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Contact /Chris van Voorden Datum /

West Holland's international business community joined InnovationQuarter's LINQ

On the menu

During the interactive breakout sessions, we showcased innovations of the West Holland based companies below. Click on the company name for additional information. Feel free to contact or introduce these innovative entrepreneurs to relevant (business) contacts.

  • Laevo’s innovative Exoskeleton
  • InteSpring‘s exobuddy for military of the future
  • LetsGrow, a smart platform to analyze cultivation related data
  • AvioniCS, autopilot technology on drones
  • IMSystems, groundbreaking development in speed reducer technology
  • Indymo’s submarine drone to monitor water quality
  • VSParticle’s nanoparticles, the building blocks of the future
  • De Kompaan, craft beertasting of The Hague’s award winning local brewery

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

West Holland's international business community joined InnovationQuarter's LINQ

Let’s LINQ

InnovationQuarter’s mission is to strengthen the regional economy in West Holland by supporting and stimulating the innovation potential of this unique delta region. In close co-operation with all major corporations, educational and research institutions, and government organisations, we assist and support foreign companies like yours with their establishment, business expansion and relocation plans in our region.

And of course, we maintain in close contact with the 2,200 international companies that are already established here. Looking for collaborative contacts or in need of assistance? Get in touch with our team and we’ll introduce you in our extensive network.

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Contact /Edward Gilding Datum /

Dare2Cross Offshore/Energy Cybersecurity

Met een speciaal geselecteerde groep uit de offshore/energy en cybersecurity sector zijn nieuwe business kansen en mogelijke samenwerkingen verkend tijdens Dare2Cross Offshore/Energy meets Cybersecurity. Ongeveer 50 genodigden zijn op 28 september tijdens de internationale Cyber Security Week 2017 ontvangen door InnovationQuarter en mede-organisatoren KIVI, IRO, The Hague Business Agency, Gemeente Den Haag en HSD.

Offshore/energy sector kwetsbaar voor cyber crime

Een toenemend gebruik van visualisatie en big data verhoogt het risico op cybercriminaliteit in de olie- en gasindustrie aanzienlijk.
Uit een rapport van het Ponemon Institute blijkt dat ruim twee derde van de olie- en gasbedrijven vorig jaar door tenminste één belangrijke cyberaanval geraakt werden, terwijl veel andere incidenten ongemeld of ongemerkt zijn gebleven.

Volgens een expert worden cyberaanvallen in de olie- en gasindustrie steeds geavanceerder en kostbaar om te bestrijden: Deze aanvallen zijn niet alleen gerelateerd aan de verspreiding van malware, maar juist aan onbevoegd personeel dat toegang tot infrastructuur krijgt. De druk om zaken rondom cybersecurity goed te organiseren wordt daarom steeds groter.

Dare2Cross Offshore/Energy Cybersecurity

Delen of niet delen van informatie

Om bestand te zijn tegen cyber crime is samenwerking nodig. Echter zit het delen van ‘worst cases’ en kwetsbaarheden niet in onze natuur, zoals werd geconcludeerd tijdens het forum:

Sharing is not natural if it is not a best practice. Openness and collaboration is a must, but with who and how!

Reden om een select gezelschap uit beide sectoren bij elkaar te brengen rond vijf verschillende actuele thema’s en ze uit te dagen informatie te delen en uit te wisselen. De onderwerpen die aan bod kwamen waren:

  • het inzetten van cybersecurity oplossingen als enabler voor nieuwe toekomstige diensten om business te genereren;
  • samenwerking door de horizontale en verticale keten;
  • cybersecurity in de design fase van windturbines;
  • omgaan met medewerkers die ‘derailen’; en
  • het verbeteren van cyber resilience van bestaande netwerken en platforms.

Bijzonder aan deze bijeenkomst is dat al in de voorbereiding met veel verschillende organisaties is gesproken om tot passende cases te komen en de juiste personen bij elkaar aan tafel te hebben om deze cases te verdiepen.

Dare2Cross Offshore/Energy Cybersecurity

Grenzen verleggen tijdens Dare2Cross

Onder de inspirerende leiding van Ramon Vullings, cross industry innovation expert, zijn nieuwe kansen en oplossingen verkend en nieuwe contacten gelegd. Een forum met Bram Reinders (Alliander), Arthur van der Weerd (Hudson Cybertec) en Joep Brand (Shell) kreeg prikkelende stellingen voorgelegd als ‘Cyber crime is over-hyped’ en ‘Cyber crime should not be fought, better to be insured’.

Tijdens de breakout sessies werden de cases verdiept. Op basis van de unieke aanpak en oplossingen van bijvoorbeeld Hells Angels, Emirates, Google en andere inspirerende organisaties werden de aanwezigen geprikkeld verder te zoeken naar toepassingen voor de ingebrachte cases. Veel oplossingen zijn namelijk al bedacht door organisaties en worden toegepast in andere sectoren. Hoe kan je deze oplossingen door ontwikkelen naar oplossingen voor de eigen organisatie of sector?

De middag heeft de aanwezigen een hoop interessante nieuwe contacten opgeleverd. De organisatoren en case inbrengers verkennen samen op welke manier hier een vervolg aan gaat worden gegeven.

