Science Port Holland has set out to be an international science park and hotbed for high tech knowledge exchange and innovation, located in one of Europe’s key innovation regions. Its main goal is to provide an attractive environment in which technology innovators can develop their innovations for commercial success and market implementation. It will accommodate renowned knowledge institutes, start-ups and international companies.
Leading the way for Science Port is Leiden Bio Science Park (LBSP), that recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and is also located in WestHolland. Indeed, the Park’s innovation and success is such that it has been awarded as the best business park in Europe. It is hoped that in 15 to 25 years, the new Science Port will have been grown into an internationally award-winning business park, like the Leiden Bio Science Park.
Clean Technology & Life Sciences
Science Port Holland is organised around the highly developed, world-leading technology innovation clusters in the region. Its focus is on the current challenges of society: Clean Technology and Life Sciences. In terms of Clean Technology, the park clubs together innovations in the areas of Industrial Biotechnology, Energy & Climate and Water & Delta Technology. For Life Sciences, the focus is on innovations in the development of advanced medical devices and instruments.
Development of the Port
The corporation responsible for the development of Science Port Holland is Science Port Holland N.V., and is working in close cooperation with Delft University of Technology, the municipalities of Rotterdam and Delft and Erasmus University in Rotterdam (Erasmus Medical Centre). The corporation specialises in the provision of operating environments for high-tech innovation organisations, with focus on Clean Technology and Life Sciences, making it a perfect match for the park. Its service vision combines state of the art facilities with business and individual services, company development services and consultation.
Key Activities of the Corporation
- Regional Development – Includes the development and implementation of a regional development strategy, which creates a unique, attractive and inspiring location incorporating architecture, urban design, infrastructure and landscaping.
- Marketing & Acquisition – With international marketing and property sales and leasing. This area also includes the provision of support services for companies and institutions for the development of their premises
- Services & Facilities – Such as park management, conference facilities, exhibitions, communal facilities, community services and business development support for start-ups.
- Knowledge Exchange - Stimulating the exchange of knowledge between universities, research institutes, and companies. This also includes strategic activities to stimulate innovation and business development in Clean Technology and Life Sciences.
- Incubation & Spin-offs – Encourage and enable new companies to expand and succeed, by offering business development services specifically tailored to SME’s - start-ups and growing.
- Strategic Partnerships - Enable the formation of partnerships and strategic alliances as well as projects that stimulate open innovation and joint product development.
Vision
Science Port Holland brings organisations together in a unique location, which has the highest density of knowledge and public institutions in the world. There is also a large number of mature and start-up businesses in the area that are in its focal sectors of Clean Technology and Life Sciences, including Climate & Energy, Industrial Biotech, Water & Delta. The aim is to be a hot spot for high tech knowledge transfer and to contribute to addressing the current challenges for our society, championing climate and health.
This ambition requires an environment that provides ample opportunity to turn innovations into successful business and market implementation and, at the same time, stimulates regional development.
Strategy
For decades, successful science parks have evolved around large metropolitan areas and played a leading role in technological and economic innovation both in their region and on a global scale. Through its vision of spatial and infrastructure development, its focus on sustainability, its international scope, its organisation and quality professional services, Science Port Holland is in an excellent position to meet the standards of the new generation of leading science parks that are evolving in North America, Asia and Europe.
As such, the Science Port has pledged to fulfill the six promises of next generation science parks:
- Deliver a business environment focused on the needs of its tenants
- Be a healthy business and a solid opportunity for investment
- Become a global player, while looking after the local area
- Be an essential element of university networks
- Remain an intrinsic part of the community, with care for people and the environment
- Be an important part of a multiplicity of networks
YES!Delft Company Incubator
YES!Delft is The Young Entrepreneurs Society, and supports students, professionals and researchers in all the stages of starting up and running high-tech firms. Their approach is all-inclusive and inspirational. They aim to demonstrate “all the remarkable career opportunities entrepreneurship offers”. YES!Delft's Education Centre and Incubation Centre provide access to cutting-edge technological and business knowledge, operational guidance and infrastructural support. Support is also long-term – their Growth Centre continues to support high-tech companies that have successfully outgrown the Incubation Centre. In doing so, it hopes to fulfill its promise of building tomorrow’s leading firms.
This organisation is unique in the Netherlands, providing access to cutting edge scientific and technological know-how and a vast network of potential business partners, investors and clients. It also collaborates with world-class knowledge institutes around the world, such as TU Delft, MIT, Cambridge University and Shanghai University. The scope of YES!Delft to advance entrepreneurship is broadened through its alliance with the Holland Program of Entrepreneurship (HOPE), which is a joint-venture between TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Leiden University. HOPE’s work is unprecedented in Europe, and combines all scientific disciplines. YES!Delft encourages anyone with good idea that they believe can be developed into a pioneering product or service, to get in contact with them. Equally, investors and potential business partners who want to help establish world-class companies, are also urged to get in touch.
For further details about the area, see WestHolland's featured listing.
For further information on Science Port Holland, see Science Port Holland's profile.
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About Leiden BioScience Park - 25 years of innovation
In 1985, three companies settled in the park. From those humble beginnings, the park grew steadily, and then from 1999 onwards it has experienced rapid growth. By April 2009, the park counted 88 companies in residence.
