VITO, a leading international research organization in the area of cleantech and sustainable development, very recently donated a large quantity of their decommissioned storage IT equipment to support Close the Gap in bridging the digital divide, while at the same time entering the circular economy. Close the Gap will take over VITO’s donation to first give it a second life. Afterwards the equipment will be recovered at the end of its life-cycle and all parts will be recycled.

VITO is active in multiple fields of sustainability, ranging from chemistry to land use. VITO provides knowledge and technological innovations that facilitate the transition to a more sustainable society. Both VITO and Close the Gap consider sustainability as a core value and act upon realizing this in different fields. Donating the storage equipment also fits into VITO’s project ‘OnePlanet@VITO’ which aims to make its own organization more sustainable.

Until now, the donated storage equipment has been used by VITO’s Remote Sensing unit for several projects offering Earth observation data, products and services to stakeholders worldwide. Until the beginning of 2018 these storage servers were used to archive and distribute PROBA-V data products. PROBA-V is a small satellite designed and built in Belgium to daily monitor our entire planet’s vegetation. VITO Remote Sensing is in charge of the processing, archiving, and distribution of all PROBA-V image products, financed by ESA and BELSPO. Thus, by establishing a connection with VITO, Close the Gap is even transcending global boundaries through this partnership.

And there is yet another dimension to this partnership. Facilitated by the VITO-IT frame agreement of Securitas, VITO and Close the Gap could develop a partnership focused on circularity and sustainability. In this IT frame agreement, both VITO and Close the Gap are ‘enabler’ partners. This means that they create added value for public organisations by offering their insights and expertise. This added value is brought about by the organisation of networking events and learning opportunities, where both organisations can present their workings.

Click here to donate your own company’s IT material or if you would like to establish another kind of partnership with Close the Gap.