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Contact /Tanja Baars Datum /
KARAMA-netwerk voor vrouwenrechten strijkt neer in IT-community in Den Haag

The Hague’s Deputy Major, Saskia Bruines presents a special plaque to Elisabeth van der Steenhoven (Director KARAMA Europe) as a warm welcome. © Daniel Verkijk

Women standing strong together

The UN-accredited women network KARAMA (Arabic for dignity) is active in North-Africa and the Middle-East. KARAMA fights for improving the position and rights of women in the Arabic world and brings women- and societal organisations together. She gives women a voice, informs and helps them to organise themselves better. The daily activities of the KARAMA-members are complicated by frequent death threats and targeted attacks by extremists against these social active women.

KARAMA-netwerk voor vrouwenrechten strijkt neer in IT-community in Den Haag

Secure communication close by

Elisabeth van der Steenhoven, Director of KARAMA Europe: “We have moved our European headquarters from Brussels to The Hague, because in The Hague the diversity of important and innovative aspects comes together. The presence of the Peace Palace and the International Criminal Court (ICC / CPI) in this city is in line with our campaigns for justice during and after conflict. And the Province of Zuid-Holland in general and the Municipality of The Hague in particular has an impressive cluster of innovative startups and companies where our brave activists could benefit from in the resistance against ISIS.”

KARAMA-netwerk voor vrouwenrechten strijkt neer in IT-community in Den Haag

From left to right: Saskia Bruines (Deputy Major of The Hague), Corinne Heijn (United Success and Advisory Board Karama Europe), Han ten Broeke (Member of Dutch Parliament) and Ad Koolen (Compumatica). © Daniel Verkijk

KARAMA settles in the HSD Campus International Center at the World Trade Center, The Hague. The KARAMA women compete in all openness, also for their safety, and each advice helps them in their fight.

“From The Hague, the International City of Peace, Justice and Security, people work together every day to create a more peaceful, fairer and safer world,” says Chris van Voorden, Director of Foreign Investments at InnovationQuarter. “For NGOs and women’s organizations of the United Nations like KARAMA, the connection to the strong The Hague IT community is very valuable. We are ready to introduce KARAMA to innovative entrepreneurs in West Holland, and wish Elisabeth and her female colleagues a successful start, also on behalf of the HSD Campus.”

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Contact /Niels Krol Datum /

Doing business in the Netherlands

Expat family: the Netherlands is the new hotspot

The business bank HSBC interviewed nearly 30,000 expats about their experiences with and wishes for working abroad. This shows that working in the Netherlands is pleasant, because there is a lot of attention for the family here.

More than three-quarters (76%) of expat parents in the Netherlands say the health and wellbeing of children is better than it was at home. expat parents also praise the quality of education and childcare, with 72% and 65% respectively saying it is better than at home.

Last year’s winner, Swedem, ranks as the secong best country to raise a family. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of expat parantes rate the quality of childcare better than at home and 71% said the process of arranging a scholl for their children was straightforward.

The Netherlands in Top 5 of most loved countries for expats

Family, money and society make happy

Furthermore, the HSBC Expat Explorer 2017 list looks at economic opportunities and whether life is also a little fun. Daily expat life within the walls of a compound is not really conducive to happiness. Being part of society and getting acquainted with locals is just as important.

The Netherlands scores high on these three criteria and is this years fifth country in HSBC’s survey, rising nine places in one year. Just behind Germany, but overtaking Canada, Australia and even Switzerland.

The Netherlands in Top 5 of most loved countries for expats

Low salaries, good career opportunities

In economic terms, the Netherlands is not doing all that bad. Starting a business is easy and is encouraged by the government. And the career opportunities in the Netherlands are good.

However point of attention are the salaries of expats. These are lower than in Thailand or Turkey, for example. Switzerland is the country for the big(ger) money, with an average salary for expats at $ 193,000.

Brexit

Due to our strict bonus policy in the financial sector, the salaries are lower here. It is a common argument why big London banks consider leaving Amsterdam  after a Brexit.

And in regards to Brexit, the United Kingdom made a free fall on HSBC’s list placed at 22 last last year. The uncertainty for expats doesn’t do well for United Kingdom’s score, positioned in 2017 at 35.

 

Source / RTLZ / Dubai Chronicle

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Contact /Philip Meijer Datum /
Blockchain platform provider KrypC Technologies opens its European office in The Hague

From left to right: Mark Beermann, Danny Frietman (Enterprise Summit), Karsten Klein (Deputy Major of The Hague), Ravi Jagannathan (MD & CEO KrypC), Venu Rajamony (Ambassador of India), Ilja van Haaren (The Hague Business Agency), Chris van Voorden (InnovationQuarter) and Paul de Kroon (34 Capital)

KrypC’s Enterprise-ready blockchain-based platforms

While being a software technology business ‘by design’, KrypC Technologies’ blockchain-based platforms help public institutions and enterprises across every industry to accelerate their blockchain journey. KrypC works with big enterprises to literally bring the advanced capabilities of blockchain within reach of decision makers, and helps them discover the power and value of blockchain-based applications for business. KrypC also attracts attention from other fast-growing technology and software ventures, which see that KrypC’s platforms and solutions help them get ‘blockchain-ready’ much faster.

