Number of companies that made
use of the WBSO in 2018
Source 1: European Innovation Scoreboard, Global Competitiveness Report,
Global Innovation Index, data 2018
The strength of the East Netherlands
Source 2: Regionale Innovatie Slimme Specialisatie Strategie RIS3 West-Nederland, jan. 2020
Source 3: Slimme specialisatiestrategie (RIS3) Oost-Nederland 2021-2027
Innovative East Netherlands
The economic profile of the East Netherlands
in the picture
The Netherlands is an innovation leader in Europe. Nationwide, the East Netherlands region is in the middle of the pack. Compared to other regions, Northwest Europe and the East Netherlands score above average (>100).1
Participation in WBSO (research and development tax credit) is a good indicator of a region’s innovative strength. The East Netherlands account for 22.5% of the participants.2
The East Netherlands makes a particularly strong contribution to the innovative strength of the Netherlands in the field of electrical engineering. Almost half (48%) come from the East Netherlands. 3
Some key figures for East Netherlands
Dynamic start-up climate
The business community consists mainly of small and medium-sized companies. The East Netherlands has relatively few large, dominant companies that have a large impact on the regional economy. However, East Netherlands has a dynamic start-up climate, with regional hotspots such as StartLife, Gelderland Valorises! and Novel-T.
The East Netherlands as R&D gateway to Europe
East Netherlands is the connection of the Randstad and the Dutch ports with Europe and the Scandinavian countries. Not just for logistics, but also for cooperation with German and Scandinavian innovative ecosystems. Two important corridors run through the East Netherlands to Germany that provide access to the North, East and South. The location on the border makes cooperation with North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony obvious. Many new companies that set up business in the Netherlands choose East Netherlands because of its relationship with the German hinterland and the accessibility of Europe.
