CAPTURE
CAPTURE is a Belgian multi-university research consortium that accelerates circular economy innovation across CO2-to-product, water fit-for-use, and plastics-to-resource pipelines, connecting 300+ researchers and 100+ companies via a 7,000m2 facility in Ghent funded by EU and Flemish public grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersGhent, Belgium
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CAPTURE does
CAPTURE (Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban REsource recovery) is a Belgian multi-partner research consortium founded in 2014 and headquartered at a purpose-built 7,000m2 innovation accelerator in Zwijnaarde, Ghent. It clusters expertise across four founding research institutions — Ghent University, VITO, University of Antwerp, and VUB — alongside 100+ industrial partners and policy stakeholders to accelerate circular economy technologies in three thematic pipelines: CO2 to Product, Water fit for use, and Plastics to Resource. The platform operates through three pillars — Research, Dissemination, and Valorization — and delivers outputs including pilot-line access (double-height testing hall, modular labs), training (CAPTURE Academy doctoral schools, MOOCs), community forums (CAPTURE Cafés, CAPTURE days, Business Platform Days, CAPTURETalks), and a podcast (Cheers to CO2). Notable tools and projects include Map-it CCU (decision support for carbon capture selection), WaterFRAME (digital water framework with ontologies and knowledge graphs), DARROW (AI for autonomous wastewater treatment), BIOSTABLE (drinking water microbial stability), BattEAU (aquifer storage and recovery targeting 350 million liters of drought buffer), and IMPROVED (industrial process water reuse with BASF, Dow, Yara).
The business model is overwhelmingly grant-funded rather than commercial: revenue flows from the European Union (ERDF, Horizon Europe/H2020, Interreg), VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship), FWO (Research Foundation Flanders) and other regional programs, supplemented by industry co-funding on collaborative R&D projects, value-added services such as CAPTURE Academy training and incubator space (IIC-UGent) within the CAPTURE building. Pricing for services is not publicly disclosed, and CAPTURE does not report commercial revenue. Customer and partner engagement is segmented across academic researchers (primary), industrial companies including Flemish water utilities and chemical majors (primary), policy makers (secondary), and start-ups housed in the incubator (secondary). Go-to-market is event- and community-led rather than sales-led, relying on CAPTURE days, business platform memberships, podcasts, and recurring seminars to sustain member engagement and project origination.
CAPTURE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CAPTURE
- Legal name
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban REsource recovery
- Website
- https://capture-resources.be
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CAPTURE is a Belgian multi-university research consortium that accelerates circular economy innovation across CO2-to-product, water fit-for-use, and plastics-to-resource pipelines, connecting 300+ researchers and 100+ companies via a 7,000m2 facility in Ghent funded by EU and Flemish public grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CAPTURE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Circular Economy Research Services
- NAICS
- Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)
- SIC
- Water Supply (4941)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reclaimed/Reuse Water Transmission Pipelines (Regional/Interbasin) (TLAGAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Non-Potable/Industrial Water Conveyance Pipelines (Bulk/Interbasin) (TLAGAHAC), Pipeline Rehabilitation & Renewal for NRW (Lining, Pipe Bursting, Targeted Replacement) (EUANAKAG)
Keywords
Where CAPTURE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ghent
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CAPTURE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Research Funding and Grants: CAPTURE operates as a research platform supported by public funding including European Union grants, VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship), FWO (Research Foundation Flanders), Horizon Europe, Interreg, and other regional funding programs. The platform coordinates and participates in funded research projects.
- Valorization and Industry Collaboration: CAPTURE facilitates technology transfer and valorization of research through industry partnerships, business platform memberships, and collaborative R&D projects with companies
- Training and Education: CAPTURE Academy provides training programs including doctoral schools, specialist courses, and MOOCs for researchers and industry professionals in sustainable resource management
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
CAPTURE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CAPTURE operates a collaborative research and innovation platform focused on three thematic resource recovery pipelines: Water fit for use, CO2 to Product, and Plastics to Resource. It provides shared research infrastructure including a 7,000m² building with pilot lines, modular labs, and testing halls, alongside business platform memberships, training programs through CAPTURE Academy, and technology valorization services that translate academic research into industrial applications.
