With the new motto “Share innovation, shape tomorrow,” High Tech NL recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. High Tech NL is the national trade association for the Dutch high-tech industry that drives innovation by connecting companies and knowledge institutions. Four domains are central to this effort: Semiconductors and Robotics had long been part of High Tech NL; Life Sciences and Energy were recently added. The high-tech knowledge network is important for the entire top sector of High Tech Systems and Materials.
At the tenth anniversary celebration, chairman Paul van Attekum had the opportunity to explain once again what the association stands for. “At its core, it is about strengthening our international competitive position and the earning power of the Dutch high-tech sector. The more parties connect through us, the larger the network to share knowledge and bring high-tech professionals together. Together we create solutions to global challenges and change the world of tomorrow. That is why we are taking the lead to create meetings and initiate projects.”
At its inception in 2013, the goals of High Tech NL were innovation, human capital, an optimal supply chain, and branding at home and abroad. Van Attekum: “There is still a lot of work to be done in all these areas even today, but you can also see that a lot has already been accomplished. Bringing together all the separately operating associations within the high-tech manufacturing industry was also a goal, but we have not yet succeeded. In addition, we have had to put our international ambitions on the back burner because of the associated costs.”
Healthy association
Nevertheless, Van Attekum notes that High Tech NL anno 2023 is a healthy association. “With 235 members and a budget of 1.7 million, we are running stable. And thanks to the awarded NXTGEN HighTech growth fund proposal, our ecosystem is in a safe harbor for the next seven years.”
The focus of the association falls into five parts, says the chairman. “First, of course, there is connecting the members, for example, through theme-oriented meetings. In addition, we have several projects with a limited duration. CareBots is an example of that. The next part of our focus is more internal: we have structured our organization to accommodate clusters such as robotics and semicon, and more recently also life sciences and energy. A fourth aspect has to do with our philosophy, which is to make precisely the small players stronger so that the entire ecosystem becomes stronger. Finally, we see opportunities through smart linkages with knowledge institutions. Universities can serve as demand centers, strengthening our content.”
Future
As stable as the association is, there will of course always be wishes for the near future. One of these lies in becoming a true industry association for the entire HTSM sector. “We are also looking for opportunities to give our primary tasks even more impact.” Van Attekum knows what that involves: “Building, maintaining, and expanding the ecosystem by working together. Not competing, but rather addressing common problems together. We, as an impartial club, can help with that. Ultimately, this can also benefit everyone financially. We can use our organizing ability to catalyze value, create consortia, and discover multipliers.”
If all that works out, by its 15th anniversary, High Tech NL could be an even more vital association with roughly 400 members and some 25 active projects. So standing still is out of the question. “Today, we toast to what has been achieved; tomorrow, we work for the future.”
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