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Contact /Rinke Zonneveld Datum /

©Erik Borst

The official launch of Invest-NL takes place today in Amsterdam in the presence of Minister of Finance Wopke Hoekstra and Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Eric Wiebes. As a private company led by Wouter Bos, Invest-NL will provide financing to companies that will make the Netherlands more sustainable and more innovative. With a share capital of 1.7 billion euros, Invest-NL’s focus at launch is on the energy transition and on innovative, fast-growing companies (scale-ups).

In the context of the energy transition, Invest-NL is focusing particularly on electrification and energy, circularity, agrifood and the built environment. When it comes to innovative scale-ups, the focus will primarily be on industrial technologies. Invest-NL intends to expand the market and provide financial backing for what once seemed unbackable. Alongside a willingness to take significant risks, Invest-NL is also prepared to invest large amounts with long maturities. Impact is paramount for Invest-NL: without impact there can be no financing.

More risk capital available

Market parties in the Netherlands have difficulty financing major societal transitions. They face challenges to handle the high degree of uncertainty in terms of policy and technology, the multiplicity of stakeholders and the fragmentation of initiatives with relatively high learning and transaction costs. Moreover, various studies have shown that, relatively speaking, there is less risk capital available for young high-growth companies in the Netherlands compared to countries such as Germany, the UK or the US.

Finally, Dutch companies have thus far been less successful at obtaining funding from European investment funds and facilities compared to competitors in other countries, where the requisite venture capital is made available to companies by specific national funds and/or banks. The launch of Invest-NL means that the Netherlands now also has its own, comparable fund.

In line with parliamentary decisions and based on research, Invest-NL has decided to prioritise the financing of scale-ups and the energy transition. Entrepreneurs and financiers can visit the Invest-NL website (invest-nl.nl), where they can answer five questions to discover if their business plan may be eligible for financing by Invest-NL.

Far-reaching ambitions

Wouter Bos, CEO of Invest-NL: “We have far-reaching ambitions at Invest-NL: our aim is to quadruple the amount of risk capital available for the energy transition within five years.We want to ensure that young, innovative companies here can scale up as successfully as they do in Germany and the UK, which means the Netherlands needs to become twice as effective in this regard as it is today.

Eric Wiebes, Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy: “With Invest-NL we show that the great changes around energy and climate can go hand in hand with making a profit. Invest-NL’s financing and development power gets companies going and contributes to employment and economic growth in the Netherlands.”

Wopke Hoekstra, Minister of Finance: ”I am very proud of what we are achieving here. It is not common for a government to set up a state participation. And its objective is important: Invest-NL’s activities strenghten our innovative economy and contribute to the transition towards a sustanaible society.”

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Contact /Loek Becker Hoff Datum /

On Monday 13 January 2020 Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb will open the new Head Office of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) in the CIC Rotterdam (Cambridge Innovation Center in the ‘Groothandelsgebouw’, next to Rotterdam Central Station). As of this year, Rotterdam will be the location for the world’s largest international network of waste professionals (formerly housed in Vienna). Simultaneously, registration for ISWA’s World Congress will officially be opened, ISWA2020 will be held from 28-30 September 2020 in Rotterdam’s stunning World Trade Centre.

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb: “The arrival of ISWA in Rotterdam underlines that the city is a hotspot for innovative and sustainable organizations. Rotterdam has high ambitions and we are very pleased that, working together with ISWA, we are going to achieve those ambitions.”

Circular and Low Carbon Initiative

In January, ISWA, NVRD and Rotterdam will start a joint project, the Circular and Low Carbon Initiative. In this joint project, the current state of the circular economy in Rotterdam is qualitatively examined and mapped. Ranging from small corner shops to the headquarters of multinational corporates in Rotterdam and the port, the first interim results will be presented during the ISWA World Congress.

ISWA & The Circular Economy

Antonis Mavroupoulis (ISWA President): “This is an exciting time for ISWA as we enter our 50th year with new management, new employees and a new home. The City of Rotterdam shares our global vision with a focus on international cooperation to achieve a circular economy. We are proud to “Make It Happen!” As far as I’m concerned, there is no better place to accommodate the ISWA General Secretariat”.

Start ticket sales ISWA2020

Ticket sales for the ISWA2020 congress will be opened on 13th January. The ISWA World Congress is the most prestigious international congress for the waste sector and is organised by the City of Rotterdam and the NVRD. This year’s main themes of the congress are:

  • waste processing and recycling,
  • waste in waters and oceans,
  • circular and low carbon economy,
  • innovation in cities and construction and demolition waste.

