English Summary
Brainport
Brainport Eindhoven region is a breeding ground for innovation and the home base for companies, and
world-class knowledge and research institutes. The growing concentration of top technology and
knowledge industry is closely connected with the very diverse manufacturing industry in the region.
Brainport Eindhoven region devises and manufactures the technology of the near future, the
technology that contributes to a safe, green, and caring society and to the sustainable economic
development of the Netherlands.
The heart of Brainport Eindhoven region is Eindhoven. The majority of the technology companies and the research institutes are located within a 40-kilometre radius around Eindhoven. But Brainport’s geographic boundaries are difficult to define. Brainport Eindhoven region is a network economy with numerous partnerships across regional boundaries and international frontiers. The triangle Eindhoven - Louvain - Aachen (ELAt) for instance is an important knowledge area.
Brainport is a very successful and mature industry. Brainport addresses to the high amount of knowledge (industry). In 2008, Eindhoven has become known as 'Brainport', the very centre of hightech industries in the Netherlands. In 2011, Brainport has become the smartest region of the world (Intelligent Community of the Year 2011)!
The regional economy is 'booming', with innovation, creativity and design as kingpins. This development has grown historically and continues to determine the image of the region to a large extent today. Some 70.000 of the total of 355.000 jobs are in the hightech, automotive and manufacturing industries. Brainport Avenue is the very heart of this.
Brainport Avenue
To accommodate the growth of our region, the national government has a special program to strengthen
the economic development by investing in infrastructure and area development. Brainport Avenue (west
side motor highway) has become a programme of national importance. It’s an international top
location for hightech industries in the Netherlands. It’s a huge area along the motor highway. It
contains 27 kilometers highway, 5 intersection, 11 junctions and 5 villages: Eindhoven, Veldhoven,
Best, Waalre and Son en Breugel.
- Brainport Avenue is a prime site for hightech industry.
Lot’s of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are founded ad this location, such as Philips Healthcare, ASML and FEI Company. The High Tech Campus with more than 8.000 researchers and more than 100 companies is a school sample off open innovation.
- Brainport Avenue contributes to major accessibility of Brainport Eindhoven. Five motor highways
meet at Brainport Avenue. Additional there is Eindhoven Airport and a off course the intercity
railway station with connection to Schiphol Amsterdam /High Speed Railroad.
- Brainport Avenue stands for design and major discoveries. A very high amount of research and
development is done in this area (Brainport Eindhoven region spends 8% of the Gross Regional
Product on R&D) . Above that, the Dutch Design Academy (known by the famous Dutch Design
Week) and the University of Technology Eindhoven are involved in lot’s of developments.
- Brainport Avenue shows green prosperity. Green prosperity means that we don’t need lot of space for adding value to a product. For example, ASML (market leader of semi conductor industries) produces chip-machines on which ASML earns millions per machine on a very small site (80 ha.) without pollution or huge traffic jams.
Businesses and developers are very keen on colonize this area. Therefore we made a spatial plan and we work with a so-called ‘quality team’. This team advices about spatial ideas en initiatives. Basic thought of our spatial strategy is to enable and facilitate existing hot spots and economic clusters. Public transport encloses the city, the major economic hotspots and Eindhoven Airport. Because of the small distances, bicycles are very attractive to use. We introduce: Slowlanes (bicycle paths in a green environment) and Forest paths (connects the city with the countryside). Furthermore we facilitate people to meet each other and we aim for a high quality of life and sustainability.
The vision and program of Brainport Avenue contains:
- A green corridor from the city to countryside, which is accommodated by a huge green overpass over the motor highway A2;
- A red corridor form the city to Eindhoven Airport which is accommodated by a bridge of buildings over the motor highway A2;
- Public transport system by high quality vehicles which connect the railway station with the economic hotspots;
- (Dedicated) junctions from the motor highway A2 to the economic hotspots;
- Area development by the local government in association with future inhabitant firms. New campuses, business parks and nature.
The whole of development, communication, coordination and quality control is facilitated by a Project Office which is hosted at the Eindhoven City region (SRE). The involved five municipalities themselves are responsible for the local area development.
As we said, Brainport competes on a global level, but operates in a local network. This demands special regional qualities. Living is a green and sustainable world is one of these qualities. Quite a challenge in such a dense area. Never the less, we aim for the principals of Cradle to Cradle (C2C).
If you have any questions regarding Brainport Avenue, you may contact us: [email protected].