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Flemish innovation company FTI combats burnouts with data

Discover now how Flanders Technology is making waves in innovation and technology! Read the recently published article in De Tijd, highlighting our first initiative, Elli.

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Prefer to read the original article in Dutch by Wim De Preter (De Tijd)? Here it is!

 

The public-private innovation platform Flanders Technology & Innovation (FTI) is launching its first application: an app that maps people’s energy levels. “We want to show that data can be used to tackle societal problems.”

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on its way to becoming the disruptive force of this century, but the technology requires vast amounts of data to deliver on its promises. “There is still enormous societal potential in reusing data owned by companies. Unfortunately, in recent months, I’ve seen more and more companies locking their data or commercializing it. This data winter threatens to make us miss the AI summer,” says Flemish data researcher Stefaan Verhulst. He is co-founder and Chief Researcher at TheGovLab, a research organization affiliated with New York University, which helps governments and organizations improve the world through data.

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    Frank Hamerlinck: "By combining data sources, we can drive innovation." ©FTI / Dries Luyten

The essentials

  • The public-private innovation company FTI is launching an app that measures energy levels to help prevent burnouts.
  • The app, Elli, is the first example of a data-driven project addressing a societal challenge by combining data from multiple sources. More info can be found here.
  • FTI is calling on companies to join its Alliance by sharing data and collaborating on new solutions.

Verhulst issued his warning on Wednesday evening, November 6, to an audience of about 50 executives from major companies, brought together by Flanders Technology & Innovation. The goal: to encourage the business world to open their data and collaborate for the greater good. FTI CEO Frank Hamerlinck announced the creation of the FTI Alliance, a community of committed companies actively working toward societal renewal.

 

Elli

To demonstrate what’s possible, FTI will soon launch its first tangible project: an energy scan that maps people’s physical and mental resilience. This will be made available to companies through the Elli app (Energy Level & Lifestyle Initiative) to help prevent burnouts proactively. Employers will only see aggregated data about their employees, ensuring no individual information is disclosed.

 

“Many factors can contribute to a burnout: lifestyle, sleep quality, diet, work context… The problem is that all this information is fragmented,” says Hamerlinck. “Work data is with HR, health data is with insurance providers, banks hold financial information, and other data is with the employer or the individual. But if we combine these sources—with respect for privacy—we can make significant progress.”

 

Golazo partnership

For the app, FTI is partnering with Golazo, the sports marketing company led by Bob Verbeeck, which has extensive experience in promoting workplace physical activity. “They already have access to a wealth of data. We are also in discussions with other potential contributors, such as a retailer and a health insurance provider,” says Hamerlinck.

 

In the coming years, FTI plans to help develop many more data-driven applications, not just in health but also in energy, mobility, lifelong learning, and entertainment. These datasets are intended to benefit not only large corporations but also startups, investors, governments, researchers, and citizens.

 

Later this year, an online data catalog and platform will be launched, allowing partner organizations to search for available datasets or register to contribute their own data.

 

Jambon’s endorsement

Elli will serve as the first concrete showcase for FTI. The organization was established a year ago by the Flemish government (20%) and seven major companies, with the endorsement of then Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon (N-VA) and an initial capital of €4.5 million.

 

The name FTI is a clear nod to the tech fair Flanders Technology International, which inspired hundreds of thousands of Flemings toward technology and innovation in the 1980s. This remains one of FTI’s missions.

 

Earlier this year, the organization hosted its first public festival in several Flemish cities. “We’ll organize this every two years, but there will also be smaller events next year,” says Hamerlinck.