"FOR THE CONNECTION OF INNOVATION": INNOVATION DISTRICT STRIJP-T FOUNDATION AIMS TO STRENGTHEN INNOVATION IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY.
Posted by Editorial Team IO Eindhoven | May 15, 2019 |
"For the connection of innovation": Foundation Innovation District Strijp-T aims to strengthen innovation in the manufacturing industry.
Board of the Innovation District Strijp-T © Geva / Strijp-T initiators Ad van Berlo (VanBerlo) - Chairman, Bernard Gosselink (CTOUCH) - Treasurer, Ton van de Kerkhof (Brainport Development) - Secretary, Boudie Hoogedeure (Geva real estate) - Board member, Ernst-Jan Louwers (Louwers IP|Technology Lawyers) - Board member, Laura Conradi (Never Ever Blue) - Board member, Remco Mulder (Bureau Franken) - Board member.
"By connecting the dozens of companies and organizations established on Strijp-T, innovation in the manufacturing industry in Eindhoven can be further strengthened." In order to give concrete form to this ambition, the Innovation District Strijp-T Foundation has been established. Ad van Berlo, founder of VanBerlo, is the chairman of the first board.
"The new foundation will actively connect organizations and the people working there to strengthen the innovation climate," says Ad van Berlo. "Strijp-T is not for nothing the area in Eindhoven where tradition and innovation come together and ideas come to life. Experimenting, innovating, and accelerating are in the DNA of Strijp-T, and that is also the reason why the chance of successful innovations is particularly high here."
Strijp-T is a mix of old and new, say the initiators. Philips achieved its greatest successes here and spin-offs such as NXP and ASML originated here. With a strong foundation in the high-tech manufacturing industry, Strijp-T is in a way the birthplace of the Brainport region. It is the place where CDs and DVDs were born, but new technologies are still being developed, for example by companies like VanBerlo, Additive Industries, CTOUCH, Amber, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Fontys ICT is also located there, and Brainport Development will soon move in.
"Strijp-T is not for nothing the area in Eindhoven where tradition and innovation come together and ideas are brought to life."
The aim of the new foundation is to give innovation even more chance through mutual connection. Co-initiator Ad van Berlo explains how it works: "Only by connecting the organizations and people working here at Strijp-T with each other, can the different companies form a 'community of like-minded individuals' focused on open innovation. I am convinced that we can inspire each other even more through a shared vision. The cross-pollination that results from this will then further strengthen the ecosystem."
Ten years ago, Ad van Berlo had already set his sights on the monumental power plant at Strijp-T. For him, it was the ideal place to further grow his company - now led by Thomas Paulen. It took much longer than he initially thought, but in September 2017, he could finally celebrate the official opening of the building. Subsequently, things progressed quickly with Strijp-T, developed by Geva Vastgoed. The power plant (now renamed Innovation Powerhouse) is fully leased, as are the buildings behind it with iconic names such as TQ, TAQ, and TAB. Meanwhile, work is already underway on the Glass Laboratory, also known as the experimental production plant TY, which is inherently experimental in its design.
The first results of the foundation are the construction of an open communication platform and some events on the site itself to connect the tenants with each other. It should ultimately lead to a more natural mutual contact, even if there is no concrete direct reason for it. "Because the major challenges of the future cannot be solved with contemporary methods, you are challenged at Strijp-T to think differently, to experiment, and in that way come up with new inventions."
According to Van Berlo, that is precisely the reason why Strijp-T accommodates both educational institutions and businesses. "Diversity in the offerings is crucial, and especially education can be connecting in that. We all know by now how important lifelong learning is."
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