These themes are in line with Rotterdam’s ambition to be at the forefront of the circular economy. From 13th January, ISWA2020 is open for proposals to organize a workshop, session or presentation during the congress. Proposals will be evaluated by a special committee. We welcome everyone that wants to make an interesting contribution to the congress and the ISWA2020 themes.

More information, ticket sales and submitting proposal: www.iswa2020.org

Loek Becker Hoff

Loek Becker Hoff

Senior Account Manager Energy & Circular / Team Lead Sustainable & Clean + Green & Healthy
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Contact /Lonneke Baas Datum /

Among other things, the partnership is intended to yield new discoveries and smart solutions to issues in healthcare. To this end, the three institutions’ plans include the construction of a new HealthTech Campus next to the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam.

Interim Chair of the Executive Board Hans Smits expects the partnership to yield ‘ground-breaking solutions’ and promote ‘the social embedding and acceptance of new technological and medical developments’. Among other things, the three institutions intend to set up a HealthTech Campus at a location adjacent to the Erasmus MC.

The new collaboration comprises three initiatives: Sustainable Rotterdam Delta, the HealthTech Campus and 30 laboratories in the region that will concentrate on research into artificial intelligence. The three institutions have drawn up a total budget of half a billion euros for the next ten years. They hope that the private sector and the government will be interested in investing in the partnership.

Social challenges

The two universities and the hospital want to jointly take on major social challenges in the areas of health, sustainability, urbanisation and digitalisation. Researchers working in the fields of medicine, health sciences, technical sciences and the social sciences will be collaborating in this context.

“Over the past forty years, new developments in healthcare primarily originated in biology, genetics and pharmacology,” says Ernst Kuipers, Chair of the Executive Board of the Erasmus MC, in NRC Handelsblad. “Today’s knowledge and expertise are also encountered in mathematics, artificial intelligence, robotics, optics (optical and lens technology) and domotics (home automation). We can provide the medical-substantive knowledge, Erasmus University offers economic and social-scientific insights and Delft is a premier source of technological expertise.” At the planned HealthTech Campus, researchers will be working together to make healthcare more effective and improve people’s quality of life. It will take some time before this campus opens its doors, however, since the old Dijkzigt hospital building needs to be torn down before the site can be prepared for construction.

Within the Sustainable Rotterdam Delta initiative, the partners will be studying issues in Rotterdam and the surrounding region. The various studies will centre on social problems in today’s metropolitan areas. Researchers will be focussing on matters like the energy transition, traffic and transport, equal opportunity and employment.

Artificial intelligence

The universities in Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam can already look back on seven years of collaboration. While Leiden won’t be joining the HealthTech Campus, it will contribute in the field of artificial intelligence. In the future, the three universities will all be including knowledge about data science and artificial intelligence in all their students’ curricula.

“At both our Economics faculty and RSM, you can already find a wealth of knowledge relating to data science and artificial intelligence,” notes EUR’s Rector Magnificus Rutger Engels. “But beyond these faculties, we also see a strong research focus on the real-life impact of new technologies. From interactions between humans and machines to deep fakes, and from data-driven improvements in care to the avoidance of biased appraisals in HRM and selection.”

The future

The business plans for the three initiatives will be fleshed out in the months ahead. Academic staff are already allowed to submit research and education proposals to the three institutions involved. In addition, the universities have already started to recruit 34 post-doc researchers. The partners are still working on their application to Rijksinvesteringsfonds. This national organisation awards funding to projects that are intended to strengthen the Dutch economy.

Sasja Heijman

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Contact /Hannes Sibbel Datum /

ATV and InnovationQuarter’s investment in IMSystems will help further accelerate the development of their revolutionary technology in robotics. IMSystems’ Archimedes Drive takes a leap forward in transmission systems. In contrast to conventional gears, which rely on cogs with fragile teeth to produce torque, IMSystems came up with a design that harnesses traction.

ABB will be joining this round, through its venture capital unit, ATV, to provide funding and expertise to the growing company. The regional economic development agency for Zuid-Holland, InnovationQuarter, will continue their contribution in IMSystems following its initial seed investment in 2018.

“I am delighted to have next to InnovationQuarter ATV on board. The investment will allow IMSystems to grow and move to the next stage of development,” says Jack Schorsch, CEO and founder of IMSystems.