The founding team of KrypC Technologies brings considerable technology and operational experience and expertise in the fields of cryptography, security, cloud computing, IoT and blockchain technology. In prior technology ventures, they founded one of the largest certifying authority providers in India, a central bank authorized mobile payments business in India, are holders of multiple patents and have been contributors to various technologies and blockchain protocols in open source.

Mr. Ravi Jagannathan said: “Blockchain is still an emerging technology, but is rapidly becoming ‘enterprise ready’. However, the technology develops so fast, and the breadth and depth of required expertise for real enterprise-ready solutions is so deep, that it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of developments for most companies and institutions. We solve this problem by putting configurable platforms and solutions in the hands of our clients, which are built on the newest and cutting-edge blockchain protocols and cryptography frameworks.”

Furthermore, Mr. Ravi Jagannathan said: “Our clients want to get from ‘A’ to ‘B’, but for that, they don’t need to build an engine to drive the car. We have already built the car with the engine for them: They can use our products and platforms to quickly and effectively get to where they need to be.”

Blockchain platform provider KrypC Technologies opens its European office in The Hague

Ambassadeur van India, Venu Rajamony, heet de Indiase delegatie met onder meer E2Labs en KrypC van harte welkom in Den Haag. © Daniel Verkijk

Expanding to The Hague

The Netherlands is an early adopter for new technology. Strategically located to serve multiple markets within Europe, and the combination of accessibility and an excellent digital infrastructure, a rich talent pool in the area of cyber security and cryptography are the key reasons why KrypC Technologies has established its European headquarter for sales, marketing and R&D in The Hague. KrypC Technologies currently has 30 staff, 20 of which are based in its R&D-center in Bangalore. The remainder are spread across the US and the Netherlands. KrypC Technologies now plans to grow its physical presences both in San Francisco (US) and The Hague.

During KrypC’s exploratory visits to the Netherlands and The Hague, they received a warm welcome from the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), The City of The Hague, The Hague Business Agency, InnovationQuarter and many other investors and partners in the region. In particular Dutch tech entrepreneur and resident of The Hague, Danny Frietman from Enterprise Summit, created a warm entrance into the Dutch market and partner ecosystem. He and his business partner Mark Beermann will continue to support the expansion of KrypC Technologies.

I am pleased to see that The Hague and Bangalore value its mutual strengths in the area of emerging technologies and cutting-edge R&D. Both cities and countries have a strong appetite for innovation, and culturally connect well. I compliment KrypC Technologies with their choice for The Hague and congratulate them.
~ Mr. Venu Rajamony (Ambassador of India)

Blockchain platform provider KrypC Technologies opens its European office in The Hague

Ambassadeur van India, Venu Rajamony © Daniel Verkijk

“We highly appreciate the strong innovation culture in The Netherlands, and recognize the particular strengths of the The Hague region in the areas of cyber security, cryptography and blockchain development,” says Mr. Ravi Jagannathan, Founder and CEO of KrypC Technologies. “We are excited to work with the local business community and scientific and governmental institutions, as well as fuel the collaboration between our cryptographic and blockchain domain experts and the rich talent pool in this region. We truly appreciate the welcoming environment and support from the Municipality of The Hague, InnovationQuarter, The Hague Business Agency and many others for their assistance to us in setting up our European office. This is an exciting day for us!”

“High-growth ventures like KrypC Technologies look for access to talent and growth capital. In our meetings and discussions with them, we discovered that there is an excellent match between KrypC’s growth ambitions and talent needs, and the talent pool and access to capital that we can offer in the The Hague region,” says Chris van Voorden, Director Foreign Investments at InnovationQuarter. “We are proud that KrypC Technologies have recognized our welcoming business climate and will assist them to kick-start easily in The Hague, the region that is well known in the global community for its strong local cyber security, cryptography and blockchain capabilities which made it the perfect fit for KrypC Technologies.”

Blockchain platform provider KrypC Technologies opens its European office in The Hague

© Daniel Verkijk

Strong ties with India

The Hague hosts a large Indian diaspora community and has had a good relationship with India for many years. To strengthen this bilateral relationship, The Hague and the state of Karnataka have signed a MoU, which actively focuses on startups, cyber security and elderly care technology. The Municipality of The Hague regularly visits Bangalore (the state of Karnataka) to implement the MoU and creates awareness for The Hague as an international city that welcomes Indian entrepreneurs and businesses. Due to the intense focus of the Municipality of The Hague and its acquisition partners, the establishment of KrypC Technologies in The Hague can be considered a result of this co-operation.

Impact Startup Fest is one of the first results of the partnership between The Hague’s startup programme and the Indian organisation Intellecap, which has forged an international partnership between The Hague, India and Kenya. This partnership offers a springboard for Dutch impact startups to explore the Indian market and vice versa.

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Contact /Philip Meijer Datum /
European Headquarters in The Hague for Indian cyber security firm E2Labs

From left to right: Richard Franken (HSD), Karsten Klein (Deputy Major of The Hague), Dr. Zaki (Chairman & CEO E2Labs), Venu Rajamony (Ambassador of India) and Chris van Voorden (InnovationQuarter) © Daniel Verkijk

Official training in ethical hacking

E2labs offers ethical hacking training, cyber security training, career oriented programs, licensed ethical hacking and advanced diploma in computer hardware & networking. In India, E2Labs is partnering with the Government of India to help meet the talent shortfall of 2 million skilled cyber security professionals.

