Vlakwa

What Vlakwa does

VITO Kennispunt Water (also referenced under the legacy name Vlakwa) is a water knowledge center operating within VITO (Vlaams Instituut voor Technologisch Onderzoek), a Flemish government-funded research institute headquartered at Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium. The organization delivers integrated water management expertise to businesses, governments, and the agriculture sector in Flanders, covering water reuse, circular water economy, water purification, and climate-resilient water system design. Its stated mission is to help Flanders transition to resilient water management across industry, drinking water, agriculture, and nature. Core offerings comprise Wateradvies (bespoke water consulting), Wegwijs in watertools (navigation through water tools and publications), Weerbare regio (regional resilience blueprints), and Hefbomen (leverage initiatives positioning Flanders in water innovation), plus an event calendar (Waterkalender) for sector knowledge sharing.

The technology base combines domain expertise with specialized capabilities including the CirCoVa concentrate purification process (selective chloride and phosphate removal enabling safe process water reuse in the food industry) and proprietary system dynamics models used by policymakers to analyze, compare, and prepare long-term water policy strategies. Sector-specific research projects apply these capabilities: CirCoVa targets food industry water reuse, WIJ-Water (an Interreg project with the Netherlands) targets climate-adaptive polder development, and DuLoTe develops sustainability frameworks for logistics business sites. Underlying platforms are consultancy and project-based rather than software-as-a-service.

The business model is government-funded research and advisory services, with revenue derived from Flemish government allocations through VITO, grant-funded research projects (COOCK+, Interreg), and advisory engagements with companies and public bodies. Go-to-market is consultative and sales-led via direct advisory relationships, project collaborations, the Pulse newsletter, and participation in industry events such as CleanTech Xpo, Aquarama Trade Fair, and the IWA Young Water Professionals BeNeLux Conference. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is delivered through project-based contracts and institutional funding rather than standardized commercial offerings.

Name

Vlakwa

Legal name

VITO (Vlaams Instituut voor Technologisch Onderzoek)

Website

https://vlakwa.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VITO Kennispunt Water is a Flemish government-affiliated water knowledge center within VITO that advises businesses, governments, and the agriculture sector in Flanders on water reuse, circular water economy, and climate-resilient water management through consulting and applied research projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Management Consulting and Research

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH), Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Water management consulting
• Sustainable water solutions
• Circular water economy
• Water reuse technologies
• Water research advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Kortrijk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research and Advisory Services: VITO Kennispunt Water operates as part of VITO, a Flemish government-funded research organization. Revenue is derived from government funding, research projects, and advisory services to companies and government bodies in Flanders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Vlakwa is a non-profit resource management organization that delivers sustainable water solutions through water events, workshops, and a knowledge center of water experts serving businesses and governments in Flanders. Core offerings include customized water consulting (Wateradvies), navigation through water tools and publications (Wegwijs in watertools), climate-resilient regional frameworks (Weerbare regio), leverage initiatives for water innovation (Hefbomen), and applied research projects (CirCoVa, WIJ-Water, DuLoTe).

Product overview

VITO Kennispunt Water is a unified knowledge center offering water expertise services for businesses and governments in Flanders. The portfolio consists of core advisory services (Wateradvies), resource navigation (Wegwijs in watertools), regional resilience frameworks (Weerbare regio), and leverage initiatives (Hefbomen), complemented by a Waterkalender for event-based knowledge sharing. Research projects including CirCoVa, WIJ-Water, and DuLoTe apply these services to specific sectors like food industry, polder management, and logistics sites. The offering is consultancy and project-based rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wateradvies (Water Consulting) Customized water consulting service that provides tailored solutions for companies seeking advice on water management, water reuse, or water purification.
• Wegwijs in watertools (Navigation through water tools) Navigation and guidance service through available water tools and publications, helping users find relevant resources using a GPS-style approach.
• Weerbare regio (Resilient Region) Blueprint and framework service for building climate-resilient regions, helping areas develop robust water systems.
• Hefbomen (Leverage initiatives) Leverage tools and initiatives that position Flanders on the map for water innovation and best practices.
• Waterkalender (Water Calendar) Calendar of water-related events organized or co-organized by Vlakwa/VITO Kennispunt Water, including workshops, conferences, and field visits for knowledge sharing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies can safely reuse process water through concentrate purification technologies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• watercircle.becoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterCircle is a partner organization in the waters sector. They participate in the Aquarama Trade Fair congress, contributing to hot topic discussions in the water sector and supporting knowledge exchange within the Flemish water ecosystem.
• AquaFlanderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquaFlanders is a Flemish water sector organization that co-organizes conferences and knowledge sharing events. They collaborate on congress programming for water industry events.
• VLARIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVLARIO is a water sector organization participating in industry events and conferences. They contribute to knowledge exchange and sector collaboration through joint congress activities.
• B-IWAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerB-IWA participates in the Aquarama Trade Fair congress programming, contributing expertise on water technology topics.
• Interreg NEW WATERcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterreg NEW WATER is a cross-border cooperation program supporting water management projects between Belgium and the Netherlands. They sponsor and collaborate on water sector events and conferences.
• University of GhentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Ghent is seeking case studies for final-year bio-engineering students in environmental technology, demonstrating educational collaboration in the water sector.
• IWA (International Water Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IWA Young Water Professionals BeNeLux Conference brings together young water professionals, researchers, and practitioners to exchange knowledge, showcase innovation, and foster collaboration within the water sector across six core themes.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Arcadis: Global design, engineering and consultancy firm with a sizeable water and climate resilience practice. Comparable as a broad incumbent providing water strategy and infrastructure advisory to public and private clients.
• Royal HaskoningDHV: Large international engineering and project consultancy with deep water and environment practice. Comparable as a competing provider of water management consulting and advisory to governments and industry.

Direct peers

• VLARIO: Flemish knowledge center for the sewer and stormwater sector. Comparable Flemish water-sector organization that convenes stakeholders, publishes guidance, and co-organizes industry events.
• AquaFlanders: Flemish water sector federation representing utilities and companies. Listed as a core partner of Vlakwa; comparable as a Flemish water knowledge-broker and event co-organizer.
• Wetsus: European centre of excellence for water technology based in the Netherlands, running collaborative water research with industry and academia. Directly comparable as a public-funded water research / innovation center with sector-spanning projects.
• KWR Water Research Institute: Public Dutch water research foundation conducting applied water research and advising utilities/industry. Highly comparable as a non-commercial, government-affiliated water research and advisory body serving the BeNeLux region.

Emerging players

• Hydraloop: Netherlands-based water reuse technology company targeting households, buildings and industries. Comparable as a circular water economy technology player addressing the same Flemish/Northern European reuse mandate.
• Nelen & Schuurmans: Dutch firm building water-data and digital-twin tooling for municipalities and water boards. Comparable because it blends water-domain consulting with proprietary modeling software targeting the same Flemish/Dutch public-sector buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vlakwa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vlakwa