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Contact /Loek Becker Hoff Datum /

Dutch Windwheel ondertekening Green Deal

International eye-catcher

In mid-2015 the Rotterdam companies BLOC, DoepelStrijkers and Meysters presented the plan for the Dutch Windwheel: an iconic building that will not only contain residential units, but also an attraction. The radical design maximally embraces the possibilities of energy production and experience. It was designed for systematic innovation and reuse and will be built with materials sourced from the Rotterdam region. The philosophy behind the Dutch Windwheel has since reached all corners of the globe: it has received far-reaching international media exposure and was even featured on the Chinese news. By constructing a building as circular, sustainable and healthy as this while achieving the highest energy-producing capacity possible, the initiators expressed the ambition of equipping the Dutch Windwheel with advanced technological solutions, some of which are still in their further development stages.

Innovation partners

The development of these technologies is currently in the hands of an innovation consortium composed of Arup, Royal BAM Group, Deltares, Dura Vermeer, ECN, Eneco, Evides, Siemens, SPIE, TNO and the Windwheel Corporation (in which the Rotterdam-based companies BLOC, DoepelStrijkers and Meysters are represented). The goal of the consortium is to drastically improve the quality and sustainability of buildings through the use of climate architecture and advanced technology. The innovation partners are supported by InnovationQuarter, NBTC Holland Marketing, PNO and Rotterdam Partners.

Dutch Windwheel ondertekening green deal

New design

Based partly on the results obtained by the innovation consortium, giant strides forward have been made over the past few months in the iconic building’s design. The principal characteristics of the Dutch Windwheel have been preserved in the latest version of the plan, which was designed under the leadership of DoepelStrijkers and Arup. In addition to this, the building complex will still retain its original functions, including an attraction that consists of cabins (similar to those of a Ferris wheel) that will transport visitors to the highest point of the Dutch Windwheel. The construction aspects have been optimised in the design, and the circular principles for the use of materials and the climate, water and energy systems have been extensively worked out.

Public support

Various public-sector organisations embrace the consortium’s ambitions. The Dutch Windwheel is referred to in the regional Roadmap Next Economy as a supporting project for system breakthroughs The project has been proclaimed a regional ‘field lab’ and both the Rotterdam – The Hague metropolitan region and the Municipality of Rotterdam will be contributing to testing the innovations in the region, with a view to ultimately bringing these to the international market. By signing the Green Deal, the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Province of Zuid-Holland and the Dutch government will be endorsing the potential of the project for the regional economy and employment. The Green Deal comprises the starting point for an investigation into the project’s financial feasibility, its operational possibilities and site-specific requirements.

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Contact /Niels Krol Datum /

InnovationQuarter participated in the ‘Holland Pavilion’ during the Paris Air Show.

Holland Pavilion at Paris Air Show

Organizer of the Dutch stand was the Netherlands Aerospace Group (NAG), a trade association that supports the Dutch Aerospace and Airport Development sector. Suppliers to the aerospace sector, like Airborne Composites from The Hague, were present in the pavilion as well as some dominant aerospace regions in The Netherlands. These regions focus predominantly on Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) of aircraft, whereas the West Holland region has a strong emphasis on Research & Development, Design & Engineering and Manufacturing.

InnovationQuarter participated in the ‘Holland Pavilion’ during the Paris Air Show.

Dutch aerospace sector

Therefore, the West Holland region offers added value to the Dutch aerospace sector and is now part of the five most dominant aerospace regions in The Netherlands. More information is available in the brochure that was developed for the Paris Air Show, in which the 5 regions present their own distinctive strengths. If you would like to know more about the Aerospace sector in West Holland please have a look at this infographic with our 10 reasons to invest in this region.

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Contact /Chris van Voorden Datum /

The Netherlands Ranks No. 3 on the Global Innovation Index 2017

Global Innovation Index

Each year, the Global Innovation Index (GII) surveys some 130 economies using dozens of metrics that provide a high-level look at innovative activity. Its 81 indicators explore political environment, education, infrastructure and business sophistication. The GII is co-authored by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and French graduate business school INSEAD.

