Agreement to build innovative Atrium on Brainport Industries Campus
Preparations for the realisation of the first cluster of Brainport Industries Campus in Eindhoven North West are in full swing. The first cluster forms the ‘Factory of the Future’ and consists of spaces for innovative production companies (such as first tenant KMWE), and a space for communal facilities, the so-called Atrium. The Province of Noord-Brabant, initiator SDK Vastgoed (VolkerWessels) and the municipality of Eindhoven have reached agreement on the financing of the Atrium. The campus is important for the economic development of the region and increasing employment. The Atrium has an important social function in this respect, for example, for innovation, public and education.
The Atrium will be the heart of the new campus. An innovative meeting place with shared machines, laboratories and clean rooms. Companies, research institutes and educational institutions will be able to use the Atrium and learn from each other and realise innovations through collaboration. The joint logistics zone is located underneath the Atrium. The view within the Atrium to the business areas is transparent due to the extensive use of glass facades. In this way, parts of the production process of the companies are visible to the public.
The total investment for the construction of the first cluster amounts to approximately 100 million euros. In addition to private R&D investments, the government also sees a responsibility to contribute. After all, without innovation, there is no strong future industry. That is why the Province of Noord-Brabant and the Municipality of Eindhoven are providing a loan totalling € 11.2 million. In addition, the province is prepared to provide a subsidy of €1.5 million for the basic furnishing and operation of the Atrium to future tenants.
Deputy Erik van Merrienboer (Spatial Planning) explains the decision of the Provincial Executive: “If our high-tech industry in Brabant wants to remain competitive worldwide, it will have to work together smarter in new concepts. Brainport Industries Campus responds to that demand from the industry. The way in which this is done is so innovative and unexplored that the government is partly responsible for financing it.” Alderman Staf Depla of Eindhoven expands: “The arrival of Brainport Industries Campus is good news for the residents of the entire region. Good news because it creates jobs at all (educational) levels. Ferdinand Gremmen, Director of SDK Vastgoed, endorses the need to facilitate small innovative companies in the manufacturing and supply industry to create a healthy basis for the future: “A future in which there are plenty of opportunities for our young technical talents.”
Both the Provincial Council and the Mayor and Aldermen of Eindhoven have agreed to the main points of this agreement. The Municipal Council is still to be heard about this and the Provincial Council has yet to give its opinion on parts of this agreement.
Brainport Industries Campus can get started
At the end of September, the BIC zoning plan was irrevocably adopted by the Council of State. This is an important milestone in the development of this innovative campus. Initiator VolkerWessels company SDK Vastgoed is building a sustainable international campus for knowledge-intensive companies in the supply and manufacturing industry in the Brainport region, the Factory of the Future. As a result, borders between companies are disappearing, making new models of cooperation possible. The ambition is for the campus to grow into an international showcase that reinforces the strength of the supply chain in the region. Government parties support this innovative initiative, given the major benefits for strengthening the Brainport region and employment.