Belgium received the Ínnovation Champions Award on Thursday at the famous Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, USA, alongside 11 other countries and the European Union.
The Belgian consul-general in Los Angeles travelled specially to Nevada to receive the award.
Belgium has implemented policies that fuel innovation and allow entrepreneurs to develop technologies that improve the lives of millions of people, said Gary Shapiro, CEO of Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the trade association that represents the U.S. technology industry and organises the CES.
The award is based on objective criteria such as how governments adopt new, breakthrough technologies or business models, such as the sharing economy or self-driving vehicles.
It also looks at the tax system, environmental protection, the speed and cost of broadband Internet, diversity, the male-female ratio in the workplace and even freedom of expression.
Gunther Sleeuwagen, consul-general in Los Angeles, described the award as a "wonderful occasion to recognise the ‘Made in Belgium’ technological innovation that combines resources and creative thinking to find solutions to people’s problems around the world."
