Brainport becoming Mainport
The growth of our region is expected to be sustained for the next one or two decades at least. The statement of our government – that the status of Brainport is to be upgraded to a Mainport of the Netherlands – is compliant with this strong growth. Because this also leads to severe pressure on housing, living, talent and infrastructure, plans are being made to address the challenges.
The recent first financial commitment for infrastructure (roads, transport, etc.) is proof of this. On the issue of talent, all educational institutes are making plans to grow (double) the number of students; see, for example, the recent plans announced by TU/e. In addition, the growth will also affect the innovation power of our region and it will enforce the role of valorization and the interplay between knowledge institutes, industry and society.
Growth of activities at Eindhoven Engine
We also foresee a potential growth for the activities of Eindhoven Engine as an accelerator for innovation. For this reason, we are already working on plans for the next phase of Eindhoven Engine to continue as a public/private partnership. We also started activities for scale-ups in our region in the form of funding scans by ScaleUpNation. We are working on a plan for industrial and societal residents to join our community starting next year. Finally, the growth of our region might also bring more tension regarding diversity within the region. This is why we will further strengthen the Emergence Lab for low literacy over the coming year. With all of these activities, we hope that we can further strengthen our role as Innovation Accelerator for the years to come.
Photo: Angelique Swinkels