TRIAXES is an innovative and operational way of working whose approach is to provide support to Brussels project leaders from a trio of recognised experts. This is with a view to enabling the serial development of an industrial product or following up on the development of a collection or accessory in the fashion industry. The project was developed by MAD Brussels, the Brussels platform for expertise in the fashion and design sectors.
- 16 August 2019
The TRIAXES project is an accelerator for analysing the product development ecosystem – in other words, it's a launch pad. The entrepreneur's project takes the lead on the project, meaning none of the three experts take a lead role with the project. This collaborative and egalitarian methodology is the key to TRIAXES’ achievements.
Through this programme, MAD provides entrepreneurs with a trio of experts selected from three different disciplines, who have been previously selected and accredited. In fact, the experts have undergone training to get to know the work of the other experts in the trio, all of which takes place before being able to work together on a project. This tripartite working methodology ensures rapid and precise project development for specific markets.
A previously tested methodology
The methodology was first tested through a three-year pilot project that was run as part of monitoring companies in Brussels, as well as under the framework of university education in collaboration with the Solvay Brussels School-EM, the Polytechnic School of Brussels, the Faculty of Law and Criminology at the ULB and the School of La Cambre (ENSAV).
Getting the TRIAXES programme up and running was the result of two years of preparation; the operational programme has been in place since March 2017.
Following 200 hours of support from the trio of experts over a period of six months, the entrepreneur will have discovered the route to take to continue with the development of their project. This working methodology has been developed and adapted for the industrial product development, fashion and education sectors, but it can also be used to support cross-sector fields such as digital, graphics and prototyping.
50% project success.
To date, 25 six-month assignments have been carried out, half of which have been completed, with many of them ending successfully. What is so interesting about the project is the fact that the successes, like the disappointments, are a positive learning experience for the entrepreneurs, and with limited risk.
The support for the entrepreneur given by the three experts upstream of the project development phase is a service that a small entrepreneurial structure can rarely afford, especially during the research and development phase. In this way, TRIAXES has seen a number of successes:
SHAYP, a water leak analysis tool; OTREMA, the development of an intelligent thermostatic valve; KAPCARE, a medical device for detecting when elderly people in hospitals or care homes get up or move around; URBIS, an ergonomic bin for urban agriculture; INNOVADENT, an aid to assist with the placement of dental composite under polymerisation.For each project, the work carried out by the experts with the entrepreneur consisted of an analysis of the product ecosystem, the usage scenarios of the actors concerned, concepts and the development of pre-prototypes. All this work remains in the research and development phase.
A method to be generalized
The coordination of the TRIAXES program requires two full-time people employees. For the operational part of the programme (TRIAXESpro and TRIAXESmode), MAD is working with a team of 25 independent experts and plans, in the coming months, to increase the number of experts to be able to respond to the many requests for follow-up from new Brussels entrepreneurs. Of the 25 entrepreneurs who have already been monitored, two have already hired several people at the end of the programme.
The TRIAXES work methodology has proven its effectiveness in supporting the development of mass-produced products as in the fashion sector, and it works for the self-employed, SMEs, start-ups and spin-offs. To better help the region and Brussels entrepreneurs, this tripartite working method must become a standard for any product or service development.
Total investment and European funding
Total investment for the "TRIAXES - MAD" project is EUR 1 902 910 with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 846 455 through the operational programme "FEDER PO Bruxelles Région Capitale / EFRO OP Brussel Hoofdstedelijk Gewest" for the programming period 2014-2020. The investment falls under the priority "Jobs, growth and investment".