A number of enterprising parties, including Innovatiecluster Drachten, have signed a manifesto at Fokker in Hoogeveen in order to jointly give a major boost to the Northern region in the field of innovative technology.

The Northern region has a large number of strong companies and research institutions that are active in the field of High Tech Systems & Materials (HTSM). Stimulating the sensor cluster through the Sensor Universe Foundation has made an important contribution to this in recent years. However, it became increasingly clear that the next step in the development of the Northern Netherlands as a High-Tech region would have to come from the professional field itself. A number of large companies, in particular Fokker Aerostructures (Hoogeveen) and Philips Consumer Lifestyle (Drachten), the investment company NOM and parties from the Sensor Cluster, including ASTRON, INCAS3, Sensor City Assen, the University of Groningen and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen have therefore joined forces. bundled.

The broadening of sensor to High-Tech Systems & Materials leads to a better connection with national programs and with Europe. Moreover, it does justice to the strength of the companies in the region. dr. Marco de Vos (Managing Director of ASTRON): “In the SKA project we clearly notice that the Northern Netherlands has a lot of potential in the field of high-tech electronics. Through this collaboration, we can connect SMEs to large and exciting projects and thus give them the opportunity to grow.”

Rob Goossens, Fokker Aerostructures Hoogeveen: “Collaboration of large companies with SMEs, customers, suppliers, universities and knowledge institutes in innovative platforms, supported by an active government policy, has shown that we can take new technological developments to a higher level in a structured way. It is of great economic importance for the North to stimulate innovation by facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration.”

Rob Karsmakers, site manager Philips Consumer Lifestyle Drachten: “By signing the Manifesto, a Platform HTSM North is formed on which a number of large programs will be jointly started, aimed at strengthening the manufacturing industry in the Northern Netherlands and increasing employment.”

Siem Jansen, Director of NOM: “Working together on concrete projects such as DOME and SmartFactory is the best way to engage a large number of SME parties and to give them the opportunity to grow and excel. Effectively connecting existing SMEs and actively supporting entrepreneurship from the platform is an important core goal. In this way, the partners are bundling industrial development initiatives, both at large parties and SMEs.”

The initial partners of this manifesto are: Fokker Aerostructures Hoogeveen, Philips Consumer Lifestyle Drachten, ASTRON, NOM, University of Groningen, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, SRON, INCAS Foundation, Innovatiecluster Drachten and Sensor City Assen.

The platform will be expanded in the short term by joining other parties, including large companies, educational institutions and SMEs.

The regional authorities wholeheartedly support the initiative. Because the initiative comes from the professional field, government funding can be used on a project basis. Deputy Ard van der Tuuk: “It is important that we as provinces can support projects in which the importance for employment in the region is clear. I am therefore very pleased that parties in the field have found each other.”