Brabant is home to a record number of campuses facilitating open innovation

This article is an introduction to the series on Campuses in North Brabant. In the next 8 weeks, we will publish the profiles of all of the innovation campuses that were mentioned in the recent study by Buck Consultants International (BCI). Every Tuesday, we highlight one of them. Here are all the articles that have already been published.

According to the latest report by Buck Consultants International (BCI), which makes an overview of the campuses in the Netherlands, North Brabant is the only province in the country with a total number of eight “real” campuses. It is home to two adult campuses – with a large number of research institutes and R&D companies; two growth campuses – with an increasing number of researchers and companies; and four startup campuses – in their first 2-3 years of campus development.

BCI report

BCI defines a campus as an accelerator of open innovation, a “living environment” for research departments and research facilities which invites international knowledge, institutions, and companies. BCI assesses a campus on the basis of four core elements: focus on R&D and/or technology-driven activities; high-quality locations and research facilities; the presence of substantial knowledge carriers, such as a university, a university medical centre, or a research institute; and active open innovation. BCI reviewed 82 locations in total and classified 35 as “real” campuses.

The province of Brabant is proud to have eight of these accelerators of open innovation in its territory. Each campus is an essential contributor to the Dutch knowledge economy while together they boost employment in the province with a total number of 15,019 people working at 439 companies, 129 of which are startups.

In addition, there are 11 more innovation hubs in North Brabant which have not made it to the BCI list and which are classified as “not real campuses according to the definition”. Yet, they form an integral part of the open innovation and technological development in the province: Philips Healthcare Campus; Science Park Ekkersrijt; Business Park Aviolanda; Food Tech Park; Strijp S; MindLabs Spoorzone Tilburg; Supply Chain Campus Dinalog; Health Technology Park; SPARK Campus; JADS – Campus Mariënburg; and Nieuw Prinsenland.

Brabant Campuses

1. High Tech Campus – Eindhoven is one of the adult campuses which has been on the list for years. It is the campus with the largest employment in the whole country – 11,500 people working at 165 companies. Hailed as “the smartest square kilometre in Europe”, it houses some of the biggest multinationals among which Philips, ASML, NXP, and IBM, to name but a few.
2. TU/e Campus – Eindhoven has made the leap from a developing campus to one of the ten adult campuses in the Netherlands. In addition, it is the campus with the biggest number of startups in 2018 – a staggering number of 77, which can only confirm its leading position in the country.
3. High Tech Automotive Campus – Helmond is a growth campus with an increasing number of companies – 42 in 2018 in comparison to the 33 in 2014. The campus is a meeting place of companies, knowledge institutes, educational institutions, private and public research, and testing centers in the field of automotive technology and smart mobility.
4. Pivot Park – Oss is a growth campus for open innovation in life sciences. It offers companies a high-end pharma R&D infrastructure and the opportunity to accelerate and grow in the development of new medicines. It is a hotspot of pharmaceutical innovation with 550 people working at 50 companies, 20 of which are startups.
5. Brainport Industries Campus – Eindhoven (formerly Brainport Innovation Park) has made the leap from an idea phase to a startup. The campus is a working and learning environment for the next generation in high-tech manufacturing. It is making its way to become a leading hub of innovation and competitiveness in high-tech manufacturing.
6. Gate2 Aeroparc – Gilze-Rijen is new startup campus on the BCI list. Originally focused on the aviation and maintenance sector, now this forerunner in smart industry encompasses a wide range of smart technologies, such as pilot training, big data, 3D printing, sensor technology, adaptive robots, augmented & virtual reality, and interactive avatars.
7. Green Chemistry Campus – Bergen op Zoom is a startup campus accelerating bio-based businesses on the cutting edge of agro and chemistry. There entrepreneurs, governments, and knowledge institutes work together to scale up new sustainable materials and chemicals for the packaging industry.
8. Grow Campus – ’s-Hertogenbosch is a startup campus offering companies, start-ups, and entrepreneurs in the agrifood sector opportunities to strengthen or develop their position in agri and food.

Each of the campuses is a booming hub that breeds talent, accelerates technological development, and boosts networks of education, applied research, and entrepreneurship. Together they are the engine of open innovation in North Brabant and an essential component of the Dutch knowledge economy development.

This article is an introduction to the series Campuses in North Brabant. In Part I, we will introduce you to “the smartest square kilometre in Europe” – High Tech Campus, Eindhoven.