2012-05-30 – On Wednesday, the Board of Directors of the Port of Brussels granted a concession on 6,806 m² to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for the establishment of its training and innovation centre on part of the site adjacent to the TIR centre.
This introduction is the concrete outcome of negotiations conducted jointly by the Territorial Development Agency (ADT-ATO), the Brussels Regional Development Agency (SDRB-GOMB) and the Port of Brussels.
The land is being granted for a period of three years, in connection with the reorganisation of all MSF sites in Brussels, for which purpose the non-governmental organisation will shortly be leaving the site it currently occupies in Merchtem.
The premises under concession are intended for the training of MSF personnel and the testing of the equipment used in connection with MSF missions. The new facility will be completely operational by the beginning of 2013. In connection with the concession, MSF has also undertaken to ensure that at least 150 containers are routed by waterway via the Port of Brussels container terminal.
The siting of this training and innovation centre beyond the three-year period can be considered once the location of the various MSF facilities (offices and warehouses) has been decided, but this will need to be done in consultation with all other stakeholders in this fast-growing zone.
“Setting up our training and innovation centre in the heart of the capital is a great opportunity to develop synergies with dynamic actors in Brussels, explains Jean Pletinckx, Logistical Director of MSF. In terms of innovation, this will enable us to reinforce our ties with the companies of the Brussels Region which produce and innovate for MSF. Eventually ourambition is also to develop a centre of excellence in the field of humanitarian work, in cooperation with the university colleges and universities of the Region.”
