In the Netherlands there are eight campuses that are qualify as ‘adult’. Each in their own way, they help to solve the major challenges we’re facing in today’s society.
Adult campuses
An analysis by Buck Consultants International, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (2014), shows that in the Netherlands eight campuses or industrial parks can be categorized as adult. The other 31 campuses in the Netherlands are in the phases idea, start-up, or growth.
The adult campuses are:
- Amsterdam Science Park
- Brightlands Chemelot Campus, Sittard-Geleen
- High Tech Campus Eindhoven
- Kennispark Twente, Enschede
- Leiden Bio Science Park
- TU Delft Science Park
- Utrecht Science Park
- Wageningen Campus.
In September 2016, these campuses have released a report in which they emphasize that they are the engines of a strong, sustainable economy.
Major societal challenges
The World Economic Forum identifies the following Grand Challenges the international community is facing:
- Health, demographic change and well-being
- Food security and sustainable agriculture and forestry
- Environment and resource security
- Access to clean and fresh water
- Smart, green and integrated transport
- Economic growth and social inclusion
- Societal resilience against natural and man-made disasters.
The eight campuses collectively contribute to resolving these concerns.
Strong reputation
Each in their own way, the eight campuses differ from average industrial sites in Netherlands on the following points:
- Client-based governance and living environment, providing excellent conditions
- Strong focus on R&D and knowledge-intensive activities
- Presence of several anchor tenants
- Active open innovation system.
These core competencies result in a strong reputation – worldwide.
Success factors
To improve the position of the eight campuses, these campuses pay close attention to the following success factors:
- Availability of suitable buildings to accommodate companies in all development phases
- A high-quality business environment, including a landscaped environment, pleasant buildings, joint amenities and facilities, such as a cafeteria, gym, or conference center
- Transfer of know-how/open innovation, while recognizing each other’s intellectual property
- Shared research facilities that help start-ups and SMEs by providing state-of-the-art facilities without huge investments
- Financing start-ups in various stages of their development
- Talent and excellence in research groups and companies
- Marketing to get the parks on the radar of target companies
- Sufficient critical mass, because more researchers and developers lead to more interaction and better chances of innovation success
- Presence of at least one large know-how & technology-driven anchor tenant guarantees a continuous flow of ideas and new concepts
- A strong vision on development, size, technology niches, and facilities
- A dedicated park organization to make the other factors work.
In the joint report the campuses introduce themselves. Behind every company name, behind each research institute a whole world of economic activity respectively knowledge and skills are hidden – too much to elaborate in this blog post.
Most research institutes carry English names, showing their international orientation. Those names also indicate the areas of research the campuses are focusing on. The campuses are mutually rather complementary than competitive.
Amsterdam Science Park
The land owners of Amsterdam Science Park, with 130 companies, 3.800 jobs, and 6.300 students, are the University of Amsterdam, the City of Amsterdam, and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Over the period 2010-2015, 200 million euros were invested here.
AMS-IX (the largest data transport hub in the world), Equinix, Fokker Aerostructures, Tata Steel, Qualcomm, Agendia, Nikon Instruments, ASML, and Telecity are the anchor tenants.
The research institutes are the University van Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science, Mathematics and Computer Science (FNWI), the FOM institutes AMOLF and the National Institute for Subatomic Physics (Nikhef), the Dutch National Research Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI), SURFsara Computing and Networking Services, the Netherlands eScience Center (NLeSC), the Amsterdam University College (AUC), the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL), the Qualcomm lab, and the Qusoft Research Center for Quantum Software.
Brightlands Chemelot Campus
DSM, the Maastricht University, and the Province of Limburg are the shareholder of Brightlands Chemelot Campus with 77 companies, 1.700 jobs, and 600 students. Here 250 million euros were invested in 2010-2015.
Anchor tenants are DSM, SABIC, Arlanxeo, Sappi, Yparex, Mitsubishi, Lydall, PharmaCell, Basic Pharma, Xilloc, Isobionics, Kriya Materials, Technoforce, and Flowid.
The Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM), the Chemelot Institute for Science and Technology (InSciTe), the Brightlands Materials Center, and Enabling Technologies are the research institutes, that have laboratories, cleanrooms, pilot plants, and analytic infrastructure at their disposal.
Also read “What is the campus focusing on?”.
High Tech Campus Eindhoven
The owner of High Tech Campus Eindhoven, with 150 companies and 10.000 jobs, is Ramphastos Investments, Marcel Boekhoorn’s investment company.
Philips, NXP, IBM, Intel, ABB, and Teledyne DALSA Inc. are the anchor tenants.
The research institutes are the Holst Centre (wireless sensors), Solliance (solar cells), EIT Digital, ITEA 3 (software), the Eindhoven University of Technology, and the Solar Energy Application Center (SEAC).
