TerugblIQ – InnovationQuarter 2017 Annual Report

In 2017, InnovationQuarter attracted a record number of foreign companies to West Holland, made 23 new investments and established over 50 innovative partnerships between companies. These annual results mean that the agency has had yet another record 12-month period in its fourth year of existence. This is evident from TerugblIQ, the 2017 Annual Report, which is published today. InnovationQuarter’s activities in 2017 led to € 146 million of additional private investment and the creation of more than 1,500 high-quality jobs in the region.

More collaboration and more implementation strength
Collaboration has been key to the success of InnovationQuarter since its inception in 2014. As the regional development agency for West Holland, InnovationQuarter works to strengthen the innovation eco system by working with companies, knowledge institutions, cluster and delta organisations and incubators, as well as financiers and investors, top sectors and government agencies. The aim is a West Holland ecosystem that helps parties to find each other easily, stimulates cross-pollination between the strong regional clusters, facilitates the growth of innovative firms and attracts foreign companies.

InnovationQuarter was evaluated in mid-2017. The evaluation report concluded: “With the arrival of InnovationQuarter, our implementation strength in terms of structurally strengthening the economy and stimulating innovation has increased considerably, and collaboration in West Holland has grown rapidly.”

More results
InnovationQuarter exceeded its ambitious objectives for 2017 in all areas.

  • InnovationQuarter Business Development achieved 56 business cases and innovation projects with an investment volume of €23 million. InnovationQuarter worked with several hundred companies on these partnerships. These were often trend-setting, cross-sectoral projects focusing on the transition to the ‘next economy’.
  • InnovationQuarter Foreign Investments helped 50 foreign companies to establish themselves, move to or expand in the region. Within three years, these enterprises expect to create 1,204 extra jobs in West Holland and invest an additional €78.4 million. Since InnovationQuarter started out in 2014, the number of foreign companies landing in West Holland has increased by no less than 76% (*), partly due to the joint efforts of our acquisition partners.
  • InnovationQuarter Capital invested in 23 companies during 2017. While IQCapital was responsible for 14 investments, UNIIQ funded the other nine. As a result of these investments, the amount of additional capital attracted to the region was €44.6 million. The companies in the agency’s portfolio expect to create 348 extra jobs over the next three years. What is remarkable is that IQCapital and UNIIQ were the most active investment funds in the Netherlands in 2017. Moreover, ENERGIIQ, the West Holland energy innovation fund, was launched in September 2017.

In addition, InnovationQuarter not only supports entrepreneurs based in the region to achieve their internationalisation ambitions but also serves as the link between the ‘top sector policy’ of the national government and the regional business community. Moreover, InnovationQuarter presents West Holland as a unique delta region, a 24/7 real-life testing ground for promising innovations.

“In everything we do as a regional development agency, we try to maximise our added value. We do this by drawing on the combined strength of various networks, knowledge sources and expertise”, says Rinke Zonneveld, director of InnovationQuarter. “This means we are more than a connector and a catalyst, more than an acquisition agency and more than an investor!”

Shareholders InnovationQuarter receive the first copy of TerugblIQ, the InnovationQuarter 2017 Annual Report.

Roadmap to the Next Economy
InnovationQuarter’s annual report gives a voice to entrepreneurs who make use of high-impact, leading-edge technologies: business people at the forefront of innovation and for whom collaboration is key for the future.

Rinke Zonneveld: “In light of our ambition to tackle important social issues in fields such as healthcare, security and energy, these are the entrepreneurs we like to help. This enables us to bring the ‘next economy’ closer within our region. This year, InnovationQuarter and our many partners will provide a strong boost in this area by assuming responsibility for launching the Roadmap for the Next Economy.”

* This concerns the projects completed by the regional acquisition agencies Rotterdam Partners, The Hague Busines Agency and InnovationQuarter in collaboration with the NFIA (Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency).

TerugblIQ – InnovationQuarter 2017 Annual Report
Curious about our results? View here the InnovationQuarter 2017 Annual Report (in Dutch). Would you like to receive a hard copy of the Annual Report? Send an email with your contact details to: communicatie@innovationquarter.nl.

TerugblIQ – InnovationQuarter 2017 Annual Report

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