1. Jan Wester Economic Board Utrecht
Pioneering Europe 2020 Smart Regions Utrecht (Northwing) turning societal challenges into entrepreneurial opportunities
Jan Wester
Economic Board Utrecht

2. Northwing
Utrecht is part of the Northwing region that also includes Amsterdam and Almere.
4mln inhabitants
Top 5 economic regions in Europe
Utrecht
(Northwing)

3. Economic Board Utrecht Economic Development Board Almere
Human Capital
ICT info and infrastructures
Serviceinnovation
ICT’s and Media
Services Industry
life sciences
Sustainability &
greening economy
Economic Board Utrecht
Theme’s
Economic Development Board Almere
Health Life sciences
Creative Industry
Amsterdam Economic Board
crossover
crossover

4. Citizens/civil society
Policy mix
Developing Regional Eco-Systems
Address Societal Challenges to create local value and foster SME participation
And organise (New) Ownership for sustainability
Citizens/civil society
Government
Business
Knowledge
Business
Government
Knowledge

5. Q-Helix dynamics Action Research Development of methods & tools
Shared “learning curb”
Benchlearning
Know What
Business,
Civil society etc.
Know Why
Government and public
autorities
Know How
Knowledge institutes
results
knowledge
methods
concepts
evidence
base policy
directions
needs
examples
Implementation of real projects
Organisation of “living labs”
The picture shows the dynamics of this (quadruple) helix “playground”.
It combines action (what) with vision (why) and supplies the means (how) to make it work and learn!
Structuring and facilitating activities
Coherent (regional) socio- economic policies
Smart Specialisation Strategy
Jan Wester

6. Big Data in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area needs a place!
The Almere Big Data example of ICT as Smart Specialisation Strategy
Big Data in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area needs a place!
Jan Wester

7. Initiatives Policy commitment: 4 year project Almere DataCapital.
Opening an Almere campus for Big Data with several elements:
Almere DataCapital (Policy Program)
Dutch HealthHub (Business and societal values)
Big Data Value Center (to connect SME’s and Education)
Development of the Big Data home market through Smart Society program (local value)

8. Campus Almere: connect SME’s and Education
Data Hubs
Value Center
Big Data Projects
Demonstrotor
Collaboratorium
Incubator
Testfacilities
Training and knowledge gateway

9. Big Data Value Center Almere
Main functions:
Big Data business (co- creation platform, incubator etc.)
Big Data connection (networking/marketing)
Big Data learning (education and R&D)
Big data learning
Big data connection
Big data business

10. Connecting to regional complimentary eco-systems
Eco-systeem
Big Data
ADC
Media
H’sum
Life science
Utrecht
Geo-cluster
A’foort
Food valley
A’dam ICT and New Media
Almere kan in dat verband vanuit Big dat een mooie brug- en koppelfunctie vervullen tussen specialisaties in steden binnen de Norrdvleugel ( en ook daar buiten). Hierdoor draagt Almere sterk bij aan de ontwikkeling regionale complementariteit binnen de Noordvleugel

11. Spinn-off: Dutch Health Hub

12. Connecting to local developments and societal challenges

13. Collaboration: benchlearning
local agenda’s
regional living lab
governance
Reflective monitoring
feedback
Transformation = learning
In order to cooperate we need to combine tools in a
Benchlearning strategy:
Local digital/innovation agendas (policy tools)
Regional living labs (scientific tools)
Clear ownership pyramid and co-creating partnerships (governance tools)
Benchlearning: Applying a reflective “monitoring and evaluation” methodology to monitor, validate and learn (feedback tools)
What todo interregionally?
Developing instrumentation on trans-sectoral “entrepreneurial discovery processes”
Indicators on “resilience” and transactional capacities
Methods for inter-regional validation