Conference Matters 141

unique meeting place

KNOWLEDGE

Qualities per province Although the Netherlands as a whole is viewed internationally as one big city, with Amsterdam used as a synonym for it, it is still useful to zoom in on the qualities of the various provinces, even if only to choose the right conference destination. Here as well, we base ourselves on the startup scene, knowing that the traditional structure of knowledge institutes has a major influence. North Brabant North Brabant is a good place to continue with the deep tech theme, as it is home to 172 deep tech startups, including Prodrive Technologies (chip machine modules), Sioux Technologies (software and smart modules for high-tech com panies) and Smart Robotics (fulfilment centre automation). The province’s academic source of knowledge is Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), a medium-sized university with about 5,000 BA students, 3,200 MA students and 1,200 PhD students. Its key research areas include auto motive systems, broadband telecommunication technologies, information and communication systems, nanoengineering, plasmas and poly mers, as well as its key research areas of energy, health and smart mobility. North Brabant mainly draws its strength from the collaboration between training and research institutes, companies, governments, and star tups that make up Brainport Eindhoven, Europe’s technological hotspot. As an example, TU/e ranks first in Europe when it comes to joint publications with industry. Tilburg University (more than 20,000 students) is also included in Brainport Eindhoven, with busi ness and economics as well as law and psycho logy as the main fields of study. Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe The fastest-growing startup province is Gronin gen, which, together with Friesland and Drenthe, makes up the Northern Netherlands Delta. The University of Groningen is an important driver of new development. It is one of the seven Dutch universities that rank among the global top 100

Startups, scaleups and grownups by province

Groningen (206) Health (54), Software (40)

Groningen 233

Friesland 171

Drenthe 69

North Holland 3.453

Amsterdam (2.744) Fintech (292), Fashion (109), Adtech (40)

Flevoland 130

Overijssel 425

Utrecht (530) Health (118), Fintech (79), Media (60)

The Hague (404) AI (45), Cyber security (28), Life Sciences

Enschede (140) Nano, Engineering

Utrecht 916

Gelderland 674

South Holland 2.031

Delft (274) Energy (44), Logistics

Rotterdam (664) AI, Cyber security, Life Sciences, Energy, Logistics

Nijmegen (100) Life Sciences, Agritech

North Brabant 1.117

Eindhoven (399) Deeptech (101), IoT (16), Semiconductors

Zeeland 56

Limburg 271

Maastricht & Limburg (210) Chemical, Life Sciences

Source: Dealroom.co. Based on reclassified Dealroom data; this is the number of all verified startups, scaleups and grownups

Leeuwarden, an ecosystem for innovation in the field of water technology. The GreenWise Campus has started in Drenthe, where various partners are looking for green and smart solutions in the fields of circular plastics, energy, the smart manufacturing industry, and technology for healthcare and welfare. The University of Twente is an important know ledge institution with research institutes in the fields of nanotechnology, information techno logy, biomedical technology and technical medi cine, sustainable energy and smart devices, governance, behavioural sciences, geo-informa tion science, and earth observation.

according to Times Higher Education (THE). This broad-based university of more than 36,000 students has more than 9,000 international students from 127 countries. Notable startups include solar power company Soly, QDI Systems (next generation X-ray imaging systems) and e-health platform Liv. Energy is an important theme in Groningen. Originally, it was because of its large gas fields, but today there is a search for alternative energy sources and distribution. Hanze UAS is very active in this domain with applied research. The water-rich neighbouring province of Fries land houses startup hub BioBizz (water and bio-based technology) in Balk en Watercampus

De Doelen ICC Rotterdam has it all, combining a dedicated convention venue with ultra-modern facilities and professional support in the heart of a cosmopolitan city. dedoeleniccrotterdam.nl

29