Workshop: Understanding and Involving Local Stakeholders to Foster Innovation in Port Cities

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November 5, 2026 • 11h00 - 12h30

How can cities, ports and other stakeholders turn complex waterway challenges into practical innovation? In this interactive masterclass, you will discover the Flow Forward approach from the Connected River project and use hands-on tools to move from a shared ambition to concrete experiments, stakeholder collaboration and actionable next steps. Through real-life cases and collaborative exercises, you will identify common innovation barriers, explore new ways of working and build a practical pathway towards implementation. Join us to gain fresh perspectives, practical tools and inspiration you can apply directly to your own challenges.

Wouter VAN BOCKHAVEN

Associate Professor Smart Ecosystems
ANTWERP MANAGEMENT SCHOOL

Prof. Dr. Wouter Van Bockhaven leads the competence center 'Smart Ecosystems & Networks' at Antwerp Management School. His work focuses on institutional entrepreneurship for market creation, strategic transformation and ecosystem innovation. He is author of internationally published research on innovation ecosystems, performance measurement systems, institutional entrepreneurship in B2B markets, stakeholder mobilization and the networking and decision-making strategies of entrepreneurs.

Moderator

Ruud KOSMAN

Director
INNOVALOR

Ruud Kosman is director of InnoValor Advies, a research-driven consultancy specializing in digital innovation and transformation. He guides organizations in developing, organizing and realizing innovation initiatives, particularly in the public and education sectors. Through design thinking and co-creation, he brings diverse stakeholders together to challenge conventional thinking and translate complex challenges into innovative, user-centered solutions. Drawing on his background in Industrial Design, Ruud bridges research, experimentation and practical implementation to turn digital innovation into meaningful impact.

Location: LE KURSAAL - Palais des Congrès de Dunkerque
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