“The previous investment round has shown that we were able to increase the lifetime of the drive from just a few minutes to a few weeks. With this round we will be able to go from weeks to years, and prepare the Archimedes Drive for commercial use to enable lighter, more agile, and more accurate robots.”

First breakthrough in transmission systems in 60 years

It was in 2016 when PhD student, Jack Schorsch, grew frustrated with the inadequacy of off-the-shelf transmission systems available for the robot he was designing at Delft University of Technology. Which led him to his idea for a stronger, lighter, more accurate alternative: the Archimedes Drive, a design that harnessed traction. This innovation meant the first breakthrough in transmission systems since sixty years.

Old transmission systems are why humans still manufacture your smartphone

IMSystems’ patented Archimedes Drive marks a leap forward in robot transmission systems. Automated production lines are becoming more commonplace in most manufacturers, but the broader deployment of industrial robots is hampered by existing mechanical components, namely the transmissions.

The gears that enable robotic arms to swing, pick, lift, and place are bulky, heavy, and the cause of backlash. (This is an undesirable staccato jolt caused by the small clearance between the teeth in conventional gears.) These limitations in accuracy have an impact on safety, which means that industrial robots are usually consigned to cages. It’s also one of the reasons why it’s a human rather than a robot that manufactures your smartphone, and also why surgical robots are the exception rather than the rule. The Archimedes Drive therefore paves the way for operations without a surgeon present and for co-operation between humans and robots, so-called ‘cobots’.

IMSystems’ Archimedes Drive is a product of the Dutch province Zuid-Holland’s entrepreneur-centric network that fosters innovation. The Drive was invented at Delft University of Technology, commercialized at startup incubator YES!Delft, and is now being developed for the international robotics market at RoboValley,” says Rinke Zonneveld, Director of InnovationQuarter. “We are proud to be working with Jack and his team in realizing their goal of smaller, lighter, and more accurate industrial robotics.”

Hannes Sibbel

Senior Investment Manager / Team Lead Smart & Safe + MKB a.i.
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CLAIRE (Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe)
Contact /Stef Prinsen Datum /

On the 9th of December 2019 The Hague hosted the launch of the headquarters for the world’s largest AI research network CLAIRE (Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe). CLAIRE was established in response to the pressing need for excellence in AI research and innovation that ensures that Europe remains competitive in AI and its applications. With CLAIRE, European partners are raising the bar significantly in terms of investment in talent, research, technology and innovation in AI.

CLAIRE (Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe)

“CLAIRE is the world’s largest network of AI research laboratories, and we are very happy and proud to have our headquarters in The Hague. Considering The Hague’s reputation as the city of Peace and Justice, The Hague, and the Netherlands in general, are an ideal home base for CLAIRE, which will shape the way AI is used in Europe. The Netherlands is a hotbed for AI research and innovation in Europe, and home to a large number of internationally leading experts in AI.”, says Dr. Holger Hoos, Professor of Machine learning at Leiden University and the co-initiator of CLAIRE.

The CLAIRE headquarters in The Hague will support CLAIRE activities in Europe, coordinating the work of existing CLAIRE offices in Prague (CZ), Saarbrücken (DE), Rome (IT) and Oslo (NO), as well as offices soon to be opened in Brussels (BE), Zürich (CH), Paris (FR) and Cork (IE). The CLAIRE office in The Hague will also place special focus on AI in the public sector, AI computing and data infrastructure, and the development of a focus on AI for social good.

CLAIRE (Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe)

CLAIRE & InnovationQuarter

With the establishment of CLAIRE, the greater Rotterdam – The Hague area is strengthening its position as a “real life testing ground” for AI. This region has a unique position because excellent academic knowledge is concentrated here with promising areas of application for AI. Consider, for example, contributing to the energy transition in the port area, solving global food problems with horticulture and working on life sciences & health technology of the future. InnovationQuarter will be involved in Claire as a partner for developing use-cases in collaborative projects with businesses and knowledge institutes.

InnovationQuarter is currently working on an economic exploration of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Zuid-Holland, which will be completed early next year. For this we are in full discussion with companies and knowledge partners in the region. Ultimately, we aim to identify opportunities for collaboration on the implementation of AI in practice, and what knowledge and expertise (public and private) we already have in-house for this. When we start working on this next year, CLAIRE can play an important role.

Find additional information about this initiative at CLAIRE.

Would you like more information regarding the AI ecosystem in our region?

Get in touch!

