Strengthen your team and business

Blue Valley Ostend provides specialist training centres for maritime safety, offshore operations and drone technology, as well as incubators that give start-ups the space to grow within the blue economy. 

Belgian Navy Academy (NAC) 

Resources: training facilities for the operational use of marine drones and simulation systems for mine countermeasures 
Applications:  

• Mine countermeasures 

• Robotics for underwater and surface drone operations 

• Tactical marine scenarios 

Highlight: Collaboration with Exail and the Flanders Marine Institute for shared use of testing infrastructure 
Location: Bootsman Jonsen Barracks, Ostend 

RelyOn Training Centre 

Resources: GWO-certified safety and survival training sessions for offshore sectors 
Applications:  

• Safety training 

• Crisis management 

• Firefighting, electrical safety procedures and working at height 

• Wind energy, petrochemical and shipping applications

Highlight: wave pool with rain/storm/lightning, fire training area, climbing tower, maritime zone for exercises involving lifeboats, floating installations for rescue exercises 
Location: Esplanadastraat 1, 8400 Ostend 

The Reef in Bluebridge 

Aanbod: Extended Reality (XR), Digital Twins, Smart Sea Applications, high-performance computing 
Toepassingen:  

• Offshore en maritieme scenario's 

• Simulatie van controlekamers en operaties 

• Digital Twin toepassingen 

Highlight: VR Cave (3-wandige stereoscopische ruimte), Control Room (multi-screen), HPC-cluster, 360° Camera & SLAM Scanner, Digital Twin & Control Simulation 
Locatie: Bluebridge Incubatie- en Innovatiecentrum, Ostend Science Park Science Park, Wetenschapspark 1, 8400 Oostende 

Marifish Inc. 

Resources: onshore incubator and accelerator, lab infrastructure, food-grade production facility and processing facilities 
Applications:  

• Aquaculture and mariculture (seaweed, fish, shellfish)  

• Fisheries innovation 

• Quality monitoring and sensor technology 

• Innovative packaging technology 

• Technology development in technological and zootechnics fields
  
  

Highlight: living lab with large volumes of seawater plus professional coaching and community of business people 
Location: Wandelaarkaai 7, Box 61, 8400 Ostend 

Bluebridge Incubator 

Resources: flexible accommodation (flexible office spaces, co-working, registered office), meetings and events infrastructure, training labs 
Focus: businesses operating within the blue economy 
Highlight: direct connection to University of Ghent labs, demo rooms, towing tank and Coastal & Ocean Basin within Ostend Science Park 
Location: Ostend Science Park, Wetenschapspark 1, 8400 Ostend