Belgium reveals new global plans to showcase its innovation for the next three years

Belgium has released its new international branding campaign, Embracing Openness, which will focus on building Belgium's openness regarding innovation. The campaign will be actively in motion up until April 2026 and was green-lit by the FPS Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

Belgium is one of Europe's most advanced nations and has built a reputation for innovative creation, forging partnerships plus having a strong work ethic. Part of its highly developed landscape includes the transport industry, as the second biggest seaport in Europe is in Antwerp.

Embracing Openness was formed around fascinating discoveries from a strategic survey that was conducted last year by the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. The findings from the survey demonstrated that Belgium is heavily respected and well-perceived from an international perspective due to the nation's willingness to be open-minded, collaborative, respect human laws and be innovative.

Also, the survey displayed how the nation is held in high regard by non-governmental organisations, researchers, investors and opinion leaders. Although, surveyors indicated that Belgium can be very humble and struggle with acknowledging its great achievements and promoting its success which has led to the nation not being anywhere near visible enough.

Embracing Openness will focus on collaborations, diversity and innovation within its branding strategy and accompanying campaigns to work on making Belgium a more open hub that contributes to a forward-thinking and transformative future.

Belgium's Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, spoke at the campaign launch about the country's innovative past and why it is crucial to its future. He stated: "Whether it is the production of COVID vaccines, pioneering biotech and semiconductor research, or our leading role in offshore energy, Belgium has consistently shown that openness for innovation is vital for a successful society. By collaborating across different perspectives, building bridges, and forging alliances, we can make substantial progress both economically and socially."

De Croo also highlighted Belgium's culture of working with others, saying: "This approach is an essential part of Belgium's DNA. While others might choose to isolate themselves, Belgium radically chose for openness as the way forward."

The initiative is set to focus on Belgium's innovative talents as they will be looking to deal with key issues in areas including climate change, energy supply security and European strategic autonomy.

Belgium has displayed its brilliance in the scientific and technological landscape as there have been elite-level contributions from research institutions and universities which have made the country a leading hub in the world for innovation. Some of the areas in which Belgium has had previous success are offshore energy, biopharma R&D and nanoelectronics.

The country has made efforts to improve the energy sector as they have co-founded the North Sea Coalition in order to generate the biggest source of renewable energy in Europe. The goal is to quadruple combined offshore wind capacity to 65 GW by 2030 and a minimum of 150 GW by 2050.

Also, from joint efforts between the nation's IMEC Laboratories and the world's seventh-best innovative university, according to Reuters, KU Leuven, Belgium is stealing a march in the high-tech chip revolution. The country is also in front when it comes to medical-related insight as research from Ghent University, ULB and VUB have aided with deeper observations about Alzheimer's, AIDS and cancer.

Another important aspect that will be showcased in the campaign is Belgium's insistence on forging partnerships with other entities to help with pushing innovation and finding sustainable strategies, with the more contributors the better as high-magnitude issues can require further expertise. For the forthcoming 2024 Presidency of the Council of the EU, Belgium will prioritise the promotion of partnerships in innovation.

Belgium, a founding member of the United Nations, NATO and European Union, is no stranger to helping out and working together with others as they host important European and international organisations. NATO is headquartered in the Belgian capital of Brussels and a few weeks ago a meeting involving NATO Chiefs of Defence took place in Brussels to discuss the security threat of Russia.

The European Commission is also based out of Brussels, in addition to Luxembourg, and weekly meetings take place in the Belgian capital city.

Embracing Openness is set to display the diverse nature of Belgium with its many cultures and communities that have made it a welcoming and inclusive society where progress can be made. The nation's diverse nature is evident from its participation in the SheDecides movement, being co-supervisor in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, ranking second in the Rainbow Index and coming third in the KOF Globalisation Index.

Ultimately, Embracing Openness aims to increase Belgium's presence on the world stage and focus on the main aspects of the campaign which are innovation, partnerships and diversity. Belgium's embassies and diplomatic posts around the globe will promote the campaign in order to truly spread the message of Belgium wanting to open itself up so a better future is on the horizon.

Also, Belgium will use digital channels and stakeholder activation events to spread its message and display its leading areas of success and attract potential investors and researchers. Belgium's message and openness to the world will be featured at Brussels Airport in the intended direction of foreign visitors and professional innovators starting this June and will continue to be demonstrated for three years.

The campaign is initially planned to focus on continental matters and is largely centred around Belgium's impending presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins next year. Afterwards, the campaign will go hand in hand with trade missions, global conferences as well as stakeholder events and truly maximise Belgium's international growth aspirations.

In other news, Belgium is known to be one of the biggest wholesale buyers of Russian diamonds alongside the United Arab Emirates and India. This implicates them as the recent G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, saw its members and EU Council President express concerns over Russia's diamond trade.