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Contact /Niels Krol Datum /

Over 80% of all space activities in the Netherlands take place in the province of Zuid-Holland. For this reason, InnovationQuarter presented the Noordwijk-Leiden-Delft-The Hague region as Space Cluster Holland during the Space Tech Expo in Bremen from 19 to 21 November 2019.

A number of distinct space activities from the region were highlighted in the booth: Space Campus Noordwijk was presented by the new director Esther Peters, Rahul Shirke explained the extremely heat-resistant composite material of Delft-based start-up ARCEON, and the Delft university student team of ‘VSV Leonardo da Vinci‘ promoted their Cubesat project, intended for educational purposes.

The regions of Bremen and Zuid-Holland launched a Joint Action Agenda which strengthens cooperation between the space ecosystems in both areas. It defines common challenges and themes on which the regions shall focus in the coming years. Subsequently, during round table discussions between German and Dutch companies and institutes, topics of mutual interest like lightweight materials & structures  and the use of VR/AR in space engineering, were discussed.

Representatives from the Province of Zuid-Holland, Space Campus Noordwijk, ATG Europe, ARCEON and InnovationQuarter at the Space Cluster Holland booth

The presence of many regional exhibitors, such as Airbus, Airborne, ISISpace, Celestia STS, Hyperion, MetaSensing, TNO and the student rocket team DARE (Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering) shows that the space cluster in Zuid-Holland plays a prominent role in the international space industry. Many of them were also speakers during various workshops, including other representatives from the region like GTM, SkyGeo and Dawn Aerospace.

At the Space Cluster Holland booth visitors were welcomed to take a photo of themselves on the moon. In front of a green screen and by using the self-service camera of Rotterdam-based start-up BLNDR, over 500 visitors flew to the moon to take their picture. Some of them even managed to plant the Dutch flag!

Bert Klarus (Business Development) en Niels Krol (Foreign Investments) van InnovationQuarter

Due to this year’s great success, the exhibition organization has decided to organize Space Tech Expo in Bremen annually, instead of every two years. In addition, a NL Space pavilion will be organized in 2020, in which the Dutch, and mostly Zuid-Holland-based, space industry can promote themselves jointly to the international space community. Brochure 10 Reasons Space.

Interested in collaborating with or joining the space cluster in our region?

Get in touch to discuss opportunities in the greater Rotterdam - The Hague region.

Niels Krol

Senior Investor Relations Manager / Senior Account Manager Aerospace
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RoboCrops
Contact /Colinda de Beer Datum /

RoboCrops is a key event that seeks to accelerate the development of robotics in greenhouse horticulture with hackathons, presentations and matchmaking. The global leaders in the field of robotics in this sector will be gathering in the Netherlands on 23 and 24 April for the first edition.

RoboCrops

The annual event brings high-tech companies and universities together with growers and investors in the Westland and Delft. Professionals and students will be challenged to the limit in the extensive programme packed with hackathons, informative sessions and matchmaking which are taking place simultaneously at World Horti Center Naaldwijk and RoboHouse/TU Delft.

RoboCrops

Acceleratng robotics

The aim of RoboCrops is to speed up the development of robotics in greenhouse horticulture. RoboCrops therefore focuses on both the hardware – sensors, robot arms, grippers, autonomous vehicles – and the decision-supporting software required to control the robots. Robots or robot components can be classified into three areas during RoboCrops. These are “Sense” (sensors with which the robot observes the environment), “Think” (processing the data from sensors, often using Artificial Intelligence/Augmented Reality) and “Act” (performing an action, such as cutting leaves or picking vegetables or cut flowers).

Growers, tech companies and students

Growers can attend a programme at World Horti Center on 23 April which will provide them with an extensive and in-depth presentation of the latest developments in robotics for greenhouse horticulture. Tech companies and universities will be able to demonstrate what the technical possibilities and challenges are on 24 April.

On both days students will be working in RoboHouse in Delft during a major hackathon organised by TU Delft and WUR. During that hackathon they will apply their expertise to various challenges, and thereby help accelerate developments in the field of robotics. On 24 April they will be pitching their hacks to a professional jury at World Horti Center. The programme also provides opportunities for matchmaking between various parties.

Initiative

RoboCrops is an initiative by InnovationQuarter, Province of Zuid-Holland, World Horti Center, TU Delft, Greenport West-Holland and RoboHouse Delft.
For more information please contact info@robocrops.tech.

Do you have any questions?

Feel free to contact us.