Kennispark Twente
The Municipality of Enschede, the Twente University, and several private parties are the owners of Kennispark Twente with 430 companies, 9.300 jobs, and 24.300 students. In 2010-2015, 95 million euros were invested.
Anchor tenants are Xsense, Demcon, Sigmax, Kite Robotics, Undagrid, Lionix, Clear Flight Solutions, SciSports, and Ipsum.
The Institute for ICT Research in Context (CTIT), the Institute for Innovation and Governance Studies (IGS), the Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), the Institute for Nanotechnology (MESA+), the Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine (MIRA), and Science Based Engineering (SBE) are the research institutes.
Leiden Bio Science Park
The land owners of Leiden Bio Science Park, with 130 companies, 18.200 jobs, and 24.700 students, are the Leiden University, the Municipality of Leiden, and the Leiden University Medical Center. Over the period 2010-2015, 175 million euros were invested.
Astellas, Biomarin, Janssen IDV and Janssen Biologics (both part of Johnson & Johnson), Galapagos, ProQr, Avery Dennison, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Eurofins are the anchor tenants.
The research institutes are the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing, the BioMedical Metabolomics Facility Leiden (BMFL), the Cell Observatory, the Netherlands Centre for Electron Nanoscopy (NeCEN), the Clinical Trials Unit, TNO, the Center for Human Drug Research (CHDR), the Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics (CPM), the DNAmarkerpoint, the Leiden Genome Technology Center (LGTC), the C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, and the Ultra-high field NMR facility.
Furthermore, there are two museums: the Naturalis Biodiversity Center and CORPUS (‘Journey through the human body’).
TU Delft Science Park
The Delft University of Technology is the owner of TU Delft Science Park with 219 companies, 16.000 jobs, and 24.100 students.
Anchor tenants are 3M, Applikon Biotechnology, Ampelmann, Exact Software, YES!Delft, Senz, D:DREAM teams – DARE, Delft Hyperloop, NUON Solar Team, Project MARCH, and Delft Robotics.
The research institutes are the ones related to the Delft University of Technology to start with: the Research Center for Quantum Computing and Quantum Internet (QuTech), the Else Kooi Laboratory (EKL, innovative scientific research lab), the TU Delft Wind Energy Institute (DUWIND), the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft, the Space Institute, the Sport & Engineering Institute, and the Robotics Institute.
Furthermore, you find Deltares (independent institute for applied research in the fields of water and soil), TNO, the Netherlands National Metrology Institute (VSL), and the Holland Particle Therapy Centre.
Utrecht Science Park
Owners of Utrecht Science Park, with 85 companies 22.600 jobs, and 51.700 students, are the Utrecht University, the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), and the Municipality of Utrecht. Over the period 2010-2015, 200 million euros were invested.
Danone, Genmab, Merus, Bioceros, GenDx, MILabs, and Philips Healthcare are the anchor tenants.
The research institutes are, first of all, the Utrecht University Faculties of Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Geosciences, and Social and Behavioural Sciences. Furthermore, you find TNO, Deltares, the Hubrecht Instituut, the CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), the Prinses Maxima Centre, the UMCU, the HU University of Applied Sciences, the Advanced Research Center Chemical Building Blocks Consortium, and the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital.
Wageningen Campus
The Wageningen University & Research, the Municipality of Wageningen, and several private parties are the owners of Wageningen Campus with 196 companies, 6.800 jobs, and 10.800 students. Here 800 million euros were invested in 2010-2015.
Anchor tenants are FrieslandCampina, Noldus, KeyGene, Solynta, Yili, Kikkoman, MeteoGroup, Micreos, Dupont, Eurofins, Nuplex, and Dutch Sprouts.
The research institutes are the ones related to the Wageningen University & Research to start with: Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen Economic Research, Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen Lifestock Research, the Netherlands Institute for Food Safety RIKILT, and the Centre for Development Innovation (CDI). Furthermore, you find the
Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), and the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN).
Strong ambitions
The campuses all demonstrate strong ambitions for the coming years, considering the projected growth in jobs and the significant investments, planned for the period 2016-2020 (and already partially realized in 2016).
Economic growth and competitive power
The campuses have presented the report to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. After all, the campuses provide more knowledge transfer, new innovative products (and services), increased trade, and new jobs, which leads to a reinforcement of the growth and competitiveness of the Dutch economy.
The report “Motor of a strong and sustainable economy: Top Science & Innovation Parks in the Netherlands” is available online. Also the report “Actualisatie campussen onderzoek Buck Consultants International” (2014) is available online via the Ministery of Economic Affairs (only in Dutch).
This is a repost of my (Dutch) January 16, 2017 post, originally published on Blog Klaas Bos.
