Member Profile

South-Netherlands

Presentation of the Region

South Netherlands is a highly innovative region. Last decades the region turned into a knowledge-intensive high-tech region. Making business out of mission-driven innovation is our aim. The use of strong interregional connections in relation to our Smart Specialisations is a “modus operandi” since the early 90s.

South Netherlands’ clusters concentrate on High Tech Systems, Chemistry, and LifeTec. Our vision and strategy are to strengthen and interconnect these top clusters and support the development of new clusters. It is a unique triple helix cooperation in which high-tech research and business, facilitated by public authorities, work closely together in an open innovation ecosystem.

This is illustrated by South Netherlands’ strong innovation ecosystems in Limburg (Brightlands Campuses), Zeeland (Campus Zeeland), and Brabant (Brainport Industries campus) around the national and international top clusters (specified in the RIS3 as high-tech systems and materials, agrifood, and chemistry, life science and health, biobased, logistics, and maintenance). International market leaders operate within this context with start-ups and scale-ups, campuses, triple-helix organisations, and regional development companies to form a strong innovation system.
Parties in South Netherlands work with an open mind, proactively seeking connections with partners outside the region, both at home and abroad. See: https://www.nl-prov.eu/regional-offices/south-netherlands/?lang=en

RIS3 Priorities

The mission of the RIS3 is to stimulate innovation, based on South-Netherlands’ specific strength, which has an economic impact in the South and leads to a societal impact on a regional and international scale. Five major transitions, both global and specific to South Netherlands and in line with the themes of the Green Deal, are at the heart of this mission: the energy, raw materials, climate, agriculture and food, and health transitions.
Within the innovation chain, the RIS3 focuses mainly on developing products and services that providers can both implement in South Netherlands to benefit the five transitions and scale up for a national and international market. South Netherlands will make it more attractive for SMEs to participate in European programmes.
Based on the distinctive strength of South Netherlands, the vision of the RIS is to respond to the international character of the transitions and capitalise on the related international market opportunities. South Netherlands does this by coming up with new solutions for the major challenges facing Europe and the world, and by demonstrating in the South that these new solutions work, for example in trial productions, pilots, first roll-outs, and living labs. We also look for ways to connect these South Netherlands solutions interregional with complementary solutions in European value chains. This is how we ensure societal impact and make progress within the transitions, both in South Netherlands and internationally.

Political Representatives
Martijn van Gruijthuijsen

provincial executive for Economy, Knowledge and Talent Development in the Province of Brabant

Stephan Satijn

Regional Minister for Economy, Innovation and Education in the Province of Limburg

Drs. Jo-Annes de Bat

Regional minister of Finance, Economy, Agriculture & Fishery, Sports in the Province of Zeeland

Regional Contact Persons
Alina Totti

Advisor/ Projectleader International Innovation - Brabant

Dirk Plees

senior policy advisor Euregionale & European Collaboration-Limburg

Brussels Contact Persons
Lieke van Alphen Buscardini

Senior advisor EU Public Affairs - Brabant

Johanna Neyt
Wim DE KINDEREN

Brainport Eindhoven

Rick Maijer

Limburg

Regional Address

Brabantlaan 1
5200MC 's Hertogenbosch
Netherlands

Brussels Office Address

Trierstraat 59-61
Huis van de Nederlandse Provincies (HNP)
1040 Brussels
Belgium

city, smartphone, control
Industrial Modernisation during Smart Regions conference

During the Smart Regions conference in Helsinki, June 1-2, the Vanguard Initiative was well represented both in the panel discussions and debates and also in the parallel sessions.