This document discusses the Kennispark Twente, an innovation campus in the Netherlands created through cooperation between Saxion University, the University of Twente, the Province of Overijssel, and the City of Enschede. The campus aims to stimulate entrepreneurship, innovation, and knowledge transfer in the region. It provides an ecosystem for startups and growing companies through offerings like talent development, financing networks, research partnerships, and shared facilities. The Kennispark has been successful in driving regional innovation and job growth, with over 330 companies now located on site providing nearly 6,000 jobs. It leverages over 100 years of industry-university cooperation in the region and a shared vision to support the high-tech systems and materials

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industry – university
cooperation
University: 100 years old child of industry
Matthijs Hammer
Senior lecturer Entrepreneurship

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Outline
• Introduction on Saxion
• Introduction on the Twente Region
• Kennispark Twente
– Activities
– Examples
• Results

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About Saxion Universities
Apeldoorn
Enschede
Deventer

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Schools and academic programmes
• School of Business Engineering
& Entrepreneurship
• School of Governance & Law
• School of Health
• School of Applied Psychology
and Human Resources
Management
• School of Social Work
• School of Education
• School of Creativity & Technology
• School of Finance & Accounting
• Hospitality Business School
• School of Life Science, Engineering &
Design
• School of Marketing & International
Management
• School of Environmental Planning &
Building
12 Schools:
•125 Bachelor / Master programmes in Dutch.
•27 Bachelor / Master international programmes in English.
•Various Bachelor / Master programmes in German
•Non-degree programmes

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The Region of Twente

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The Region of Twente

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Learning from doing
• The results from today, are born in the past.
• Exploit the resources and talents available.
• Based on the industrial activities in the past, we
educate our population.
• Industry takes their responsibility for future
success.
• Government is intermediating with resources (€)
and policy .

8. Kom verder. Saxion.
History of the region
1830 Initiation of Textile industry
- King Willem I
1833 First textile school
- 25 pupils on weaving
1861 Esteblishment regional facilities
- Sporting and leisure facilities (parks)
- Twensche Bank now: ABN-AMRO Bank
1918 Establishment Higher Textile education
- Later: Saxion University of Applied Sciences
1950’s Decline textile sector,
- loss of 40,000 jobs (80 %)1
1 Hammer, Hospers & Van der Sijde, 2005

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1961 Establishment research university
- 3rd Technical University in The Netherlands
1983 The Entrepreneurial University
- Vice Chancelor Harry van den Kroonenberg:
entrepreneurship as a career option, for academics
2006 Kennispark Twente
- Province, Cities, Universities
Today Innovation campus of national interest
- > 1,700 spin-offs
- 10% of Benelux Technology Fast 50
- 300 companies with 6,000 commercial
jobs on site
History of the region

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HEI’s in the region

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Employment in the region

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R&D –salary cost /fte

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So…….
• Knowing from who we are, where we come from.
• Realising that education and public research
must serve the (their) industry.
• Aware that government is over structured.
• Given the fact that industry has limited free
resources.
• Universities and government are pointed to take
initiative to share their harvest with their
parents (Industry)

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How to act in puberty?
• Growing-up results in new roles.
• Not only ‘getting’, but ‘sharing’.
• Reciprocal exchange of resources (knowledge,
money, infrastructure).
• Both remain to their core business:
Education & research / ‘economic value creation’
New world created: Kennispark Twente

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How to act in puberty?

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Start: self reflection
2005
Self evaluation report on the contribution of
Higher Educational Institutes to regional
Development, initiated by the OECD/IMHE2 (p91):
Conclusion: “development themes for
Twente:
- Entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity
- Regional focal areas
- Knowledge infrastructure
- Strengthening of HEI’s”
2 Sijger, Hammer, ter Horst, Nieuwenhuis & Van der Sijde, 2005

17. Kom verder. Saxion.
Activities
• Entrepreneurship: stimulate startups and
growing companies
• Innovation: stimulate innovation and knowledge
transfer
• Area: create an inspiring location for innovative
companies

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Targets
• Ecosystem and innovation campus of national
strategic interest
• Location and support for innovative companies
• Foundation:
– Stimulating entrepreneurship
– Goal: 10,000 new jobs for the region
• Founders: City of Enschede, Province of
Overijssel, University of Twente, Saxion
University and the Region of Twente

19. Kom verder. Saxion.
Approach:
a complete ecosystem
Starting and growing firms
– Talent
– Idea
– Financing
– Awareness
– Incubation, etc.
Industrial links
– SME portals
– Research
Joint Ventures
– Building Clusters
Quality of the area
– 150 events per year in talent, knowledge,
risk capital, facilities
– Physical area development program

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Starters and Growers
1.Talent
2.Idea
3.Risk capital
– ~ 15 funds
Awareness
Incubators
• Work on individual cases
• 30 years of experience, culture
• Serial Entrepreneurship

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Innovative Enterprises
• SME Portal
• Research Joint Ventures
–Jointly run with industrial partners
–TPRC
–Boeing, ten Cate, Stork, …
–CMI
–Siemens, UMCG, …
–High Tech Factory
–20 nano companies
–Centre4Cloud
–Google, IBM, KPN, …

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Inspiring Environment
• Events/flow (150 per year)
– Talent
– Risk capital
– Knowledge
– Information
– Partners
– Facilities
• And Square Meters
– University Campus
– City Campus
to FC Twente stadium
– Incubator BTC

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Employment in the region

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Start-ups and
growers
Innovative
companies
Inspiring
Campus
Awareness, communication, positioning
Education, training, coaching Soft Landing
Business Development and IP
Financing networks Financing
SME portal to knowledge
R&D Open Innovation joint ventures
Events: interaction, flow of talent, knowledge, money, information
Area development
Equipment, labs, incubator services, entrepreneur/legal support
Our agenda

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Example: High Tech Factory
• Redevelopment of
former university
cleanroom
• Shared production
facility
• >20 micro- and
nanotechnology
companies
• Hightech Fund

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Partners
U-Needle

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Example: Venturelab Twente
• 1 year business
development
programme
• For startups and
growing companies
• Hightech, high
ambitious people
• >200 participants in
3 years
• Focus on the team,
skills and knowledge

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Example: Powered by Twente
• 150 events per year
• Focus on
entrepreneurship and
innovation
• Flow of ideas, talent,
money
• Independent foundation

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Financial ecosystem

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Results
• Regional engine for innovation
• 330 companies on site
– 5,900 commercial jobs
• University of Twente and Saxion University:
– 9,000 and 24,000 students
– 4,000 scientists UT and 2,200 at Saxion
• 1750 spin-offs (40 -50 startups per year)
– 6,500 jobs
– Many students with a company (>100)

33. Kom verder. Saxion.
Results
• 10% of the fastest growing tech companies in
the Benelux
– Winnaar 2010 Service2Media
• 50 M€ invested by private and public parties in
2010
• International benchmark

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Why this works:
• It is an ecosystem
• Top technology at the universities (nano, bio, ICT)
• 100 years of history with Industry – university
cooperation in the region
• A shared vision with the local governments and
industry (HTSM; High Tech Systems and Materials)
• The Kennispark gives a boost, it is not the goal
• Coach, conscience and supporter in the field

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Video of Kennispark
Twente, 5 minutes

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For more information, suggestions or
cooperation, do not hesitate to
contact:
m.h.m.hammermsc@saxion.nl