Colinda de Beer

Senior Business Developer Horticulture
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Presentatie Rotterdams Klimaatakkoord
Contact /Hanna Lucas Datum /

Rotterdam delivers own climate agreement following the COP21 Paris agreement objectives. Within 10 years, Rotterdam will reduce the emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases with 50 percent. This will be the result from the measures in the Rotterdam Climate Agreement that the municipality has concluded with more than 100 companies and social organizations. The agreement that is being presented today contains nearly 50 measures that will make Rotterdam’s port and economy more sustainable.

Presentatie Rotterdams Klimaatakkoord

Rotterdam is currently contributing more than average on greenhouse gas emissions. More than 20% of the national CO2 emissions of the Netherlands come from Rotterdam, especially from the port area. In addition, Rotterdam is situated in one of the lowest-lying river deltas of the world and is therefore very vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Research, conducted yearly by the municipality, shows that three out of four citizens in Rotterdam are worried about the effects of climate change.

That is why the city took the initiative to make a climate agreement together with over 100 private companies and social organizations.

For six months, and under the leadership of independent chairs, these private companies and organizations took part in five climate round tables divided in the following themes: Port & Industry, Built Environment, Mobility, Clean Energy and Consumption.

The outcome of these gatherings is 49 so-called ‘climate deals’ that will boost the reduction of greenhouse gases and will stimulate a CO2-free economy. The agreement contains plans for large-scale solutions such as windmill areas off shore, the construction of a hydrogen network to make industry in the port greener and the insulation of Rotterdam social homes, but also small-scale solutions such as car-sharing and cycling class for children.

Companies such as petrochemical companies, energy infra providers, private banks but also social housing-corporations, the Erasmus University and innovative mobility start-ups, were part of the process that led to this agreement. The participants of the Rotterdam Climate Agreement want to use the transition of the Rotterdam economy not only to reduce CO2 emissions, but also to create new opportunities.

Arno Bonte (Alderman Sustainability/vice Mayor);

“The Rotterdam climate agreement marks a turning point for the port city. Our ambition is to become the most sustainability port city in the world within ten years with a clean and circular economy.”

 Alice Krekt (Director of Deltalinqs Climate Program and Chair of round table Port and  Industry): “We have a roadmap in place and agreed upon supporting climate measures that pave the way to a carbon neutral port and industry area, whilst protecting the economic value for Rotterdam and the country. Our agenda shows that private and public partners need to work closely together to make progress. I am very pleased with the constructive discussion that have led to this result. Now is the time to act.”

InnovationQuarter was closely involved with the Port and Industry climate table. Hanna Lucas, Senior Business Developer Energy at InnovationQuarter:

“Together with the other partners, we worked on a concrete plan for the development of a sustainable industry in the port of Rotterdam. The port and industrial plan makes it possible to coordinate efforts in order to speed up important projects and strengthen the innovation ecosystem.”

Want to know more?

Please contact us.

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Contact /Bert Klarus Datum /

To strengthen cooperation between the space sector in the regions of Bremen and Zuid-Holland, SpaceNed, Province of Zuid-Holland, Aviaspace Bremen and the state of Bremen launched an action agenda at the Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen. They were supported in the preparation of the action agenda by InnovationQuarter and Bremen Invest. The action agenda stems from agreements made during the space mission to Bremen in March 2019, in the presence of the King and Queen.

Enhanced international cooperation

The Zuid-Holland and Bremen regions both have a strong space sector. Better cooperation between the regions is favourable for the innovation climate and the economic strength of space companies. The action agenda contains agreements on cooperation actions until 2023, aimed at the described mutual challenges for the space sector. Agreements include a trade mission from Bremen to Zuid-Holland in 2020, joint Research & Development projects and strengthening of business and research relationships. Thematically, the cooperation focuses on, among other things, earth observation, lightweight materials and VR / AR in space applications.

The action agenda was presented by Hans-Georg Tschupke (Director of the Department of Innovation and Industry at the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Bremen) and Wiebe Brandsma (Director of Economy and Society at the Province of Zuid-Holland) together with Jeroen Rotteveel and Holger Oelze (the chairmen of SpaceNed and Aviaspace, respectively).

Jeroen Rotteveel: “A good neighbour is better than a distant friend; [Dutch proverb] that is why it is so logical to strengthen the ties with Bremen”. Hans-Georg Schupke adds: “This Action Agenda was not established because the governments are so keen; there are common interests and there is enthusiasm among companies and knowledge institutions for cooperation. ”

Companies and knowledge institutions from Zuid-Holland and Bremen immediately got to work at the Space Tech Expo in two round table discussions to further explore and work out collaborative activities. Then there was room for mutual acquaintance between companies themselves or with knowledge institutions during the matchmaking Meet the Dutch. And while enjoying ‘stroopwafels’ from Zuid-Holland and drinks, there was plenty of room for networking.