As an information security training specialist with the distinction of establishing Asia’s 1st Anti Hacking Lab+Academy at Hyderabad, E2Labs is helping bridge the talent gap as it trains scores of candidates to deliver a perennial pipeline of qualified talent for the global information security industry.

E2Labs received distinctive awards for its services. They’re one of the Top 20 Most Promising Cyber Security Companies of India, are positioned in the Top 100 Companies of Asia (Red Herring, US) and are Highly Appreciated by W.I.P.O (United Nations). Recently, E2 Labs was handpicked to be the exclusive training partner in India for Mile2, world’s largest certification body for information security.

European Headquarters in The Hague for Indian cyber security firm E2Labs

Bridging the IT talent gap

E2Labs aims to leverage The Hague’s knowledge and expertise in cyber security, forensics, national security, and critical infrastructure to drive capacity building through a range of skill development programs to be imparted across the country. E2Labs seeks to utilize The Hague Security Delta’s (HSD) profound insights and the access to latest innovation to create globally-relevant, outcome-driven training programs in the security domain that lead to the creation of highly skilled IT professionals for the global cyber security industry.

Sharing the collective mission of HSD, E2Labs seeks to partner pro-actively with knowledge institutions, governments, businesses, the ‘triple helix’, to help enable more jobs and create a safer and more secure world.

European Headquarters in The Hague for Indian cyber security firm E2Labs

European Headquarters based in The Hague

Deputy Mayor Karsten Klein is The Hague’s alderman for Economic Affairs, Harbours, Welfare and Health and met E2Labs’ Dr. Zaki for the first time in October 2015 during an economic mission to India. A delegation consisting of Dutch companies, HSD partners and government visited the Hyderabad region to learn about the developments in India and the economic development that the 1.3 billion people nation is undergoing. Rinke Zonneveld, InnovationQuarter’s director, joined this mission where the European expansion plans for E2Labs were discussed.

Succeeding the mission, and with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), Dr. Zaki visited the City of The Hague and The Hague Security Delta several times over the past two years. In 2016 preparations were made to establish the company in the Netherlands and now, during the Cyber Security Week 2017 in The Hague, the opening of E2Labs European headquarters is officially celebrated.

We at E2Labs consider it a privilege to be associated with the world’s largest cyber security community, The Hague. This is a major boost to our company and will help advance our capabilities in IT security to impart improved training programs, enable us provide enhanced security assistance to governments and aid in delivering high performance consultancy services to our roster of 400 clients spread across the globe.
~Dr. Zaki, Chairman & CEO of E2Labs

“In its search for a suitable location for their European Headquarters, E2Labs was well supported by InnovationQuarter in co-operation with The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), HSD and the City of The Hague,” says Chris van Voorden, Director Foreign Investments at InnovationQuarter. “We are pleased with the choice of E2Labs for The Hague, and are proud to see that they recognize The Hague’s rich cyber security community and the strong innovation culture in The Netherlands.”

European Headquarters in The Hague for Indian cyber security firm E2Labs

Indian delegation with o.a. E2Labs visit the Municipality of The Hague, The Hague Security Delta and the Cyber Security Week © Daniel Verkijk

Strong ties with India

Netherlands and India share strong bilateral ties. Netherlands is India’s 5th largest investment partner and 3rd largest source of foreign direct investments (FDI) globally. Importantly, both countries espouse the same values with respect to laws and security. E2Labs’ presence at The Hague will help strengthen the ties further through co-operation on cyber security, a critical area which has emerged as one of the biggest challenges of today’s society.

To strengthen the bilateral relationship, The Hague and the state of Karnataka have signed a MoU, which actively focusses on startups, cyber security and elderly care technology. The Municipality of The Hague regularly visits Bangalore (the state of Karnataka) to implement the MoU and creates awareness for The Hague as an international city that welcomes Indian entrepreneurs and businesses. Due to the intense focus of the Municipality of The Hague and its acquisition partners such as InnovationQuarter, the establishment of E2Labs in The Hague can be considered a result of this co-operation.

Impact Startup Fest is one of the first results of the partnership between The Hague’s startup programme and the Indian organisation Intellecap, which has forged an international partnership between The Hague, India and Kenya. This partnership offers a springboard for Dutch impact startups to explore the Indian market and vice versa.

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Contact /Chris van Voorden Datum /

Country Profile on the Netherlands While many countries have shifted in rank from the previous year, the Netherlands maintains its position as the 4th most competitive global economy in the 2017-2018 report. This comes as a result of top scores across three WEF subindexes, including top 10 ranks for institutions, infrastructure, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, technological readiness, business sophistication and innovation. The Netherlands scores especially high on the quality of its port infrastructure (#1), quality of air transport infrastructure (#4), quality of scientific research institutions (#4) and university-industry collaboration in R&D (#5). The Global Competitiveness Report in 2017 WEF published its latest Global Competitiveness Report on September 26, 2017. Released annually, the report is a comprehensive assessment of the factors driving productivity and prosperity in 137 economies. For the ninth consecutive year, Switzerland ranks as the world’s most competitive economy, ahead of the United States and Singapore. The Netherlands and Germany make up the remaining top five spots. The Netherlands previously climbed four places in two years before sustaining its current position. Hong Kong SAR (#6) advanced three places, while Sweden (#7) dropped one place from last year. Of the remaining three economies in the top ten, the United Kingdom (#8) and Japan (#9) each fell one place. Finland (#10) remains consistent. Source: World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2017-2018

The Netherlands maintains its prominent position thanks to the support of a strong education system and high levels of tech readiness among businesses and individuals. Its innovation ecosystem is ranked 6th globally, putting Holland in an excellent position to develop new ideas and attract investment.

