belgium, officially opened its renovated Liège laboratories together with Walloon Minister of Economy Pierre-Yves Jeholet. The labs feature advanced demonstration and testing environments. In the coming years, the innovation hub in Liège aims to become the place where Belgian and European manufacturing companies can strengthen their competitiveness by translating innovations more quickly into manufacturable and scalable products.
“Liège is one of the catalysts of industrial innovation in Belgium and beyond, with a 30-year presence at the Liège Science Park in Sart Tilman. By 2030, that position should be even stronger,” Sirris states.
Pressure on Belgian and European manufacturing companies continues to increase year after year. Geopolitical tensions, fragile supply chains, and rapidly evolving technologies are forcing companies to fundamentally rethink their production and innovation approaches. At the same time, the gap between fast technological innovation and effective industrialisation is widening. For decades, the Sirris site in Liège has been a trusted partner in product development. In the years ahead, the innovation hub will play an even greater role in supporting the Belgian manufacturing industry with one of its biggest challenges: innovating faster and translating those innovations into manufacturable and scalable physical products and industrial applications.
“The real challenge today is not only to innovate, but to move from idea to production. Transforming an innovation into a product, a process or industrial added value is essential. By staying close to companies, Sirris accelerates this transition from the lab to industry. This is how innovation becomes a concrete driver of competitiveness and jobs.”
Pierre-Yves Jeholet, Walloon Minister of Economy, Industry, Employment, Research and Digitalisation
Beyond the Valley of Death
The innovation labs in Liège will only grow in importance in the coming years. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence are evolving rapidly and transforming business models at an unprecedented pace. This creates a major challenge for the Belgian manufacturing industry: how can innovations be made effectively producible and scalable so they do not remain stuck in the prototype phase? Companies bridge this gap by working more closely with Sirris and investing in industrial prototyping.
“Innovations are becoming increasingly digital, intelligent and context-aware, adapting to their environment. But ultimately, they must also be manufacturable. With industrial prototyping, we help companies turn that complexity into scalable physical products.”
Jean-François Delaigle, Regional Director Wallonia & Head of Business Development and Innovation at Sirris
About Sirris
Sirris is the collective centre of the Belgian technological industry and helps companies strengthen their competitiveness through innovation. The centre supports businesses in product development, production and digital transformation, translating technological innovations into concrete industrial applications. Sirris was founded by Agoria and is governed by the industry itself. Through research and development combined with hands-on collaboration, Sirris aims to stimulate technological progress in the Belgian industry.
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