The Ostend Research Tower, the result of the Blue Accelerator project, is operational. This new innovation and development platform 500 m outside the port of Ostend will serve as a 'living lab' to carry out tests in the context of the development of Blue Energy projects (offshore wind energy and wave and tidal energy) and the broader blue economy. For efficient research into innovative technological developments, it is of great value to scale up and test these in real-life sea conditions. The Ostend Research Tower hence meets the needs of scientific institutions and maritime companies.