Product overview
CAPTURE (Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban REsource recovery) is a research platform and innovation accelerator focused on circular economy technologies. The core CAPTURE Platform connects research expertise across three thematic pipelines: CO2 to Product, Water fit for use, and Plastics to resource. The portfolio includes education offerings through CAPTURE Academy (doctoral schools, seminars, MOOCs), community engagement through CAPTURE Café discussion forums and CAPTURE Talks weekly series, the physical CAPTURE Building innovation accelerator, and the Cheers to CO2 podcast. CAPTURE also develops specialized tools like Map-it CCU (carbon capture technology selector) and supports research projects including WaterFRAME (digital decision support framework), Biostable (drinking water microbial stability), BattEAU (aquifer drinking water storage), and DARROW (AI-powered wastewater plant optimization).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CAPTURE Platform The core research acceleration platform connecting researchers, industry partners, and policymakers across three thematic pipelines (CO2 to Product, Water fit for use, Plastics to resource) to accelerate radical technological innovations in sustainable resource recovery.
- CAPTURE Academy Education and training pillar offering seminars, doctoral school courses, and MOOCs on sustainable water production, treatment, reuse, and circular economy topics for researchers and industry professionals.
- CAPTURE Building Physical innovation accelerator building (7,000m²) in Ghent housing research centers, modular laboratories, double-height testing halls, and incubator space (IIC-UGent) for spin-off companies from Ghent University Association.
- Map-it CCU Decision support tool in the form of a questionnaire that helps organizations choose suitable carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology through a clear, easy-to-use interface.
- WaterFRAME Digital framework project creating an interoperable platform for water fit-for-reuse optimization studies using ontologies, knowledge graphs, and optimization algorithms for holistic decision-making, providing a proof-of-concept for a generic digital water framework with open data models.
- Biostable Research project focused on understanding and controlling biological stability in drinking water systems, integrating microbial ecology, analytical chemistry, advanced monitoring technologies, and modelling approaches for water quality management.
- BattEAU Winter-summer aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) project creating a drought buffer for drinking water, aiming to store 350 million liters equivalent to drought protection for 10,000 households in Flanders.
- DARROW AI-powered data intelligence project developing modular, flexible data-driven solutions to make wastewater treatment plants more autonomous, energy efficient, and prepared for transformation into Water Resource Recovery Facilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- CAPTURE network: 65 research group leaders, 300+ researchers from 50 research groups, 100+ companies
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CAPTURE
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CAPTURE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
CAPTURE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Ghent University (UGent)coreFounding academic partner and main host institution of CAPTURE. UGent provides research infrastructure, researchers, and hosts the CAPTURE building on its campus in Zwijnaarde, Ghent.
- VITOcoreFlemish Institute for Technological Research and founding partner. VITO contributes expertise in sustainable technology development and hosts the CAPTURE day 2026 at VITO Earth building.
- University of AntwerpcoreFounding academic partner contributing research expertise to CAPTURE pipelines, particularly in water and CO2 research.
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)coreFounding academic partner contributing to CAPTURE's research network and CO2 pipeline activities.
- AquaFlanderscoreUmbrella organization for Flemish water utilities. All Flemish drinking water distributors participate in BIOSTABLE project advisory committee under AquaFlanders coordination.
- PidpacoreFlemish drinking water distributor. Active in BIOSTABLE project focusing on drinking water distribution system stability and microbial quality.
- Water-linkcoreFlemish water company and BIOSTABLE project partner, contributing to case studies on water quality management.
- WaterleaucoreWater technology company hosting CAPTURE Water Business Day 2026 at headquarters in Haacht.
- DowmajorIndustrial partner in IMPROVED project for developing mobile installation for industrial process water treatment.
- BASFmajorChemical company partner in IMPROVED project for industrial water treatment technology development.
- YaramajorIndustrial partner in IMPROVED project for industrial water reuse applications.
- AquafincoreWastewater treatment operator participating in IMPROVED, Schone Waterlopen (O3G), and other CAPTURE projects.
- Witteveen+BoscoreEngineering consultancy presenting at Water Business Day and Joint Business Platform Day, involved in sustainability research.
- EvidesmajorWater company partner in IMPROVED project and presenting sustainability actions at CAPTURE events.
- Waterschap de DommelcoreDutch water board participating in DARROW (AI for water treatment) and Schone Waterlopen (O3G) projects.
