Digipolis Antwerpen

Overview

Digipolis Antwerpen is the IT organisation of the Antwerp city group. Its roots run back to the Informatica Centrum Antwerpen, created in 1987 for the city and later renamed Telepolis. Digipolis itself started in 2003 as an intermunicipal cooperation shared by Antwerp and Ghent. That cooperation ended in 2021, with the Ghent branch continuing as District09, and the Antwerp side was reconstituted as the autonomous municipal company AG Digipolis Antwerpen, set up on 29 June 2020 as successor to the Opdrachthoudende Vereniging Digipolis. Its remit covers information technology and its applications, innovation, the move to a smart city and the digital transformation of processes for the entities of the city group. Around 300 permanent employees and 150 external specialists work there, from Den Bell on Francis Wellesplein. The work reaches from access gates in city buildings and the city service desks to scanning vehicles and wifi at events, and the customer base includes the city administration, the social welfare organisation, the local police, the fire brigade, the municipal school group and the care organisation for the elderly. On 6 December 2022 a cyberattack disrupted the city's digital operations for more than a year. Youri Segers has been CEO since 1 January 2022.

Stated facts & numbers

• Founded: 2003, as Digipolis, an intermunicipal cooperation between Antwerp and Ghent
• Legal entity: AG Digipolis Antwerpen, autonomous municipal company set up 29 June 2020, enterprise number 0751 541 350
• Headquarters: Francis Wellesplein 1, 2018 Antwerp
• CEO: Youri Segers, since 1 January 2022
• Previous CEO: Peter Crombecq, who led the organisation for 33 years and retired on 1 April 2022
• Employees: Around 300 permanent staff and 150 external specialists
• Owner: City of Antwerp
• Customers: City administration, social welfare organisation, local police, fire brigade, municipal education organisation, care organisation for the elderly, childcare organisation, mobility and parking organisation, estate organisation
• Platforms: ACPaaS (Antwerp City Platform as a Service) and Digipolis Fabric
• Sister organisation: District09, the Ghent branch of Digipolis since 2021