World Economic Forum The Global Competitiveness Report 2017-2018

Country Profile on the Netherlands

While many countries have shifted in rank from the previous year, the Netherlands maintains its position as the 4th most competitive global economy in the 2017-2018 report. This comes as a result of top scores across three WEF subindexes, including top 10 ranks for institutions, infrastructure, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, technological readiness, business sophistication and innovation. The Netherlands scores especially high on the quality of its port infrastructure (#1), quality of air transport infrastructure (#4), quality of scientific research institutions (#4) and university-industry collaboration in R&D (#5).

The Global Competitiveness Report in 2017

WEF published its latest Global Competitiveness Report on September 26, 2017. Released annually, the report is a comprehensive assessment of the factors driving productivity and prosperity in 137 economies.

For the ninth consecutive year, Switzerland ranks as the world’s most competitive economy, ahead of the United States and Singapore. The Netherlands and Germany make up the remaining top five spots. The Netherlands previously climbed four places in two years before sustaining its current position. Hong Kong SAR (#6) advanced three places, while Sweden (#7) dropped one place from last year. Of the remaining three economies in the top ten, the United Kingdom (#8) and Japan (#9) each fell one place. Finland (#10) remains consistent.

Source / World Economic Forum

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Contact /Martijn van Hoogenhuijze Datum /
The Hague Security Delta verwelkomt Britse cybersecurityspecialist CyNation

As a warm welcome in The Hague, HSD’s Executive Director Richard Franken and InnovationQuarter’s Chris van Voorden present a special plaque to CyNation’s Chairman Steve Berry and Finn McClain, Sales Director Europe and General Manager Benelux at CyTime. © Daniel Verkijk

Replacing vulnerabilities with capabilities

Organisations across all sectors and sizes are faced with having to manage relentless cyber threats and increasing compliance demands such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). To manage this, organisations have to address information security in an altogether different manner. CyNation believes that automation will resolve these issues and enhance organisations’ effectiveness and efficiency in dealing with cyber security threats and compliance demands. Their solutions aim at providing on-going visibility and monitoring of an organisation’s cyber security and compliance posture, enabling immediate remediation and instant reporting.

CyNation, securing a connected world. We help organisations improve cyber security and compliance posture.

Operating within the Hague’s security community

The Hague is renowned for its international position as the City of Peace, Justice & Security. It provides CyNation with a prosperous business environment and is a central hub to continental European business. Furthermore, CyNation’s membership with The Hague Security Delta (HSD) positions it at the centre of Europe’s leading security cluster. HSD is a community of companies, government organisations and knowledge institutes, who serve as a new market for foreign companies and as a platform to create new (innovative) initiatives. Home to this cluster is the HSD Campus: the innovation centre for the security industry, with living labs, training facilities, flexible office space and meeting rooms.

The Hague Security Delta verwelkomt Britse cybersecurityspecialist CyNation

From left to right: Philip Meijer (InnovationQuarter), Annemieke Busch (NFIA), Finn McClain (CyNation), Steve Berry (CyNation), Chris van Voorden (InnovationQuarter), Nick Breukelman (Department for International Trade (DIT) The Netherlands – British Embassy The Hague) and Martijn van Hoogenhuijze (InnovationQuarter). © Daniel Verkijk

Steve Berry, Chairman CyNation: “We are delighted and proud to make The Hague Security Delta our first office outside the UK. It will be the cornerstone of our European expansion. We have enjoyed tremendous support and hospitality since we started engaging with InnovationQuarter and The Hague Security Delta some time ago. We look forward to building on this and are delighted to be part of this leading security cluster in Europe.”

Chris van Voorden, Director of Foreign Investments at InnovationQuarter, believes that CyNation complements the existing regional businesses. “The company’s activities in cyber security threats and compliance fit nicely in West Holland’s security ecosystem. Finn McClain and his team will surely benefit from working within HSD’s innovative security community to expand their business across Europe.”

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Contact /Chris van Voorden Datum /

Ambassadors and Trade Counsellors visit The Hague’s Cyber Security Week

The Hague’s security hub

The visit was organised in close co-operation with TradeCouncellors.nl and InnovationQuarter. Director Marion Verboom of TradeCounsellors, Deputy Mayor Saskia Bruines and Chris van Voorden, Director Foreign Investments at InnovationQuarter, welcomed the Ambassadors at the HSD Campus.

In addition executive director Richard Franken explained how the community of businesses, governments and knowledge institutes work together on innovation and knowledge in the field of safety and security.

Core of the Dutch security cluster is the HSD Campus: the national innovation centre of the Dutch security cluster, with living labs, education and training facilities, flexible office space and meeting rooms. Businesses, governments and knowledge institutions from across the country collaborate to harvest knowledge, and develop products and services that contribute to a safer and more secure world.