- Waterunie NVcoreSubsidiary of De Watergroep and Farys, leading the BattEAU project for aquifer storage and recovery (winter-summer water battery).
- AM-TeammajorTechnology company partner in Schone Waterlopen (O3G) project for ozonation and granular activated carbon treatment.
- PureBlue WatermajorWater technology company in Schone Waterlopen project (Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland).
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CAPTURE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- imec: imec is the Belgian R&D hub for nanoelectronics and digital technologies with a large Flemish research infrastructure footprint and industry partnership model. Comparable as a Flemish research accelerator, though operating in a different vertical.
- VITO: VITO is the Flemish Institute for Technological Research and a founding partner of CAPTURE. While broader in scope (energy, materials, land use, health), VITO is the incumbent applied-research body that hosts and shapes CAPTURE's water and resource-recovery agenda.
- TNO: TNO is the Dutch applied research organization with energy and circular-economy programs. Comparable as a larger European applied-research incumbent, but TNO operates nationally with a much broader mandate than CAPTURE's circular-resource focus.
Emerging players
- Waterleau: Waterleau is a Belgian water-technology company and active CAPTURE partner that hosts the CAPTURE Water Business Day. Overlap is strongest on industrial water treatment and resource recovery, but Waterleau operates commercially whereas CAPTURE is a research platform.
- AM-Team: AM-Team is a Dutch water-technology company partnering with CAPTURE on the Schone Waterlopen (O3G) project for ozonation and granular activated carbon. Comparable as a specialist player in advanced water treatment with direct CAPTURE collaboration overlap.
- PureBlue Water: PureBlue Water is a Dutch water-technology company participating in CAPTURE's Schone Waterlopen project (Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland). Comparable as an emerging player in advanced water treatment with overlapping research collaborations.
Direct peers
- Water Europe: Water Europe is the European Water-Partnership platform connecting water-related stakeholders across research, industry, and policy. It is directly comparable to CAPTURE's water-fit-for-use pipeline and its role as a multi-stakeholder water innovation platform at EU level.
- KWR Water Research Institute: KWR is the Dutch drinking-water and wastewater research cooperative with member utilities, very comparable to CAPTURE's BIOSTABLE and BattEAU projects. Both operate as water-research platforms bridging utilities, academia, and industry.
- Wetsus: Wetsus is a European Centre of Excellence for sustainable water technology in the Netherlands, running a multi-partner research model with industry and academia. Highly comparable to CAPTURE in mission, structure, and water-technology focus.
- Circular Flanders (Vlaanderen Circulair): Circular Flanders is the Flemish hub coordinating circular-economy transition across research, industry, and government. Comparable to CAPTURE's plastics and CO2 pipelines and its role in regional circular-economy orchestration.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CAPTURE social profiles
Digital presenceCAPTURE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CAPTURE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
CAPTURE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CAPTURE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CAPTURE
What does CAPTURE do?
CAPTURE operates a collaborative research and innovation platform focused on three thematic resource recovery pipelines: Water fit for use, CO2 to Product, and Plastics to Resource. It provides shared research infrastructure including a 7,000m² building with pilot lines, modular labs, and testing halls, alongside business platform memberships, training programs through CAPTURE Academy, and technology valorization services that translate academic research into industrial applications.
Is CAPTURE a public or private company?
CAPTURE is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was CAPTURE founded?
CAPTURE was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CAPTURE based?
CAPTURE is headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does CAPTURE make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Research Funding and Grants are the primary driver. The others are valorization and Industry Collaboration and training and Education.
Who are CAPTURE's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are imec, VITO and TNO. Emerging players are Waterleau, AM-Team and PureBlue Water. Direct peers are Water Europe, KWR Water Research Institute, Wetsus and Circular Flanders (Vlaanderen Circulair).
Does CAPTURE have an API?
No public API is recorded for CAPTURE.
What industry is CAPTURE in?
CAPTURE's product category is Circular Economy Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAGAHAF, Reclaimed/Reuse Water Transmission Pipelines (Regional/Interbasin), with a secondary code of TLAGAHAC, Non-Potable/Industrial Water Conveyance Pipelines (Bulk/Interbasin). Its NAICS code is 562920 and its SIC code is 4941.