“Innovation is the engine of economic growth in an increasingly knowledge-based global economy, but more investment is needed to help boost human creativity and economic output,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “Innovation can help transform the current economic upswing into longer-term growth.”

Innovative Leader in Europe and Globally

Holland is one of 15 European countries among the top 25 global economies on the GII. A press release from WIPO notes, “Europe is particularly strong in human capital and research, infrastructure, business sophistication.”

In addition to ranking No. 3 overall on the GII, the Netherlands ranks first in the following categories: business sophistication, knowledge absorption, intellectual property payments, ICT services imports, and FDI net outflows.

Furthermore, Holland has strengths in human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, and knowledge, technology and creative outputs, indicated the GII.

High Marks in Innovation

Besides ranking highly on the GII, the Netherlands leads other indexes such as the European Innovation Scoreboard and has innovation hubs across the country.

 

Source / InvestinHolland /WIPO

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Contact /Niels Krol Datum /

TU Delft Research Exhibition

Due to TU Delft’s 175th anniversary this year, a total number of 175 projects were on display, giving visitors a taste of all the cutting-edge research and technology that is being developed in Delft. Research projects of all sorts, in a broad range of industries and phases were on display in stands all throughout the university library, with experts and researchers to answer any questions that visitors had.

Eric Smetink (KPN):

Good to see what is going on in this university. I think it is much more geared to finding solutions for real life problems and it also sparks creativity

The TU Delft Research Exhibition was a showcase of innovative ideas and projects, and was also very much about connecting university research with external partners. With more than 1800 visitors from over 400 different organizations, it was a very succesfull event.

Workshop

On the first day of the event, InnovationQuarter and the TU Delft Valorization Team jointly organized a workshop for international companies that had already shown interest in exploring possible cooperation with TU Delft. Antal Baggerman (TU Delft) and Rinke Zonneveld (InnovationQuarter) gave a presentation on the strengths of TU Delft and the West Holland region as a whole.

This side event drew about 20 attendees, mostly high-level officials from American and Asian multinationals that have been present in the Dutch market for a while. After the presentations, the attendees were split up into smaller groups for a personal tour at the exhibition, to visit research projects that might have a link with the activities of their company.

We thank all the participants. We look forward to staying in touch and working together in the near future!

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Contact /Niels Krol Datum /

Investing in growth strategy

The Series C financing round will contribute to Airborne’s full automation and digitization of composite manufacturing of goods that require less weight and higher strength from an array of industries.

In many markets like Aerospace, Automotive, Oil & Gas, Consumer Electronics and Sporting Goods, lightweight and durability are key industry drivers. Continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite materials offer the potential to address these needs. SABIC’s composite thermoplastic solutions coupled with Airborne’s know-how offers the unique opportunity to realize the mass production of lighter and stronger applications in a more cost effective way.

Digital infrastructure for thermoplastic composite automation technologies

Airborne is a technology leader in the design, production and industrialization of advanced composite products for aerospace and marine sectors. Airborne is on a growth path to become the leading platform in composite automated manufacturing technologies. With the new investment, Airborne will implement the digital infrastructure that will serve as a backbone for thermoplastic composite automation technologies.

An important next step

“A radical increase of the level of automation and digitalization as well as the availability of information throughout the supply chain will be a crucial success factor in the composites industry. Combined with the integration of information from material to product, this is the core of Airborne’s strategy. Joining forces with SABIC is an important step towards our new strategy becoming a frontrunner in automation and digitization of composite manufacturing. Attracting the world leading advanced chemicals company to invest in Airborne is a great confirmation of our strategy. We are very enthusiastic about the added value SABIC will bring to our company’s development and disruptive innovations,” said Arno van Mourik, Founder and CEO of Airborne International.