In the pavilion that was organized by InnovationQuarter, there was a lot of visitors and good contacts with international businesses. In addition, there was plenty of room for relaxed conversations around the “green screen” photo device that was set up on the stand. InnovationQuarter supports the province of Zuid-Holland in the compilation and implementation of the action agenda.

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LINQ, InnovationQuarter’s annual get-together
Contact /Niels Krol Datum /

LINQ, InnovationQuarter’s annual get-together

LINQ, InnovationQuarter’s annual get-together

Some 90 representatives of foreign companies & organizations attended this year’s LINQ, InnovationQuarter’s annual get-together for our the international business community in this region. In the industrial setting of Lijm & Cultuur, a former factory, attendees were able to meet new and relevant (business) contacts and heard the deputy mayor speak about the rich innovative ecosystem of Delft.

During the ‘Innovation Tour’ participants were able to see and touch eight cutting-edge innovations from this region. Please find their links here:

LINQ, InnovationQuarter’s annual get-together

For a LINQ recap in photos, please visit our online Flickr-page.

Want to know more?

Please contact us.

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Contact /Chris van Voorden Datum /

The Maryland Department of Commerce and InnovationQuarter, the regional economic development agency for the greater Rotterdam-The Hague area, have officially renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote general cooperation and coordination between the entities over the next three years.

The agreement was signed by Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz and InnovationQuarter director of foreign investments Chris van Voorden today in Baltimore.

The renewal will help strengthen Maryland and the greater Rotterdam-The Hague area’s relationship as they continue to foster economic development and investment in the two regions, especially as it relates to cybersecurity. The MOU encourages the hosting of delegations in both Maryland and the greater Rotterdam-The Hague area, promoting the regions’ exchange programs, collaborating on webinars for cybersecurity companies interested in expanding their global outreach, and potential opportunities for matchmaking and networking at trade shows around the world.

“The state of Maryland’s partnership with the greater Rotterdam-The Hague area provides great opportunities for governmental collaboration across the Atlantic,” said Secretary Schulz. “By collaborating on research and development, supporting each other’s companies, and encouraging growth in education, we can make sure that both of our regions continue to thrive for years to come.”Back in 2016, the state signed a three-year agreement with InnovationQuarter, which established the soft-landing program for Dutch companies looking to explore the Maryland market and vice versa. The program, which was the first of its kind in Maryland, provides incubation and mentorship services for participating companies.

“We welcome security tech companies to make use of this wonderful program. They can come for a week or even stay for three consecutive months,” van Voorden said at the signing.

The following year, Maryland Commerce welcomed five Netherlands cyber companies to the bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park for their month-long stay as they explored the U.S. as a permanent location. Additionally that year, four Maryland cyber firms travelled overseas to facilitate their entry into the European market as part of the bilateral exchange program.

The program is still on-going between the two entities; companies interested in learning more can contact Andrew Kreinik, Maryland Commerce’s regional manager for Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

With more than 116,000 IT and cybersecurity professionals in the state, Maryland is where cyber works. Learn more about how we are a gateway for international business.

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Contact /Liduina Hammer Datum /

Insects are a huge problem in greenhouse horticulture. Pest control costs growers enormous amounts of money and energy and causes the sector much concern. Currently, pests tend to be controlled with biopesticides and chemical pesticides. But there is now a chemical-free solution and it comes from the aviation industry. Delft company PATS is developing a system that uses drones to eliminate flying insect pests. It’s current applications include the cultivation of gerberas and chrysanthemums for the cut flower trade. To further develop the system and adapt the drones for use with other crops, PATS has secured €250,000 from UNIIQ investment fund. Alderperson Karin Zwinkels of the Municipality of Westland announced the investment during the ‘Modern Entrepreneurship’ event at Royal FloraHolland in Naaldwijk.

Pesticides have limited effect

Insect pests are a major problem for greenhouse farmers. The favourable greenhouse climate allows them to thrive and reproduce easily. Despite the increasing use of biopesticides, such as Ichneumon wasps, growers are often unable to avoid using chemical pesticides. However, chemicals often have only a limited effect and are not widely available for every type of pest. Some products also have side effects, both on the crop and beyond. New pest control alternatives are therefore urgently required.