Ambassadors and Trade Counsellors visit The Hague’s Cyber Security Week

The Ambassadors and their Trade Counsellors were stimulated to participate more in the Cyber Security Week next year and bring more and more companies over to The Netherlands to exchange knowledge and do business with each other. In addition the ambassadors and trade counsellors joined the seminar ‘Getting to know the Dutch Cyber Security Market’.

Ambassadors and Trade Counsellors visit The Hague’s Cyber Security Week

Cyber Security Week 2017

In the same week as the Europol – INTERPOL Cybercrime Conference and the EC-Council’s Global Cyberlympics final, a unique ‘Cyber Security Week’ is being held at several locations in the City of The Hague. From 25 until 29 September, The Hague is the hotspot for the cyber security community. Over 80 events provide the opportunity to meet key players, discuss the latest developments, share knowledge and to pitch innovative ideas for funding! The Cyber Security Week is powered by The Hague Security Delta, the leading security cluster in Europe.

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Contact /Martijn van Hoogenhuijze Datum /

Cyber Security Week 2017 van start 980x450px

Cyber Value at Risk

During the opening, Inge Philips, director of Cyber Security at accounting firm Deloitte, presented the first copy of the report Cyber Value at Risk to Maarten Camps, secretary-general of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The report reveals that the loss of value suffered by the Dutch economy as a whole due to cyber risks totals 10 billion euros, 1.3% of the GNP. Annual losses suffered by SMEs are estimated at 1 billion euros.

In his presentation, Wim Kuijken, chairman of the HSD board , went on to emphasise the need for government, businesses and knowledge institutions to work together, both nationally and internationally.

This was followed by a panel discussion involving Dick Schoof (National Coordinator Counter Terrorism and Security), Jos Nijhuis (CEO Schiphol and chairman of the Cyber Security Council), André Haspels (director-general Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Saskia Bruines (deputy mayor Knowledge Economy, International, Youth and Education from the Municipality of The Hague).

Access to Talent

After the panel discussion, the HackLab Kids started in which a group of primary school children emphasised the Access to Talent theme of this first day of Cyber Security Week.

Deputy mayor Saskia Bruines: “There is a rapidly rising demand for well qualified personnel in the field of cyber security. For that reason, it is also important to teach children digital skills from a very early age. From primary school to university, promoting cyber talent must be high on the agenda.”

Richard Franken, executive director HSD:
“The Cyber Security Week is a great example of how we as a national security cluster and our partners can stimulate cooperation and knowledge exchange. Nationally and internationally. So that together we can contribute to a more secure world and economic growth. ‘Together we secure the future’.”

Cyber Security Week

Cyber Security Week takes place from 25 to 29 September in 17 different locations in The Hague and consists of 80 events in which hundreds of experts in the field of Internet security and cybercrime from the government, industry and science can exchange knowledge, discuss the latest developments and pitch new innovative ideas. Together they will seek innovative solutions to one of the greatest challenges in our modern digital world: how do we guarantee a secure cyber future for ourselves?
The event is expected to attract over 3000 visitors to The Hague.

Participants in Cyber Security Week include Europol, INTERPOL, NATO, representatives from various European security clusters from the UK, Belgium, Germany and France, among others, international City-CIOs & CISOs and many large and small businesses specialising in cyber security.

Important events during Cyber Security Week are the Europol-INTERPOL cybercrime conference and the final of the EC-Council hacking competition Global CyberLympics.

Cyber Security Week is an initiative of The Hague Security Delta, the city of The Hague, InnovationQuarter, The Conference The Hague and accounting firm Deloitte and is organised together with 80 partners.

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Contact /Chris van Voorden Datum /

IBM’s Global Location Trends Show Record Year for Inward Investment in the Netherlands

High ranking in IBM Global Location Trends

According to IBM’s annual report Holland’s inward investment increased approximately 10 percent, “Building on the significant momentum and growth seen in the previous three years.” Globally, job creation through foreign direct investments (FDI) also increased 10 percent, reaching its strongest performance in the past decade.

In addition, the Netherlands ranks No. 4 globally by average job value of investment projects. Finally, the Amsterdam-Rotterdam metropolitan area shows consistent growth and is a global top destination for foreign investors. This metropolitan area, the so called ‘Randstad’ includes the cities Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and their surrounding areas. The metro ranks No. 2 by number of projects.

Overall, access to “International markets and leveraging global supply chains are expected to continue to drive foreign investment,” said IBM. Each year the report analyzes the latest trends in corporate location selection, and where companies are locating and expanding their businesses around the world, creating jobs.

Recent investments in Holland

Contributing to growth of investment in the Netherlands are countless multinationals.

Just this summer, data center company Equinix and biofuels producer Renewable Energy Group expanded to Amsterdam. Australian space startup Fleet Space Technologies opened its European headquarters in Delft, Japanese biotech company Human Metabalome Technologies opened an office in the Leiden Bio Science Park and previously American cyber security company Dtex Systems sets up in Europe’s leading security cluster: The Hague Security Delta (HSD). Meanwhile, leading retailers Zalando and Bestseller United, based in Germany and Denmark respectively, joined the FashionTrade wholesale platform in Amsterdam.