Airborne-SABIC-BOM-InnovationQuarter-Series-C-accelerate-automation-growth-strategy-002-760x380

Maintenance and repair activities in Woensdrecht

Miriam Dragstra, director BOM Capital comments: ”We are very pleased with SABIC as additional shareholder and key partner and customer in the further development of Airborne International, and in particular its composite automation agenda which is a key example of how Manufacturing 4.0 will be implemented and which will enable complex composite products to be made at very low cost and with high flexibility. This strategy will also facilitate strong cost reductions in the maintenance and repair activities in Woensdrecht, which is a major growth core for the company. BOM is therefore pleased to support the company further in this C round along with the other existing and new shareholders.”

Hidden innovative potential of Zuid-Holland

Francis Quint, Head of Capital, InnovationQuarter, remarks: “The commitment of a global leading chemical company such as SABIC and existing shareholders confirm first of all Airborne International’s automation and digitization strategy to expand the reach of composites beyond traditional industries but also re-emphasizes the hidden innovative potential of our region, Zuid-Holland. InnovationQuarter is honored to support the completion of this Series C round.”

EFRO / European regional development fund of the European Union

 

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Contact /Chris van Voorden Datum /

Above European average

Holland ranks above the European average in all five DESI categories. The country is particularly a leader in fixed broadband, with fast broadband access available to practically every Dutch household. The Dutch are also very well-connected in terms of number of citizens using the internet and their range of online activities. The Digital Economy and Society Index also notes progress in business digitization, ranking sixth in integration of digital technology. In digital public services, the Netherlands ranks third in the EU.

Information technology hotspot

As the most connected country in Europe, the Netherlands is a hub for leading information and communications technology companies. In fact, 60 percent of all Forbes 2000 companies active in the IT industry have already established operations in Holland.

Global IT companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Intel, IBM, Verizon and Google have operations in Holland. Businesses such as these take advantage of the country’s unparalleled digital infrastructure and tech-savvy, English-speaking workforce.

For the full annual report from the European Commission that identifies the Dutch as leaders in digital progress, please visit www.ec.europa.eu for more.

Bron: InvestinHolland.com / EC.Europa.eu
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Contact /Loek Becker Hoff Datum /

Visit to ship-owners and shipyard

The concept ‘Technology Exchange Roadshow (TER)’ was firsts introduced by Netherlands Maritime Technology (NMT) in the Netherlands as many maritime companies, especially SME’s can have trouble getting in touch with ship-owners. By organizing a joint visit, via NMT, the Dutch Embassy in Singapore and InnovationQuarter, coupled with a current theme that plays well with ship-owners, this opening is more easily created. This gives the participating Dutch companies, Bachmann Electronic, Hydrex, Rubber Design, Subsea Industries, VAF Instruments and VSH Fittings an opportunity to present their businesses and solution.

The four parties visited in Singapore on April 28 were:

  • Thome Ship Management
  • PAC Offshore
  • Triyards
  • Pacific Radiance

NMT-InnovationQuarter-Technology-Exchange-Roadshow-(TER)-Singapore-2017-001-760x680

The participating Dutch companies were able to introduce a wide variety of solutions. The ship-owners responded very well to these and indicated that despite the variety, all companies presented solutions relevant to them. The sessions gave all participants an opportunity to  present their company and cost-effective solutions after which there was time for the Singapore companies to ask questions.

InnovationQuarter and NMT are at this time investigating the possibility to organize a TER to Norway. A preliminary outline for the trip has been drafted and can soon be shared with interested companies.

NMT-InnovationQuarter-SEA-Asia-Singapore-2017-001-760x680

SEA Asia

The sixth edition of SEA Asia took place in Singapore from April 25th to 27th. This maritime & offshore fair and conference took place in the Marina Bay Sands Complex. This SEA Asia edition in 2017 was visited by 16,000 visitors from 85 different countries. SEA Asia receives strong support from the Singaporean government and the major shipping organizations SSA (Singapore Shipping Association) and MPA (Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore) to firmly market Singapore as a leading place for  both the global and local Maritime & Offshore industry.

