Bridging the gap between academic AI data research and business applications

Howest & Faktion announce an exclusive partnership to amplify knowledge validation and talent transfer. The partnership strives to boost both partners’ efforts to deliver market-driven and applied research in the field of AI & Data Science. By this talent & knowledge exchange, the partnership brings much-needed collaboration between the academic and the business world for SMEs and large multinationals.
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Faktion, AI service provider and Howest, West Flanders University College, proudly announce their partnership today. The two partners are joining and exchanging forces to bring R&D to the business world while providing industry-experienced talent to the academic research teams.

 

Howest is entrusting Faktion, as one of the most established AI providers in Europe as their exclusive partner to bring field and business experience to their academic data science research. The AI & ML Faktion engineers can provide much-needed practical business knowledge from building AI products and working first-line with clients in various key industries.

 

 

Knowledge validation & talent exchange

Howest has an extended track of research and market-driven projects from the Applied Computer Science on Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Data Security & Privacy, Blockchain, and RPA.

 

One of the partnership’s main objectives is to bridge the gap between the cutting-edge fundamental research in each of these domains and concrete applications that answer the needs and demands of enterprises both large and small and in government.

 

Howest together with other partners has already gathered over 100 million EUR of innovative means (European, federal, Flemish) for implementation-oriented research in the function of innovation projects on demand of and for the working field. The partnership with Faktion re-enforces this function as a lever to the working field, by bringing applied business knowledge and experienced talent to the research teams.

 

Faktion keeps through this partnership, close ties to talent but also the latest research and development in AI & data science.

 

 

From advanced data research to applied digital business solutions

Both partners have a long history of knowledge collaboration with both large international corporations as local SME’s.

 

As a business partner, Faktion delivers projects that are always either demand-driven or in close collaboration with client companies.

 

Kurt Callewaert, Head of Research Applied Computer Science at the Security & Privacy Research Group, University of Applied Sciences, HOWEST: “The interaction between education and research is an important foundation of Howest University of Applied Sciences. The purpose of our partnership with Faktion is to bring together our research and development on data and AI on the one hand and work together with more established AI professionals with experience in various industries on the other. The close collaboration with experienced AI & ML engineers, end-users, and companies, combined with a team of researchers with diverse backgrounds, such as mathematics, computer sciences, and engineering technologies is the real strength of this partnership. We are looking forward to expanding our achievements in the Computer Science department in the coming years.”

 

Stef Stoelwinder, head of AI Talent & Consulting at Faktion: “Applied knowledge and technology was at the core of Faktion from the very foundation. We master all the latest AI & ML technology, but that has always been the means. The goal is to apply this expertise and the industry knowledge we’ve gathered to build solutions for real-world problems, and practical improvements. Talent, brains, and brawn have been key in all our projects and collaborations.  We want to invest that experience and knowledge at the source of new research and development, and Howest is a crib of talent and knowledge.”

 

Faktion and its partners play a crucial role in putting research and innovation to practical use across Europe. The AI service provider focuses on applied solutions that help companies digitalize, automate, optimize and innovate. Faktion also builds and ventures its own AI spin-offs. The partnership with the Data Science department of Howest is provided by the Faktion AI Talent & Consulting.

 

 

 

 

Howest, the West Flanders University College, is an atypical, creative, innovative, and enterprising university of applied sciences. Based on the talent and passion of each student, Howest trains team-oriented, competent, immediately deployable professionals who respond to developments in our global society. Howest works together with and for the regional and international professional field. That is why Howest integrates leading, socially relevant, and competence-oriented education, valorization-oriented research, and services in its courses. Howest is an open and pluralistic university of applied sciences, with respect for diversity. Howest inspires its employees and students to integrate its core values into their personal and professional lives.

 

 

 

 

Faktion is a boutique, end-to-end Artificial Intelligence service provider that enables organizations to build competitive cognitive capabilities for a future where data science and machine learning fulfill a pivotal role in the rapidly transforming economic reality. With offices in Belgium and Singapore, Faktion is quickly scaling its business and expands its professional services to both small and large enterprises in its local markets.

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