In 2016, companies such as Google, Medtronic, Oracle, PVH, Grünenthal’s Innovative Medicines Unit, Carnival, Aegex, Coca-Cola, Danone, Can-Pack, Hikvision, HEAD Aerospace,  and more celebrated expansions and establishments in Holland.

FDI growth driven by manufacturing, logistics and ICT

IBM’s Global Location Trends 2017 reports manufacturing, logistics and ICT leading global foreign direct investment growth. These sectors align with key industries in the Netherlands.

Considered one of the most wired countries in the world, Holland is a hotspot for information and communications technology companies. Global IT companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Interxion, Infosys, Huawei, Oracle, Intel, IBM, Verizon and Google invest in Holland for its unparalleled IT infrastructure.

Additionally, the Netherlands is a hub for foreign-owned logistics and distribution operations. Many multinationals choose Holland as their gateway to Europe to manage supply chain or grow e-commerce operations. Companies in a wide range of industries – from agrifood and life sciences to chemicals, maritime and IT – have also established advanced manufacturing operations in the Netherlands.

IBM’s Global Location Trends Show Record Year for Inward Investment in the Netherlands

Amsterdam/Rotterdam 2nd most attractive region

The Dutch region Amsterdam/Rotterdam (‘Randstad’) is the 2nd most attractive metropolitan region in the world for foreign investments, based on the number of projects. Also this becomes apparent in the IBM Global Location Trends Rapport 2017.

The attractiveness of the Amsterdam/Rotterdam region has increased in comparison to the report from 2016, when the same region was ranked 3rd in the IBM report. According to the IBM report, the Amsterdam/Rotterdam region shows consistent growth and has become a top destination for foreign investors, especially ICT companies.

 

Source / IBM Institute for Business Value / NFIA / Rotterdam Partners

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Contact /Martijn van Hoogenhuijze Datum /

Netherlands Ranks Top-15 in ITU Global Cyber Security Index 2017

Cyber Security in the Netherlands

According to the GCI-2017 report the Netherlands ranks number 15 worldwide and number 5 in Europe. In the report the Netherlands is highlighted on the actions that are taken by the National Cyber Security Centre, concerning their reports, advices and registration of incidents.

Global Cyber Security Index 2017

The GCI-2017 measures countries’ commitment to cybersecurity and helps them to identify areas for improvement. Through the information collected, it aims to illustrate the practices in use so that ITU Member States can identify gaps and implement selected activities suitable to their national environment – with the added benefits of helping to harmonize practices and fostering a global culture of cyber security. GCI Score is based on 5 main criteria: Legal, Technical, Organisational, Capacity Building and Cooperation.

 

Source / HSD

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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 /Philip Meijer Datum /

Zuid-Hollandse ondernemers geven visitekaartje af tijdens missie in Zuid-Duitsland

Economic mission to southern Germany

The trip was in line with the aspirations of InnovationQuarter and its partners to strengthen ties between West Holland and southern Germany. The large turnout of both Dutch and German companies at the different events demonstrated great mutual interest. As a result, in the coming years InnovationQuarter aims to organise regular internationalisation activities focused on the technology clusters in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

Zuid-Hollandse ondernemers geven visitekaartje af tijdens missie in Zuid-Duitsland

Personalised medicine

In collaboration with local partner organisations Bio-M and Bioregio STERN and supported by NBSO Stuttgart, mini-conferences were held in Munich and Stuttgart. These gatherings offered a mix of short substantive contributions, pitches and one-on-one matchmaking discussions. In Stuttgart, for example, Carin Huibers (global platform leader parenterals at Janssen Biologics in Leiden) shared her vision of international developments in the biopharmaceutical industry, and a carefully prepared matchmaking event for all delegates and potential German business partners also took place.

The matchmaking event in Stuttgart received special praise. According to Arie Baak of Euretos, “It exceeded our expectations.” If you would like to find out why Dutch and Germans businesses get along so well in the biotechnology field, you can listen to the podcast (in Dutch) on Duitslandnieuws.nl.

Zuid-Hollandse ondernemers geven visitekaartje af tijdens missie in Zuid-Duitsland

Cyber security – ‘solutions for Industry 4.0 and corporates’

Cyber security is a hot topic in Germany. In light of German investment in Industry 4.0 and the associated rise in the digitalisation of manufacturing, cyber security solutions are becoming increasingly relevant. Traditional manufacturing companies, however, do not possess the necessary expertise themselves to implement these solutions.

Delegates interested in the theme ‘cyber security, solutions for Industry 4.0 [German smart industry, ed.] and corporates’ took part in a special theme-based programme aimed at generating exposure for Dutch developers and suppliers of cyber security solutions in this area. Individual companies were given ample opportunity to promote themselves and engage in one-on-one discussions with potential partners. Jorrit van der Walle, CEO of Audittrail, participated in this programme and said:

Thanks to InnovationQuarter’s cyber security mission, I have gained many new insights into the southern German market.

The programme also afforded German participants and members of the delegation the chance to put forward various important points. For example, Evert Driehuis of Securelink in Sliedrecht (one of the leading cyber security companies in Europe) made a valuable contribution, as did Ruben van Vreeland of BitSensor (a promising startup in Eindhoven) and Professor Pieter van Gelder of Delft University of Technology and the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) Centre for Safety & Security.