The Holland Pavilion was visited on the opening day by the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister of Transport, Mr Khaw Boon Wan. On the second trading day, the Holland Networking Reception was held with a select group of invited guests, including some shipyards and shipowners from Singapore.

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Contact /Tanja Baars Datum /

International Robotics Week

Integrating RoboBusiness Europe, TUS Expo and ROS Industrial in one event turned out to be a huge success. For three days, experts in the field of robotics and unmanned systems, and their robots and drones, from all over the world gathered in the Netherlands. The week saw an expo and conference in the World Forum The Hague, tours to labs of the Delft University of Technology and demonstration days in the port of Rotterdam (unmanned harbour) and former airport Valkenburg (drone show). This made clear that the Netherlands has everything needed for robotics companies that want to settle here.

Keynotes

The International Robotics week started on Wednesday, with inspiring keynotes from Kim Liebregts (Tesla Benelux), Noel Sharkey (Responsible Robotics) and Melonee Wise (Fetch Robotics). Wise’s contribution was of particular interest. She pointed out that there are around 1000 robotics start-ups in the world, most of these founded after 2010. Why is that? The answer is open-source robotics (ROS). “Why did this sudden explosion happen? Because of open innovation.” Her company also benefited from ROS.

There are around 1000 robotics startups in the world, most of which were founded after 2010. Why is that?

Sharkey told visitors to think about the ethical aspects of robotics. “We don’t want to sleepwalk into robotics just as we did with the internet.”

Business wise

The IRW is the perfect place for start-ups to present themselves. Prince Constantijn, the startup envoy of StartupDelta, had some advice for them. The preconditions for being successful in the Netherlands are present, but it is not enough to just have a good product. To give this product a place in the market, you have to be ‘business wise’: you need to surround yourself with people who have a sense of enterprise.

Constantijn also visited the RoboValley pavilion, where various startups were gathered together: Delft Robotics, CropZoomer, Clear Flight Solutions, SeaDrone, Robot Care Systems, Robot Security Systems, Robot Engineered Systems, Vectioneer. Also present were the student DreamTeam: Project MARCH, ImProvia and the Care-o-bot from Fraunhofer / Unity Robotics. During the startup event, AeroVinci announced they received a subsidy of € 300.000,-. This allows them to further develop the dronedock technology.

Portal: connect.robovalley.com

During the IRW, we also launched the beta version of connect.robovalley.com: ‘your compass in the world of robotics’. Connect.robovalley.com offers a single place for companies to find the latest news, insights and reports on robotics.

RoboValley Foundation Dinner

Networking is an important part of a large congress. Because of this, the organisation was happy that the city of Delft and InnovationQuarter enabled us to host the first RoboCafé NL in the old town hall of the city of Delft on the first evening of the event. Futurist Aseem Prakash delivered an inspiring presentation, the historical ambience took care of the rest.

A day later, they organised the RoboValley Foundation Dinner in our own offices. The Dutch robotics sector was present, as were several international guests. They were, amongst others, addressed by Delft University of Technology’s rector magnificus Karel Luyben, Aimee van Wynsberghe and Guszti Eiben.

‘Golden Age of Nerds’

“We are living in a golden age of nerds”, concluded comedian Pep Rosenfeld during the closing keynotes a day later. He is right. During the IRW, it became clear how much is happening in the field of robotics and how fast developments are moving. “Robotics and AI are all about possibilities”, said Prakash during his keynote. “Possibilities that humans never have experienced before.”

“Robotics and AI are all about possibilities”

There was room for ethical issues during the closing keynotes. Irakli Beridze of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute told us what the UN is doing in the fields of robotics and AI. Beridze and his organisation have settled in The Hague because of the presence of the Responsible Robotics Foundation. “By joining forces, we want to make this a city of ideas and global policies related to AI and robotics.”

