Governance

The Moonshot governance model guarantees optimal cooperation with all relevant actors across the Flemish innovation and industry landscapes. It is embedded in the legal structure of Catalisti, the spearhead cluster for the chemical and plastics industry in Flanders.

In practice, the governance model and operational management of Moonshot takes place on several levels. Click on the governance levels below to learn more.

Operational Management
Catalisti is responsible for the operational management of Moonshot. In a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 23 March 2019, the Flemish government mandated Catalisti to act as its driving force and develop Moonshot organisationally, substantively, strategically and operationally.

As the host organisation, Catalisti has set up a ‘Moonshot operational team’ and extended the project procedure it successfully uses today to include Moonshot projects. Based on the general objectives, the high-level ambitions and the input from the context analysis/roadmap study, concrete project ideas are identified and brokered by the Moonshot operational team in close collaboration with, and upon request of, the Moonshot research partners. This approach guarantees objectivity and openness to all stakeholders. The Catalisti Board of Directors (represented by the Catalisti Focus Group) is responsible for selecting promising project ideas that can be further developed into concrete project proposals. For energy-related project ideas (MOT4), the Flux50 Board of Directors takes up this responsibility, basing its decision on advice by the Catalisti Focus Group.

Governance facilitation and the follow-up of approved projects is also one of the primary tasks of the Moonshot operational team. This team ensures that the projects are carried out in a high-quality manner and that research results find their way into applications across the Flemish industry.

Within Moonshot, an operational budget is allocated to Catalisti to guarantee follow-up, evaluation, benchmarking and communication.

Learn more about Catalisti’s role in Moonshot

Moonshot Core Teams & Pools
To ensure high-quality research within the Moonshot Research Trajectories (MOTs), each MOT is supported by a MOT core team. This core team of selected peers is responsible for the scientific translation of its respective research trajectory.

Furthermore, each MOT core team:
  • actively prospects potential project topics
  • engages, upon request by the Moonshot operational team, all players with relevant experience and expertise in the broad innovation landscape;
  • ensures, upon request by the Moonshot operational team or the MGB, that a common understanding of the MOT objectives, KPIs, strategic topics and expectations permeates the Moonshot initiative.
Each MOT core team consists of experts from Flemish universities and other knowledge institutes. These experts are (inter)nationally recognized for their expertise with regards to the Moonshot enablers and the relevant research trajectory. In composing the core teams, complementarity of expertise between the core members and institutional balances were also taken into account.

Within each core team, a spokesperson has been designated who acts as a point of contact. The MOT spokesperson communicates the vision and views of his or her MOT to external parties and stakeholders or to other Moonshot governance levels. In the overview below, spokespersons are listed in bold.

Additionally, each core team is supported by a dedicated representative of the Moonshot operational team. Together with the spokesperson, this representative provides guidance in the activities and deliverables of his or her MOT.

Currently, the four MOT core teams consist of the following members:

MOT1 Biobased Chemistry
  • Bert Sels (KU Leuven; expert heterogeneous catalysis & biomass conversion)
  • Karolien Vanbroekhoven (VITO; expert separation & TEA)
  • Wim Soetaert (UGent/BBEUPP; expert biocatalysis & fermentation)
  • Bert Maes (UAntwerpen; expert homogeneous catalysis & biomass conversion)
  • Isabelle Monnaie (Moonshot operational team)
MOT2 Circularity of Carbon in Materials
  • Filip Du Prez (UGent; expert polymer chemistry & ‘design for recycling’)
  • Isabel De Schrijver (Centexbel; expert plastics)
  • Louis Pitet (UHasselt; expert bio-based polymers)
  • Dirk De Vos (KU Leuven; expert chemical recycling)
  • Kathleen Smolders (Moonshot operational team)
MOT3 Electrification and Radical Process Transformation
  • Kevin Van Geem (UGent; expert chemical processing & process intensification)
  • Bert Bouwman (VITO; expert conversion technologies & technoeconomics)
  • Joeri Denayer (VUB; expert separation processes)
  • Luc Van Ginneken (Moonshot operational team)
MOT4 Energy Innovation
  • Johan Martens (KU Leuven; expert solar fuels)
  • Lieve Helsen (KU Leuven; expert thermal networks)
  • Michel De Paepe (UGent; expert heat and combustion dynamics)
  • Jan Vaes (VITO; expert P-2-X)
  • Luc Van Ginneken (Moonshot operational team)
Each MOT core team is complemented by a MOT pool. This pool is an active network of mostly Flemish academic experts in the field of the respective MOT. It connects the MOT core team to all other academic players with relevant experience and expertise. MOT pools meet regularly to network, brainstorm and pitch ideas. In short, MOT pools are the source for new Moonshot project ideas.