To provide insight into what Dutch cyber security entrepreneurs are looking for in Germany, Duitslandnieuws.nl has published an article featuring interviews (in Dutch) with participants from three companies that were involved in the two-day mission: Software Improvement Group (SIG) in Amsterdam, Compumatica in Uden and Onegini in Woerden. These security companies are also affiliated with The Hague Security Delta (HSD), Europe’s leading security cluster.

Germany places high value on safe browsing online, but why is it lagging in this area? Dutch and German participants offer their opinions in this podcast (in Dutch) on Duitslandnieuws.nl. You can also read the SecureLink report (in Dutch) for more information.

Zuid-Hollandse ondernemers geven visitekaartje af tijdens missie in Zuid-Duitsland

Economische Programmaraad Zuidvleugel (EPZ)

Companies that took part in the mission were accompanied by a strong delegation from EPZ, the regional economic board. Under the leadership of Ab van der Touw (CEO of Siemens Nederland) and Adri Bom-Lemstra (member of the South Holland Provincial Executive), EPZ delegates participated in a specific programme that focused on knowledge sharing, cooperation and strengthening ties with important existing and potential partners in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

Over the two-day period, the delegation visited various companies and organisations, including Siemens, the Technical University of Munich and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Munich and Upper Bavaria. Delegates also spent time at Bayern Innovativ, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Bavaria and the Ministry of Economic Affairs for Baden-Württemberg and Fraunhofer. Representatives of these companies and organisations met with the delegation to discuss topics that included public-private cooperation in science, innovation and professional education. These representatives also made considerable contributions to the two main business programmes.

A series of events was jointly launched at the invitation of Ab van der Touw: workshops at the Siemens head office in Munich, a lecture by Carin Huibers during the personalised medicine event in Stuttgart and the King’s Day reception at the Netherlands Consulate in Munich, sponsored by EPZ. This traditional networking reception was attended by more than 500 Dutch and German visitors from Munich and the surrounding area and generated valuable exposure for the West Holland region, the businesses taking part in the mission and the Netherlands as a whole.

You can read more about the mission on Ron Bormans’ blog (in Dutch) (Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences) ‘Kein jugendlicher ohne Talent’ (No Youth Without Talent), a theme-based visit to southern Germany to share information with businesses and higher education about Industry 4.0 and what it means for educating young people.

Peter Vermeij, Nederlandse Consul-Generaal in München, opent Koningsdagviering op Schloss Nymphenburg

Peter Vermeij, Dutch Consul-General in München, opens celebration King’s Day at Schloss Nymphenburg

The mission received invaluable support from various partners

As InnovationQuarter received invaluable support from many partners in organising this mission, we would like to express our gratitude to the following.

  • The Dutch support network in southern Germany: the Netherlands Business Support Offices (NBSO) in Stuttgart and Frankfurt as well as the Netherlands Consulate in Munich.
  • Enterprise Europe Network (Chamber of Commerce of The Hague and Bayern Innovativ) for matchmaking.
  • The German cluster organisations Sicherheitsnetzwerk München, Bio-M, Baden-Württemberg International, BW-Connectec and Bioregio STERN for their extensive preparation and for inviting German counterparts to meet with our delegation.
  • The Hague Security Delta and Medical Delta for creating appropriate buzz across Dutch networks.
  • The City of The Hague for sponsoring the King’s Day event in Stuttgart.
  • EPZ for sponsoring the King’s Day event in Munich and for accompanying the business delegations.
  • The Hague Marketing for bringing a touch of ‘The Hague’ to the King’s Day reception in Munich.
  • Tothem, our PR & Media partner for this trip.
  • Our regional partners Oost NV and BOM as well as Amsterdam Trade and Rotterdam Partners for promoting the mission within their networks.

Peter Vermeij, Nederlandse Consul-Generaal in München, opent Koningsdagviering op Schloss Nymphenburg

Upcoming events and plans

In keeping with its internationalisation programme, InnovationQuarter aims to strengthen economic ties with various key regions abroad. Together with its regional and national partner organisations, InnovationQuarter will focus intensively on economic missions, trade fairs, technology roadshows and soft landing programmes in the coming years.

A number of activities related to the broader context of the recent mission to southern Germany are scheduled for the coming weeks and include the following.

  • From 20 to 22 June, a business trip to MT-Connect in Nuremberg. This international trade fair is aimed at manufacturers, suppliers and R&D organisations in the medical technology industry. The lead partner for this event is Brabant Development Agency (BOM), and this year’s theme is ‘Digitalisation of Healthcare’.
  • From 26 to 29 June, the Digital Health & Smart Devices business trip to the UK. This trip is being organised in association with Health + Care, the UK’s largest integrated healthcare event. Our colleagues from East Netherlands Development Agency (Oost NV) are to act as lead partner for this event with InnovationQuarter providing support.
  • From 13 to 16 November, participation in the pavilion and/or the business trip to Medica, the largest medical technology trade fair in the world, to be held in Düsseldorf. Taskforce Health Care and our colleagues at Oost NV will soon provide additional information about this event.
  • A visit to one of Germany’s largest cyber security exhibitions, the IT-SA, which is becoming increasingly global in its outlook. More information is available from NBSO Frankfurt.