Daikin Europe, the European branch of the Japanese namesake multinational, took home the 2022 Foreign Investment of the Year Trophy. It was Flanders’ Minister-President Jan Jambon who announced the victory. The indoor climate expert was nominated for the trophy alongside Dutch potato processor Aviko, French retailer Carrefour and Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars. Three voting rounds – by the online public, a professional jury and the audience at the event – determined the outcome. 

Daikin Europe won the trophy for its project in Tech Lane Ghent Science Park. There, the company is investing EUR 140 million in a new innovation center. Construction should be completed by 2024 and the investment will create 135 new jobs. The center will play a key role in both Daikin’s innovation and sustainability strategy. As such, it will focus on heat pumps, cooling technologies for a sustainable cold chain and IoT applications for smart energy use. 

Dive into the details of Daikin Europe’s winning project. 

Moving on from a longstanding foreign investor in Flanders, the Foreign Investment Trophy also celebrates a company that has just set foot on Flanders’ soil for the very first time. In this regard, Flanders’ Minister-President Jan Jambon presented the 2022 Newcomer of the Year Trophy to Legend Biotech. 

In partnership with Janssen Pharmaceutica, the US-based global biotech firm chose Ghent as the home of its first production site in Europe. Construction should be completed by 2023. Once it receives the green light from the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products, Legend Biotech will operate the site and oversee the clinical and commercial production of a new CAR-T cell therapy. This kind of therapy involves reprogramming a person’s own blood cells to attack cancer cells in a targeted way. 

Learn more about Legend Biotech’s first investment steps in Flanders.