The start of the new management period 2022-2026 marked several milestones in terms of accommodation. In September 2022, after more than 20 years, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and its national and international partners (the European Marine Board, the EMODnet secretariat, the UNESCO/IOC Project Office for IODE, the Coastal Heritage unit and the Regional Office Coast of the province of West Flanders) moved out of their offices in the Ostend fish market. Together with the marine science division of the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), they moved into the brand-new InnovOcean Campus located at Jacobsenstraat 1 in Ostend.
The government building accommodating nearly 300 employees is the result of an investment of approximately € 20 million by the Flemish government. With a surface area of 8,000 square metres, the building not only provides the necessary office space, conference capacity and an auditorium, but also a public marine library and specialised research and laboratory infrastructure for ILVO. With its blue faience tiling, the building stands out in the urban landscape. Flemish investment company PMV coordinated the construction, while the construction team consisting of Algemene Bouw Maes (Van Roey group) and EVR-architecten from Ghent took care of the execution.
The official inauguration of the building took place on 5 December 2022 in the presence of Hilde Crevits, Flemish Vice Minister-President and Minister for Fisheries, as well as over one hundred prominent figures and staff members.
Minister Crevits: “Thanks to the realisation of the brand-new InnovOcean Campus, the Flemish coast boasts another gem. Our knowledge institutions ILVO and VLIZ work together on this site to reinforce marine research in Flanders and open it up to the general public. This is an important step towards a sustainable future for this small yet dynamic sector, thanks to a major investment by the Flemish government.”
VLIZ’s second new building project, the extension of the Marine Station Ostend, made considerable progress in 2022. These ‘wet facilities’, located one kilometre from the InnovOcean Campus, enable VLIZ to increase its research capacity and keep pace with the rapid growth of the institute.
To complete the master plan for the site, Flemish Minister of Economy, Innovation, Work, Social Economy and Agriculture Jo Brouns granted VLIZ an investment subsidy of € 1 million in 2022. VLIZ will use this additional subsidy to replace the old house on Slipwaykaai with a new-build connected to the expanded Marine Station and the recently renovated historical bunker on the site.
Minister Brouns: “VLIZ is a dynamic marine scientific organisation which now has new offices as well as sufficient space for experiments, equipment and laboratories thanks to the expansion of the Marine Station Ostend. This is a nice new contribution to the centre of marine and maritime knowledge which Ostend has become.”