Bat-like drones vs moths

PATS has focused on one harmful insect to begin with: moths. Their offspring, caterpillars, can cause considerable damage to a crop, resulting in yield loss. PATS is developing a solution using micro drones. Base stations equipped with monitoring cameras are installed throughout the greenhouse. As soon as a flying moth is detected, a drone is activated and directed towards the moth at lightning speed. It collides with the insect, which is then disposed of by the drone’s rotating propellers: a swift bat-like action that takes just a few seconds. Once the insect has been eliminated, the drone returns to the base station to recharge for the next mission. In contrast to the methods currently available, this system actively hunts insect pests to prevent them spreading further throughout the greenhouse.

By using the investment from UNIIQ to strengthen its R&D team, PATS will accelerate product development, expand its knowledge base and reduce time to market. Co-founders Bram Tijmons, Sjoerd Tijmons and Kevin van Hecke are extremely pleased with the investment. “We at PATS are very happy about UNIIQ’s confidence in our team and our technology,” says Bram Tijmons. “The investment will be used for further technological product development and to expand the company’s knowledge base. Our innovative application will allow us to support many end users in their day-to-day crop protection activities.”

“PATS, a spinoff of TU Delft, focuses on a major problem faced by the greenhouse and horticultural sector,” says UNIIQ Fund Manager Liduina Hammer. “The founders have research backgrounds at MAVlab, TU Delft’s drone lab, and UNIIQ’s funding will give them the opportunity to validate this alternative, innovative approach to pest control.”

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UNIIQ-investering voor Addoptics
Contact /Liduina Hammer Datum /

High-tech startup Addoptics has developed an innovative method that reduces the lead time for small-series production of customer-specific lenses from six weeks to six days. This includes the manufacture of lenses for smartphones and lighting, and the time reduction is in part achieved by using 3D printing techniques. To further develop and validate the technology with pilot customers, Addoptics is to receive a €300,000 injection from early-stage investment fund UNIIQ. The investment was announced by Rotterdam Deputy Mayor Barbara Kathmann (Economy, Districts and Local Communities) during the Rotterdam Capital Days event.

UNIIQ-investering voor Addoptics

Faster and more flexible testing with prototypes

Whether it involves the latest smartphone, a camera-equipped cardiac catheter, streetlights or car headlights, all of these finished products involve lenses. Optical systems and their applications are based on lenses, and prototypes of optical components are needed early in the development cycle of each new product. However, standard lenses that are available may often fail to meet the specific requirements of the desired end product. A manufacturer will therefore sometimes have special custom-made lens prototypes developed, but these take six to eight weeks to produce. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the prototype will work, which results in an extremely long product development period.

From six weeks to six days

Technological developments move at lightning speed and competition is fierce. As time to market is crucial, there are increasing calls for shorter development cycles and greater design freedom (‘free-form’ lenses) from a range of industries, including medical technology, automotive, lighting, production technology and communication applications.

By using 3D printing technology to produce lenses that meet customer specifications, Addoptics has developed a fast and flexible lens manufacturing process for custom-made optical components. And instead of six weeks, the firm can produce the lenses in just six days. Due to its innovative technology, Addoptics is making shorter and more flexible development cycles a reality while offering greater design freedom.

Fine-tuning the technology and working towards pilots

The investment from proof-of-concept fund UNIIQ will help Addoptics take the crucial next steps. In the coming period, the company will further fine-tune the technology and test it with various pilot customers. Addoptics co-founders Joris Biskop and Lucas Klamer form a strong team. Both have extensive experience in the optical industry and together possess good technological know-how in optics and 3D printing. They also have expertise in materials science, excellent commercial skills and access to a broad network in the optical industry.

Joris Biskop, Addoptics co-founder and CEO:

“With the support of UNIIQ as an investment partner, Addoptics will be able to realise its ambitions. We are proud to have the opportunity to develop our innovative concept further, prior to taking the first steps towards bringing it to market.”

Liduina Hammer, UNIIQ fund manager: “Addoptics is a valuable addition to the optical cluster in the greater Rotterdam The Hague area. The investment from UNIIQ will enable the firm to move forward with its innovative technology and validate it with pilot customers.”

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Contact /Martijn van Hoogenhuijze Datum /

In The Netherlands, October 2019 will be all about cyber security. As part of the European Cyber Security Month, many conferences, competitions and trainings will take place providing the opportunity to exchange knowledge, ideas and innovations for a more secure future.

