Voka Innovation Academy 2026

The Innovation Academy offers a unique opportunity to explore the fundamental building blocks of innovation and develop the skills needed to lead innovation within your organisation. You will also have the opportunity to network with a community of like-minded professionals.

Theme 1: Strategic innovation

Explore the essential building blocks for successful innovation and discover various innovation strategies. Learn how social trends influence an organisation's strategy and how to tailor an innovation strategy to your organisation's identity.

Speakers: Mathieu Mottrie is managing partner at CREAX, an innovation expert and think tank based in Kortrijk with more than 20 years of experience. He has an impressive business network with global players such as P&G, Goodyear, and Philips. Mathieu regularly gives guest lectures at home and abroad.

Stijn Ronsse, PhD in Applied Economic Sciences, is operational director of the CAPTURE research platform and visiting fellow at the Itinera think tank. He has extensive experience as a consultant on innovation and competitiveness.

Piet Verhoeve has experience on both the corporate side as CTO of Televic and on the academic side as Director ICON at iMinds/imec. He launched the successful co-creation hub Hangar K and flanders.healthTech, and gives masterclasses on open innovation and collaboration through his company Origanius.

Theme 2: Future thinking & Scenario planning

Delve into the development of an innovation strategy that seamlessly aligns with your business strategy and societal trends. Develop skills in trend watching and future thinking, and learn how to create scenarios that allow you to respond flexibly to future developments.

Speakers: Simon Vanhoucke is Group Strategy Director at Van Marcke, where he leads strategic innovation and scenario planning. He has extensive experience in implementing future-oriented strategies in business operations.

Griet Cappelle is Team Manager Foresight at imec and a specialist in strategy, innovation and future exploration. She guides organisations and ecosystems to respond proactively to the future, using strong methodologies and inspiring visions. With a background in sales and sectors such as pharmaceuticals, sports, construction and green energy, she has built an impressive track record in the world of sports innovation. She is also active as a SportUp coach, guest lecturer and keynote speaker on the future of sports.

Theme 3: Intellectual Property, Knowledge Management & Open Innovation

Explore the value of intellectual property and learn how to build and manage an IP portfolio. Develop skills in knowledge management and discover the power of open innovation and co-creation for stimulating innovation.

Speakers: An Cosaert is the founder of Inquirendi and has 15 years of experience as an R&D engineer and innovation coach. She specialises in IP strategy coaching and is a member of the Belgian Patent User Group (BEPIUG).

Piet Verhoeve has experience as CTO of Televic and as Director ICON at iMinds/imec. He gives masterclasses on open innovation and collaboration through his company Origanius.

Bart Proot is Business Unit Director at Jacob Company, founder of Shells&Skins and creator of the RedStars brand. Bart has a strong background in commercial leadership, innovation-focused entrepreneurship and the development of brand and product strategies.

Theme 4: Innovation Culture, Leadership & Team Dynamics

Learn about the importance of a safe corporate culture for innovation and how to deal effectively with failure and resistance to change. Develop skills in putting together and leading innovation teams, and discover effective brainstorming techniques.

Speakers: Dirk De Boe, consultant and author of the book 'Innoshock', has a background as an engineer and R&D manager at Philips. He helps companies develop a culture of innovation.

Guy Van Wijmeersch: as former Director of Innovation & Design Thinking at Barco, he has extensive experience in initiating and leading innovative projects.

Lisa Vromman and Julie Bruggeman from Howest are experts in the Innowiz brainstorming methodology, which stimulates creativity and innovation through structured brainstorming sessions.

Theme 5: Market-oriented & user-centric innovation

Delve into the importance of market knowledge in creating value and learn how to develop value propositions that meet customer needs. Explore tools such as the Value Proposition Canvas and KANO to stimulate customer-focused innovation.

Speakers: Yoav Nir is an entrepreneur, consultant, and author of the book 'Game Changing Innovation'. He worked at Barco for 22 years and is now responsible for sales and marketing at DigiPHY.

Pol Lombaert is managing director at Centexbel, with more than twenty years of experience in innovation, R&D and leadership in various sectors. Pol leads strategic innovation initiatives, coaches teams and strengthens Centexbel's role as a partner for technological development and business advice.

Steven Dehollander is the manager at Pilipili and shares his experiences in creating value for customers.

Remco Lenstra from RE-framed shares his knowledge and experience in customer-focused innovation. He started his career as a product designer and R&D manager, before joining Flanders in Shape. The experienced design thinking expert is a lecturer and speaker at Antwerp Management School and EDHEC in Lille, among others. He has written several white papers and tool books and is co-author of 'Cecilia's Choice' on human-centred design.

Theme 6: Project Management & Financial Planning for Innovation

Learn how to address critical uncertainties at the start of an innovation project and discover how to compile and manage a balanced portfolio of projects. Delve into financial management techniques and develop a business plan to evaluate the feasibility of innovation projects.

Speakers: Rudy Moenaert, professor at TIAS School for Business & Society, specialises in strategic marketing and innovation. His work mainly focuses on B2B companies and he publishes in leading international journals.

Sonja Vancrayenest is managing partner at Moore Grants & Incentives and has over 20 years of experience as an expert in subsidy advice. She successfully guides companies in obtaining financial support for their innovation projects.

Koen Verhaeghe is an advisor at VLAIO and supports entrepreneurs in finding and utilising the right subsidies and support measures for their innovation and growth projects. With his broad experience, he helps SMEs to realise their ideas, focus their strategies and find the right path within the Flemish subsidy landscape.

Theme 7: Persuasiveness: Change Management & Storytelling

Learn about the importance of storytelling in innovation processes and how to build persuasive presentations to engage stakeholders and management in your innovation projects.

Speakers: Joost Van Driessche is a coach at Wilde Zwanen and assists organisations with change processes and developing agility.

Annelies Blomme, founder of La Fleur Rouge, is an experienced presenter and media trainer. She assists managers and CEOs with their storytelling and media communication.

Final session (18 June 2026): certificate presentation

A balanced mix of theoretical frameworks, practical exercises and inspiring testimonials from more than 20 expert speakers. In addition, inspiring testimonials from innovation managers from renowned companies are shared.

Participants will have the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts directly to real-life business cases, creating a hands-on learning experience. The course also offers ample opportunity to network with other professionals. At the end of the course, everyone will receive a certificate and the experience will be concluded with a walking dinner.

This programme is designed for:

innovation managers

R&D managers

engineers

project leaders

product developers

Other professionals who already have some experience with innovation processes within their organisation are also welcome. Participants are invited to share their experiences and further immerse themselves in the world of innovation.

You can also use the SME portfolio for this training course. Your application must be submitted no later than 14 days after the first session via www.kmo-portefeuille.be. If you use the SME portfolio, you will still have to pay VAT on the full training cost.

Required information for the SME portfolio

The registration number of Voka – Chamber of Commerce West Flanders: DV.O104126

Type of service: training

Start date of services: 13/02/2026

End date of services: 18/06/2026

Project amount: €5,200 for members, €7,800 for non-members

Number of training hours: 59

Theme: Innovation