“Over the past few years, we have built a global platform for organisations and people involved in robotics”

RoboValley Platform

RoboValley’s Managing Director, Arthur de Crook, thanked everyone at the end of the IRW. He explained the importance of the event for RoboValley. “Over the past few years, we have built a global platform for organisations, researchers and governments involved in robotics. But we also really wanted to create a moment to show this platform to the world. This moment was the International Robotics Week.” Robotics can contribute to solving the grand societal challenges. This is why it is important to create the next generation robotics. “So we can embrace the future for the good.”

Source / RoboValley

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Contact /Stef Prinsen Datum /

Brexit seminar

During this seminar, several experts shared their views on important aspects of Brexit. Jeroen Nijland (NFIA) and Jurriaan Kalf (Rabobank) elaborated about its impact on the economy and more specifically foreign direct investment.

Wilco Heiwegen (evofenedex) spoke about the possible impact for importing and exporting companies and how the Brexit will affect international trade and Liam McCloy (FleishmanHillard Fishburn) gave his expert view on the UK politics and the different perspectives on both sides of the pond. Last but not least, Rem Korteweg (Clingendael) gave a remarkable overview of the complexity of the upcoming negotiations and the pitfalls that might be ahead.

Brexit - how does it affect your business - Liam McCloy - CIC Rotterdam 760x680

Liam McCloy, FleishmanHillard Fishburn (part of Omnicom PR Group) at CIC Rotterdam

Program

  • 15:00 – 15:15 hrs Reception at 7th floor
  • 15:15 – 15:20 hrs Welcome by Chris van Voorden (InnovationQuarter) and René Hanssen (Rotterdam Partners)
  • 15:20 – 15:30 hrs Opening by Jeroen Nijland (Commissioner of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency – NFIA) ‘Brexit and its relation to FDI in The Netherlands’
  • 15:30 – 15:50 hrs Presentation by Jurriaan Kalf (Country Risk Analysist, Rabobank)
    ‘Investing in Europe after Brexit’
  • 15:50 – 16:10 hrs Presentation by Wilco Heiwegen (Trade Advisor – evofenedex)
    ‘Brexit: impact on trade and logistics’
  • 16:10 – 16:30 hrs Presentation by Liam McCloy (Public Affairs Expert – FleishmanHillard Fishburn) ‘Politics of Brexit and how organisations deal with its impact’
  • 16:30 – 16:50 hrs Presentation by Rem Korteweg (Senior Research Fellow at Clingendael)
    ‘The pittfalls in the Brexit talks’
  • 16:50 – 17:15 hrs Panel Discussion (+ Q&A)
  • 17:15 hrs Networking opportunity at Venture Café Rotterdam’s weekly gathering

Need assistance?

We hereby would like to thank all the speakers and attendees for an interesting afternoon, and CIC Rotterdam for the great venue and networking opportuniy at Venture Café Rotterdam. If you missed the event, but would like to learn more, feel free to reach out!

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Contact /Martijn van Hoogenhuijze Datum /

Flying without a drone pilot

AeroVinci, a TU Delft spin-off, is developing ‘DroneDock’ technology, which allows drones to take-off, land, process data, charge and perform other specialised operations fully autonomously. Until recently, drones could only be operated by drone pilots, but this new technology removes the need for a human operator. This has major financial advantages as well as other benefits.

Aerial surveillance

Agriculture is one of the main sectors where this technology is applied. Consider farmers, for instance, whose land is surveyed from the air and who then automatically receive advice on the intelligent use of irrigation, fertilisers and pesticides. This can ensure higher yields and lower costs per hectare.

Jochem Wieringa of AeroVinci is enthusiastic about the investment.

We’re extremely happy with this financial boost. It’s a sign that investors share our vision of making the large-scale deployment of drones affordable by fully automating drone technology.

