On Wednesday, April 26th, Antwerp Management School (AMS) and the Flemish Minister for Employment, the Economy, Innovation and Sport, Philippe Muyters, signed a new agreement. This 6-year agreement covers the period 2017 – 2022, during which time Antwerp Management School will receive annual funding to support academic research.

This Flemish government support constitutes an important contribution to the expansion of Antwerp Management School as an academic research institute. The research conducted by Antwerp Management School corresponds with Minister Muyters’ innovation policy.

For instance, AMS specifically values research into leadership, HR & organizational development, digital business & IT, business design & innovation and smart mobility.

Examples of research projects

Internal levers for product service systems

Due to increasing international pressure, Flemish production companies cannot focus solely on their products. If they want to stand out from the competition, they have to create added value for their customers by increasing their service levels. The aim of this research project is to determine methodology which will support companies in this process.

Developing leadership in the care sector

The healthcare system is facing structural change due to budget cuts and other issues. These changes demand leadership. They do not require a classic top-down leadership approach however, but rather a shared form of leadership, based on goals and values. This research project will assist the care sector in bundling and prioritizing efforts in the leadership development field.

Philippe Muyters, Flemish Minister for Employment, the Economy, Innovation and Sport says: “The new agreement with Antwerp Management School allows them to further their development. It might be compared to a top-level sports contract for research institutes. We supply means and support. In return, we expect concrete results. Both aspects are covered by this new agreement. I am convinced that Antwerp Management School has a bright future ahead of it.”

Professor Bart Cambré, Research Dean at AMS, says: “Through this agreement, Antwerp Management School intends to focus on goals relevant to society and to the business world.

First and foremost, we want to have an impact on enterprises and their managers. We are doing this by developing tools and disseminating our research output through events, workshops, keynotes, publications and our communication channels.

The new agreement also permits AMS to carefully extend their research capacity. In addition to the acquisition of new researchers, we will have 54 senior executives at our disposal through the Executive PhD program, the only scheme of its kind in Belgium. The senior executives involved will apply their knowledge and research skills to current business issues.

Finally, AMS will continue to focus on strategic collaborations with (inter)national research networks and European framework programs, along with companies across a range of sectors.”

Over the past year, AMS has successfully integrated two Flemish competence centers: Flanders Inshape and VIM (Flemish Institute for Mobility). “This merger significantly bolsters AMS’s research team, thus enabling us to focus fully on research in the two socially-relevant fields of business innovation and mobility,” adds the Dean, Paul Matthyssens.

Press contact

Anja Tys, Corporate Marketing Communication Manager, anja.tys@ams.ac.be
T+32 3 265 47 33 of M+32 486 494 387

About Antwerp Management School

For over fifty years Antwerp Management School has been providing high quality management training and research which has given a powerful impulse to economic and social activities in Belgium and far beyond. The AACSB and NVAO accreditations awarded to Antwerp Management School clearly demonstrate AMS permanent attention to quality education. AMS is also listed in the Financial Times Rankings.