Brussels, 23 March 2023 – Brussels’ first public-oriented AI Test & Experience Center was officially inaugurated today by State Secretary Barbara Trachte. The state-of-art facility will allow companies, institutes, policy-makers, and citizens to test, experiment, and to ultimately advocate for the development of technically robust, safe, and ethically compliant technologies. The facility is operated by FARI, the AI Center for the Common Good institute jointly set up by ULB and VUB, and supported by Innoviris and Paradigm.brussels.

The FARI Test & Experience Center is set to primarily serve Belgium’s most dense city with over 2.1 million residents. With a growth rate of approximately 0.67%, Brussels faces various risks and challenges in different domains such as Public Health, Mobility, Climate and Energy, Resource Optimization, and Social Inclusivity. Funded through EU’s Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF) / Next GenerationEU, and with the support of Innoviris, and Paradigm, the Test & Experience Center will boost collaboration between governments, researchers, industries, and citizens in Brussels and beyond to address today’s urban and sustainability problems. Thanks to its central facility, workshops, training, co-creation activities, and other services, it will aim at bridging the gap between technologies and Brussels public institutions, companies and citizens.

“FARI is an institute that supports AI research and projects that respond to the many societal challenges faced by Brussels residents. With this “at the service of the common good” approach, the Region intends to position itself as a pioneer in the way of using Artificial Intelligence, offering opportunities for the Brussels innovation ecosystem to stand out thanks to a strong, differentiating and committed value proposition,” explains State Secretary Trachte.

The support of State Secretary Barbara Trachte (Secretary of State of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Economic Transition and Scientific Research), Minister Bernard Clerfayt (Minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Employment and Vocational Training, Digital Transition, Local Authorities and Animal Welfare), Innoviris Director General Stefaan Sonck Thiebaut, VUB and ULB rectorates, and key digital transition players from the Belgian Federal Government, Brussels public administration, EU institutions, universities, and companies at the forefront of AI, data, and robotics underlines the importance of making state-of-the-art technologies and developments accessible to all local stakeholders.