Brussels, 26/01/2026 – The Department of Environment has appointed the SOLV-TwynstraGudde-Arup consortium to guide the European Balanced Approach procedure for Brussels Airport. SOLV is responsible for process facilitation, stakeholder management, and coordination with technical research partners. This approach is powered by SOLV’s proprietary technology for stakeholder analysis and scenario modelling.
Why stakeholder intelligence is crucial
The Brussels Airport noise dossier ranks among the most complex policy files in Flanders. Following the annulment of the environmental permit, a new process must deliver a legally watertight permit. Dozens of technical studies, hundreds of stakeholder submissions: without a clear methodology, policymakers cannot consistently weigh all the information.
The SOLV platform gathers and structures all relevant input—noise models, scenario analyses, residents’ concerns, legal opinions—and connects the dots. The result is a transparent, reproducible overview: which arguments carry weight, where the sticking points lie, and which solutions are proportionate.
“This dossier doesn’t call for quick conclusions—it demands a carefully constructed process in which all relevant information is gathered and properly weighed. Our role is to make that complexity manageable.”
Alexander D'Hooghe, founder and CEO of SOLV
How the process works
The Balanced Approach process runs on three parallel tracks that are continuously integrated:
Technical research — A separate consortium led by aviation specialist To70 conducts noise modelling, environmental impact assessments, and cost-effectiveness analyses.
Stakeholder engagement — All parties involved (local residents, municipalities, the airport, airlines) are consulted through structured rounds. TwynstraGudde brings its experience from the Balanced Approach for Schiphol Airport
Integration and coordination — SOLV supports the interplay between technical findings and societal input. For each scenario, impact, costs, and public acceptance are mapped, giving policymakers an up-to-date picture of progress and its underlying rationale.
Stakeholder management for complex issues
SOLV combines process facilitation and stakeholder management with proprietary AI technology. The company is deployed where technical evidence and societal values intersect: infrastructure projects, permitting processes, energy transition, and mobility policy.
“Major policy dossiers generate ever more data and involve ever more parties. Without digital support, these processes become unmanageable. We make complexity transparent so decisions can be defended after the fact—both legally and publicly.”
Roeline Ham, COO of SOLV
The methodology blends process expertise with proprietary AI technology for stakeholder analysis and scenario modelling. The platform supports human judgement—it doesn’t replace it.
Timing
Stakeholder engagement will begin in the coming weeks. Technical research will run in parallel. Integration of both tracks will take place continuously via the platform.
About SOLV
SOLV, founded in 2021 by Alexander D’Hooghe—former tenured professor at MIT and co-founder of the MIT Center for Advanced Urbanism—is a spin-off of KU Leuven that develops proprietary AI technology for decision-making in complex societal issues. The platform brings together stakeholder positions, scenario analyses, and impact studies within a single auditable framework, from early scoping through to final decision. SOLV is deployed on infrastructure projects, permitting processes, and politically sensitive policy dossiers. In late 2025, Gemma Frisius Fund and KU Leuven invested in the company. SOLV operates across Europe and the United States.
About the consortium
TwynstraGudde is a Dutch consultancy with extensive experience in process facilitation in complex policy environments, including the Balanced Approach for Schiphol Airport. Arup is an international engineering and consultancy firm with deep expertise in aviation and infrastructure.
CONTACT
SOLV
Roeline Ham, COO
r.ham@solv.world
+32 478 76 53 25