AeroVinci ontvangt startkapitaal voor ontwikkeling autonoom drone-netwerk 002-760x380

F.l.t.r.: Jochem Wieringa (AeroVinci) en Liduina Hammer (UNIIQ)

UNIIQ is investing in AeroVinci because of the enormous potential of DroneDock technology. “Drones represent a huge, untapped market, but the problem is that a human pilot is still needed for each drone,” explains Liduina Hammer, Fund Manager at UNIIQ. “However, AeroVinci’s technology removes the need for human intervention, which will accelerate the market expansion of drones. We are pleased to add yet another company that develops pioneering technology to UNIIQ’s investment portfolio.”

“TU Delft is a global frontrunner in drone innovation technology,” says Paul Althuis, Managing Director of Delft Enterprises. “It’s wonderful to see technology that was incubated in our university making its way into successful applications such as those developed by AeroVinci.” Althuis adds, “This also strengthens TU Delft’s position as a technological leader in the field of drones, so we are very happy to invest in it.”

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Contact /Tanja Baars Datum /

InnovationQuarter has operated as the regional development agency for West Holland since January 1st of 2014. Thanks to cooperation between the national government, the province, all major cities in the West Holland region, the universities and the university medical centres, InnovationQuarter is a unique initiative within the Netherlands.

Working together towards a strong region

Together with various companies, knowledge institutions, cluster organisations, incubators, investors and governments, InnovationQuarter works to strengthen West Holland’s position as one of Europe’s top economic regions. The agency focuses on cooperation between innovative enterprises, cross-pollination between the strong regional clusters, the targeted attraction of foreign companies and financing innovative and fast growing entrepreneurs.

InnovationQuarter exceeded its ambitious objectives for 2016 in all these areas.

  • InnovationQuarter Business Development achieved 16 partnerships between innovative entrepreneurs with an investment volume of € 16 million. In addition, 46 partnerships were stimulated and a further 52 were explored. InnovationQuarter worked with several hundred companies on these partnerships. These were often trend-setting, cross-sectoral projects focusing on the transition to the ‘next economy’.
  • InnovationQuarter Foreign Investments helped 36 foreign companies to establish themselves, move to or expand in the region. Within three years, these enterprises expect to create 730 additional jobs in West Holland and invest an extra € 95.7 million. Since InnovationQuarter started out in 2014, the number of foreign companies which landed in West Holland has increased by no less than 55%.
  • InnovationQuarter Capital invested in 11 companies during 2016, while the UNIIQ fund financed 8 companies. As a result of these investments, the amount of additional capital attracted to the region was € 27.2 million. InnovationQuarter is expected to have been one of the three most active investors in the Netherlands in 2016. The companies in the agency’s portfolio expect to create 241 extra jobs over the next three years. An exit was achieved on the investment in IQMessenger in 2016.
TerugblIQ - InnovationQuarter 2016 Annual Report

InnovationQuarter shareholders receive the first copy of TerugblIQ, the InnovationQuarter 2016 Annual Report © Daniel Verkijk

 

As well as creating projects, new jobs and investments, InnovationQuarter generates added value by playing a connecting role within the innovative ecosystem and by putting the region on the map as an innovative hotspot. The agency also serves as the link between the ‘top sector policy’ of the national government and the regional business community. “Through the comprehensive execution of our core tasks, which includes drawing on our extensive knowledge and networks, we create added value as a regional development agency,” explains InnovationQuarter Director Rinke Zonneveld. “This means we are more than a connector and a catalyst, more than an acquisition organisation and more than an investor.”

Contributing to the Next Economy

InnovationQuarter’s annual report gives a voice to innovative entrepreneurs who help address challenges in fields such as healthcare, security and energy. Rinke Zonneveld: “In light of our ambition to tackle important social issues, these are the entrepreneurs we like to help.” They offer solutions that are often at the interface of sectors and technologies, which is why InnovationQuarter focuses on cross-sectoral collaboration. “This enables us to bring the ‘next economy’ closer in our region,” explains Zonneveld.

TerugblIQ – Annual Report

Curious about our results? See the InnovationQuarter Annual Report 2016 online below (in Dutch).