POM Limburg Annual Event held for the first time at the Provincial House
“Our talent for transformation makes Limburg so unique”
HASSELT – For the third time, POM Limburg presented the status of the Limburg economy at its annual event. Guests on stage included comedian Erhan Demirci, Bond Zonder Naam CEO Barbara Torfs, and author Rick de Leeuw. Chairman Tom Vandeput and General Director Noël Slangen concluded the event. The central theme, ‘Metamorphosis,’ was chosen to highlight how the Limburg economy continues to reinvent itself, as demonstrated by recent data.
“Limburg continually redefines itself,” says Tom Vandeput, Deputy for Economy and Chairman of POM Limburg. “We have evolved from a mining and industrial region into a hub of innovation and collaboration. That is something we can rightfully be proud of.”
Limburg leads in employment growth
Professor Stijn Baert recently completed a report on six years of economic policy across Belgium’s ten provinces. Limburg emerged as the strongest performer in terms of employment growth among the Flemish provinces. “According to Professor Baert, our efforts are clearly paying off. For the first time, we have proportionally more employed people than Antwerp and Flemish Brabant—an impressive milestone,” says Vandeput. Notably, employment growth among women has been significant, with a 4.4 percentage point increase. “No other Flemish province has done better. The women of Limburg are the silent driving force behind this success.”
Collaboration as the key to success
Noël Slangen, General Director of POM Limburg, emphasized that collaboration is the engine of progress. “It’s often said that the provincial government, through POM Limburg, drives this transformation, but that’s not true. The real engine is the unique collaboration between businesses, knowledge institutions, governments, and other Limburg stakeholders,” says Slangen. Chairman Tom Vandeput adds: “Collaboration is our secret formula. Knowledge institutions such as UHasselt, PXL, UCLL, and SyntraPXL work closely with VDAB, LRM, trade unions, employers’ organizations, municipalities, and government agencies. This broad coalition is what makes Limburg thrive. Our ecosystem is unique in Flanders, and it must be cherished.”
Campuses as innovation hubs
The fact that Limburg’s stakeholders converge on strong regional campuses is no coincidence. “Developing new campuses was a key priority in the past policy period. Our campuses bring together the right players: businesses, knowledge institutions, and policymakers. They are beacons of innovation where ideas become reality. Our Health Campus in Diepenbeek leads in data science and digitalization in healthcare. The Construction Campus focuses on circular construction, while the Logistics Campus in Genk emphasizes sustainable innovation in logistics. Thor Park in Genk is a hub for future energy and technology. These campuses, along with those previously developed by LRM, are driving valuable economic growth,” explains Slangen.
Inclusivity at the core
POM Limburg stresses that inclusivity must remain a core value in Limburg’s transformation. “We leave no one behind,” says Vandeput firmly. “Inclusivity is one of the four pillars of the SALKturbo plan. Limburg is a hotbed of talent. We’ve had to work hard to give that talent every opportunity, especially after the decline of the mining industry and the closure of Ford and Philips. Talent is our most important resource to meet these challenges. To create more prosperity, we must not work harder, but smarter.”
Noël Slangen: “Our province must focus on core innovations that can act as a flywheel for employment and business health. In this way, we can address the tightening labor market and close the productivity gap with the rest of Flanders. We need to fully embrace pioneering projects such as the Einstein Telescope, an ambitious scientific initiative we aim to realize with our neighboring countries in the Euregio. We also need to stimulate groundbreaking innovations in healthcare, sustainable construction, and clean energy.”
Tom Vandeput: “Projects like these set a chain reaction in motion, starting with entrepreneurs and scientists and extending to workers, construction crews, and ultimately the hospitality and service industries that benefit from the new talent they attract.”
The role of provinces
As the POM annual event takes place, Flemish coalition talks are ongoing, with recurring discussions about abolishing provincial governments. For this reason, POM Limburg, which has played a prominent role in the Limburg economy in recent years, chose to hold this year’s event at the Provincial House. Noël Slangen: “We want to send a signal that organizations like Visit Limburg and POM Limburg are integral to our provincial government. Discussions about the provinces have been ongoing for years. You can either choose to do nothing or shift into a higher gear. At POM Limburg, we always choose the latter.”
“I can imagine that a provincial government might be redundant in cities like Ghent or Antwerp. But in regions like West Flanders, the Antwerp Kempen, the Hageland, and especially Limburg, an intermediate governing layer is essential. Opinions may differ on how that layer should be structured, but in Limburg, it works best when it encompasses the entire province,” concludes Tom Vandeput.
