With an active and intricate network of knowledge and innovation clusters of companies, educational and research institutions, the East Netherlands is working on innovative solutions that are brought to the market faster. This strengthens the competitive position of the whole of the Netherlands, both for innovative companies and for companies that apply innovations in their business operations.

This Strategic Innovation Investment Agenda (SIIA) shows what the East Netherlands has to offer. The SIIA was created in close cooperation between the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel, the development company Oost NL and the regional economic network, Th!nk East Netherlands and the Economic Boards.

We want to invest particularly in smart energy and are looking for partners to do so. In this document, we show where our focuses lie. Then, together with you, we will discuss which programmes contribute most to economic growth and a sustainable future.

The emission of greenhouse gases, such as CO₂, must be drastically reduced. The energy transition leads to a new system. With it, we can generate the energy we need to live and work, without depleting the earth. Investing in knowledge and innovation is crucial for the recovery of our economy and for the realisation of the energy transition during and after the coronavirus era.
Energy transition brings great challenges and also offers unique opportunities to East Netherlands. Challenges are related to the scattered large industries that must become sustainable and the pressure on the electricity grid. This is due to further electrification and an increase in locally generated sustainable energy.

The East Netherlands is developing as the living lab for integrated energy systems for decentralised generation, storage, conversion and use of renewable energy. This is due to the strong high-tech manufacturing industry, engineering firms and knowledge institutions in the region, many of which are leaders at home and abroad in the field of energy storage technology, hydrogen technology and/or system integration. Its location - on the two major transport corridors, the North Sea-Baltic corridor and the Rhine-Alps corridor, and in the heart of the Dutch electricity and gas infrastructure - also makes the East Netherlands an excellent partner to help the Netherlands and Europe accelerate the energy transition. The focus is on the development and upscaling of integrated decentralised energy systems. Or Smart Energy Hubs.

These Strategic Innovation Investment Agendas East Netherlands are an initiative that is partly the result of the cooperation with the partners within Th!Nk East Netherlands and the regional Economic Boards.