Inés Sylverans is General Manager of The Beacon, Antwerp’s innovation hub at the crossroads of the city and its port, bringing together a community of over 100 tech companies working on smart industry, ports and logistics, and smart mobility.

Over the past years The Beacon has evolved from a closed innovation lab into an open, operational testing environment where industry, government and research institutions co-develop and validate real-world solutions, from autonomous vehicles and digital twins to cybersecurity technology. This happens in close collaboration with the founding partners: City of Antwerp, imec, Lantis, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and the University of Antwerp.

Inés also co-founded Hubs4Growth, a nationwide network connecting Belgium’s leading innovation hubs. At OpenLivingLab Days 2026 she brings a practitioner’s perspective on how Living Labs can move beyond experimentation to become genuine strategic partners for industry.