Interested in sharing your expertise and joining a particular MOT pool? Please contact the dedicated representative of the Moonshot operational team.

Moonshot Governance Board
The Moonshot Governance Board (MGB) independently monitors the strategy and vision of Moonshot. It also approves finalized Moonshot project proposals for submission to the relevant decision-making bodies.

Furthermore, the MGB is assigned to:
  • monitor and support coordination, in first instance, with the Cabinet Innovation and Economy, but also guarantee the relationship with other relevant cabinets and administrations;
  • evaluate and stimulate Moonshot initiatives within the set objective;
  • evaluate the government’s compliance with the engagement and consult with the government in the event of identified or necessary deviations;
  • safeguard the pursuit of fundamental breakthroughs in basic research, the accelerated upscaling of promising technologies and the transfer to economic actors, via the regular (spearhead cluster) channels to achieve implementation in industry in the short term;
  • evaluate the applicability in other sectors and stimulate and initiate consultation with those sectors;
  • follow up the regulatory framework and discuss it with the government if necessary.
The MGB consists of a broad group of business managers, CEOs and other executives. Members of the MGB have expertise in the three industry sectors involved in the Moonshot initiative and/or experience with cross-sectoral cooperation within the Flemish industrial landscape.

Representatives of the industrial sectors
  • Chemicals: Peter Roose, Eastman
  • Petrochemicals: Jacques Beuckelaers, Total; Jan Michielsen, ExxonMobil
  • Steel and iron: Manfred Van Vlierberghe, ArcelorMittal
  • Energy: Jan Mertens, Engie
Presidents of the Flemish spearhead clusters
  • Catalisti: Wouter De Geest
  • Flux50: Jan Jaeken
  • De Blauwe Cluster: Jos Smits
  • SIM: Karin Vercauteren
  • Flanders FOOD: Jan Vander Stichele
  • VIL: Danny Van Himste
Representatives of the Flemish government
  • observer for the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO): Mark Andries or Annie Renders
  • observer for the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI): Johan Hanssens
Representatives of the sector federations
  • essenscia: Tine Schaerlaekens
  • Representatives of other sector federations are invited ad hoc.
The MGB meets at least twice a year. Meetings of the MGB are moderated by Joris Van Droogenbroeck, manager of the Moonshot operational team, who acts as observing member and secretary to the MGB.

Learn more about the MGB’s role in the Moonshot project evaluation procedure

Scientific Advisory Board
The Scientific Advisory Board (Wetenschappelijke Adviesraad or WAR) functions as a “knowledge cell” within Moonshot. The WAR is the sounding board and the expert panel that supports the Moonshot operational team and the MGB in their operational activities, in determining Moonshot priorities, and in framing specific initiatives within the long-term ambition of Moonshot as well as across various industries. These functions primarily require a sound substantive and scientific knowledge, but also industrial and economic insight. A combination of industrial, company-affiliated experts and academic experts delivers just that.

Specifically, the following experts constitute the WAR:
  • Patrick Plehiers, Max Fleischer, Rudolf Koopmans, Rudy Parton and Erik Van Praet as industrial experts
  • Ronnie Belmans, Katrien Bernaerts and Guy Marin as academic experts
Note that, to ensure objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest with the submitting academic institutions, academic WAR members are not involved in the Moonshot project evaluation procedure. Only the industrial experts, collectively known as the ProjectWAR, are called upon to evaluate project proposals.

Learn more about the WAR’s role in the Moonshot project evaluation procedure

Stakeholder Consultation Group
As Moonshot is a collaborative and community-wide programme that includes governmental, industrial and academic players, support from all stakeholders is key. Therefore, a Stakeholder Consultation Group will be assembled. This consultative body will meet once a year, will provide an information platform to highlight the activities and ambitions of Moonshot, and will ensure, through constructive dialogue, broad support for the current Moonshot Research Trajectories (MOTs).

Possible members of this Stakeholder Consultation Group may include Bond Beter Leefmilieu, VOKA, VARIO, VLIR, industry federations (such as Agoria, essenscia and Fevia), SOCs, governmental departments and agencies (such as EWI and VLAIO), as well as ministerial cabinets (such as Innovation, Energy and Environment).

For more information on the Moonshot governance model, please consult the Moonshot Concept Note in the Documents & Downloads section.