MEMORI, Belgium

MEMORI’s expertise is in the following research fields :

• public communication;
• communication of non-governmental organizations;
• local participatory democracy;
• local e-government.

MEMORI  was set up in 1997 and has developed into a multidisciplinary team of currently more than 15  staff members. This research centre  engages in applied scientific research, mainly commissioned by authorities and social profit organizations. We position ourselves  distinctly as “the missing link” between theory and practice. Hence, we value the translation of research findings into the actual functioning of governments and non-governmental organizations as highly as the scientific quality itself of our projects.

MEMORI is part of a College where professional education is the core activity. The activities of our research centre are closely related to the bachelor courses Communication Management, Marketing and Information Management.

In Belgium, MEMORI is the leading research institute in the field of public communication. MEMORI provided comprehensive research for the Flemish authority into public communication with underprivileged target groups. In the meantime we acquired knowledge and expertise in the field of communication with specific target groups : youngsters, senior citizens, ethnic minorities, disabled people, … .

We did comprehensive and continuous research into the communication working of the Flemish cities and municipalities. Moreover, for several of these local authorities, we set up communication audits and were responsible for coaching the set-ups of communication policies.

Public communication is a very broad field of activity to us, and contains for instance also cultural communication and welfare communication. MEMORI is co-founder of Kortom, The Flemish Association of Public Communication.
Also non-governmental organizations turn to MEMORI for audits, research, coaching and training in the field of communication. In this sense, research and coaching projects are running for Belgium’s most important senior citizen organizations, for the North-South movement, for cultural institutions, …. Like is the case with public communication, our special attention goes to communication with specific target groups.

Concerning local participatory democracy, MEMORI is one of the academic partners in the European DEMOS Project. The Demos Project aims to increase and enhance citizen participation in local government through innovative pilot projects and action research across eight European cities : Aberdeen (UK), Antwerp (B), Chios (Gr), Edinburgh (UK) Krakow (P), Solingen (D), Turku (F), Utrecht (NL). The Demos Project is supported by the European Union’s Fifth Framework Programme under the City of Tomorrow Key Action of the Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development programme ( www.demosproject.org) . MEMORI does action research and coaching in this field for the city of Antwerp and some other Flemish cities and municipalities.

With its research, MEMORI was closely related to the first generation of digital cities and municipalities right from the start. Local e-government has remained a central topic in our research and consulting activities. At the moment we are engaged in a research project that is modelling concepts for advanced, interactive digital communities. Different local authorities were supported by MEMORI in the preparation and implementation phase of their e-government policy.

For further details please contact:

Eric Goubin,
Research manager
MEMORI,
Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen (Catholic College of Mechelen)
O.L.Vrouwestraat 94
B-2800 Mechelen
Tel. (32) 15 369 305
Fax (32) 15 369 309
Email: Eric.Goubin@khm.be
http://www.memori.be