A strategic partnership offering new opportunities for technology companies
Sirris and Certech are joining forces to strengthen Belgium’s industry in its green and digital transition. By combining their expertise in materials, production processes, and sustainability, both research centers aim to boost the innovation capacity of technology companies.
What does this mean for you as an industrial player? A closer collaboration that opens doors to new insights, infrastructure, and applications.
Complementary strengths with one goal: greater impact
The collaboration between Sirris and Certech strengthens the bridge between advanced materials and chemical and process technologies. While Certech excels in chemistry and material science, Sirris contributes its expertise in industrial processes, digitalisation, and sustainable production.
But who exactly is Certech? Certech, short for "Centre de Ressources Technologiques en Chimie", is a Walloon research center based in Seneffe. Since its founding in 1996, it has been supporting companies in developing sustainable solutions in (bio)chemistry, materials, and the environment. Certech has deep expertise in innovative processes, circularity, and life sciences helping to accelerate industrial innovation towards sustainability.
Together, we are creating a powerful foundation to:
- Bring new technologies to industrial application faster
- Improve the sustainability of materials and products
- Give more companies access to specialized infrastructure and testing facilities
Jean-François Delaigle, Business Development Manager at Sirris, sums it up perfectly:
“Thanks to this partnership, companies can move faster. They gain access to more knowledge, more infrastructure, and more opportunities to realize their ambitions.”
A shared vision for the industry of tomorrow
This collaboration aligns seamlessly with the Walloon 2024–2029 policy plan, which aims to strengthen coherence and visibility among the recognized research centers (CRA). The joint goal is clear: to help the Belgian industry grow by aligning research, development, and innovation (RDI) more effectively.
With the support of the sector federations Agoria and essenscia, we are building a stronger innovation network, giving companies from SMEs to large groups access to combined expertise, testing facilities, and tailored support.
Putting collaboration into practice: the RecyAge project
A first concrete example of this collaboration is the joint project RecyAge, coordinated by Certech with Sirris as partner. The project explores how recycled thermoplastics behave over time, a crucial question for anyone committed to circular production.
The challenge: recycled plastics vary greatly in composition and quality, making it difficult to produce reliable products. RecyAge aims to solve this by developing an accelerated test method to predict the ageing behaviour of plastics.
The approach includes:
- Developing a hyper-accelerated ageing test based on dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA)
- Establishing correlation models between test results and real-life performance
- Creating practical guidelines for companies integrating recycled materials
With this methodology, companies can more quickly assess whether a recycled material is suitable for their applications from electronic housings to automotive or household components.
Sirris contributes its expertise in material processing and process optimisation, while Certech provides the analytical and chemical know-how to refine testing methods.
Beyond collaboration: toward an integrated innovation network
The strength of this partnership lies in its complementarity. Companies now gain access to a broader range of knowledge, infrastructure, and support without added complexity.
By joining forces, we:
- Build the critical mass needed for large-scale innovation projects
- Unlock new markets and technologies
- Foster non-competitive synergies that strengthen the entire ecosystem
For technology companies, this means one point of contact, two expert centers, and endless opportunities to grow in a sustainable, digital era.
Conclusion
The collaboration between Sirris and Certech marks an important step toward a more integrated and visible innovation landscape in Belgium. By sharing knowledge, pooling resources, and developing joint projects, we aim to help companies innovate faster, smarter, and more sustainably building together a future-proof industry.