The Cyber Security Month will be kicked off in The Hague on the first of October with the 3-day International ONE Conference. It is an international renowned conference in the field of cyber security and it is organised by the Dutch government. Amongst the other events are the Europol-INTERPOL cybercrime conference, the Unleashing Cyber Security Summit, a congress about the Future of Quantum Computing, Quantum Cryptography and Quantum Sensors and Hardwear.io Security Conference & Training as a pre-event.

Collaboration with the City of The Hague

The upcoming edition of the One Conference is extended with an extra day: Thursday 3 October, which is made possible in cooperation with the city of The Hague. In alignment with the ONE Conference, the city aims to stimulate the exchange of cyber security knowledge, ideas and innovations for a more secure future. During the three days, leading speakers from all over the world will share insights and developments in cyber security.
This year’s theme of the ONE Conference is ‘Keeping our Future Secure, Be Innovative, Stay Alert’. A novelty this year is the Innovation Floor. During three days, in close collaboration with the city of The Hague, 15 organisations will demonstrate their cyber security innovations.

Municipality of The Hague challenges Ethical Hackers

On the eve of EU Cyber Security Month, the municipality of The Hague sets the tone by testing its own digital security. In cooperation with the Dutch cyber security company Cybersprint, the city organises the hacking competition ‘Hâck The Hague’. The 2019 edition of this competition takes place in the City Hall on 30 September, when the Atrium of The Hague City Hall will be transformed into ‘The Hague Hackers Dome’. The best national and international ethical hackers – from students to professional hackers – are invited to detect digital vulnerabilities in the digital infrastructure of the municipality and its suppliers.

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Contact /Karolien Sas Datum /

Protecting innovations through patents is crucial in bringing new products and services to market. However, maintaining this protection year after year and for various countries is costly. Therefore, deciding which patents are worth keeping is a choice all R&D-oriented companies periodically deal with. Focus, a company based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has come up with a solution for this problem. Focus is developing an algorithm that enables patents in a portfolio to be ranked quickly and automatically, based on their technological importance. To further develop their algorithm and test it extensively with customers, Focus receives an investment of proof-of-concept fund UNIIQ. The investment was announced by Martin Luxemburg, director of the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, where the office of Focus is located.

Screening hundreds of thousands of patents manually

R&D activities across the globe lead to the existence of large patent portfolios with various companies. These portfolios consist, depending on the innovative character and scope of the company, of hundreds of thousands of patents. The investments made to maintain such a portfolio run into millions of euros per year.
Each portfolio is continuously subject to change. New patents are added while existing patents are stricken from the portfolio. Maintaining the portfolio as such is the task of a select group of patent- and technology experts. Periodically these people manually go through parts of the portfolio, to identify which patents are important, and which patented technologies can be stricken without damaging the company’s position. With no tools available on the market to rank patents based on their importance, the patent- and technology expert has to screen the entire patent portfolio manually.

Focus’ patent ranking algorithm makes portfolio management much more effective

This manual screening makes the management of a patent portfolio a labour intensive and costly process. Focus is developing an algorithm with which this screening becomes a lot more efficient. This algorithm ranks patents within a portfolio automatically based on their technological importance. In placing the patent in a ranked order, the algorithm takes into account the context and development of the entire patent landscape within the domain concerned. Therefore, the patent expert instantly gains insight in what the most and the least valuable patents are in his portfolio, after which he can look into these particular patents in more detail.

Performing pilots on complete patent portfolios

The founders of Focus, Jard van Ingen and Thijs van de Pol, combine knowledge of the patent industry with a model-based, econometrical outlook to develop a superior and unique ranking algorithm. This algorithm has proven itself within a select number of technical domains during tests with potential customers. Focus will use the UNIIQ investment to further develop the algorithm to enable its use on the worldwide network of patents, and all technical domains.

Jard van Ingen, co-founder Focus: “We are thrilled and honoured that UNIIQ has placed their confidence in our ability to take this venture to the next level. The UNIIQ investment will enable us to scale up our algorithm, execute multiple pilot projects with prospective customers, and design a simple interface for users to interact with our algorithm”.

Liduina Hammer, fund manager UNIIQ: “With the investment in Focus we add the first legal tech company to our portfolio. The algorithm of Focus can support R&D-oriented companies with the labour-intensive and valuable process of portfolio maintenance, hereby contributing to the innovative power of the company”.

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