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INSIDE BRAINPORT EINDHOVEN

The future of technology in Brainport Eindhoven International companies that made the move Inspiring Events & much more INSIDE SUMMER 2019

COLOPHON PRODUCTION:

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Frans van Beveren Annemiek Bles Natasja Eerens Roosmarie Voss

Nick Bookelaar Diewke van der Heuvel Tommy Köhlbrugge Bart van Overbeeke Paul Raats Mike Roelofs Bart Roos Bram Saeys Niek Totté Oscar Vinck

TEXT: Linda Bak Sabine te Braake Frans van Beveren Milan Lenters Caroline Lichtenberg Renske Mehra Erika van der Merwe Corine Spaans

DESIGN: Frans van Beveren

WELCOME TO BRAINPORT EINDHOVEN

This is an independent magazine, published by Innovation Origins and Brainport Development The publisher has made every effort to ensure that the information within this publicantion is correct at the time of going to print and to arrange copyright in accordance with existing legislation. If you feel that these rights may have been infringed in spite of this, please contact the publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Our world is changing constantly and ever faster. What will we need in ten, twenty years? What do we devote our energy to? When you think about that future, you think about the world of our children. It doesn’t get any more critical. That’s why we invent and make products that have an impact on the planet. We do this at the highest conceivable level, at the peak of what is technologically possible. Leaders in technology in the field of mobility, health, nutrition and energy find their logical home base here in Brainport Eindhoven. Because here you can discover and pioneer. You have to dare to think in an idiosyncratic way to be able to move forward. Our focus is on cooperation. That is no coincidence but a choice. We have created an environment that is characterised by trust. Through open innovation. Through sincere knowledge of each other and each other’s work. A unique formula for success. In which we challenge ourselves and each other to think further. Anyone who wants to participate is welcome! John (J.A.) Jorritsma President of Brainport

ABOUT THE COVER Solar Team Eindhoven, a student team participates every two years in the World Solar Challenge in Australia. Ever since they started competing, they have won in the Cruiser Class, with their solar powered family car. On the cover, you can see their car during a starry night. Photo by Bart van Overbeeke 2

CONTENTS

THE FUTURE OF... 14 52 72 80

Smart Mobility 3D-Printing MedTech Integrated Photonics

THE ENGINEER & THE ENTREPRENEUR

GET TO KNOW BRAINPORT EINDHOVEN 6 12 20 34 70 84 88 90 92 94

About Brainport Eindhoven Brainports Hotspots Top notch tech Facts & Figures Brainports campuses A gateway to Europe Art & Technology Urban development 10 Reasons to join Brainport Development

INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES THAT MADE THE MOVE

THE BRAINPORT WAY OF COLLABORATION 44 46 48

Not your usual sponsor deal Getting together to innovate International collaboration leads to innovation

THROUGH THE EYES OF: 18 50 76

Andressa from Brazil Marie from Slovakia Tufail from Pakistan

35 FROM START TO SCALE-UP: THE DUTCH TESLA

56 URBAN OR JUNGLE?

INSPIRING EVENTS: 30 78 86 4

Dutch Design Week Glow DTW

MARIE FROM SLOVAKIA

50 5

ABOUT BRAINPORT EINDHOVEN In Brainport Eindhoven, innovations are realised that

access to physical and fiscal facilities for cost-efficient

light up the world. Smart, inquisitive minds meet to

development. Because of this joint innovation, Brainport

challenge each other, collaborate and achieve the

companies are able to market their products, parts or

seemingly impossible. This pioneering spirit and the

systems within a considerably shorter period of time at

fact that we dare to make bold choices in focussing on

competitive costs. Moreover, Brainport Eindhoven is

future technologies makes us Europe’s leading high-

strategically located in Europe, has the second largest

tech region. Home to companies and organisations that

Dutch

consistently come up with technological breakthroughs

workforce, a thriving and growing international

that transform lives.

community and offers all facilities needed for a high

airport,

highly

educated,

multi-lingual

quality of life. We are known for our unparalleled innovative strength and our integral and multi-disciplinary way of working.

Accelerating new ideas

We excel at inventing, developing and integrating the world’s most complex high-tech machines, systems,

Innovations are accelerated thanks to the freedom to

parts and products at utmost precision and with

try out new ideas. This is a great opportunity for smart

unprecedented accuracy. Machines and technologies

people with the same open attitude, creative spirit,

that make it possible to create tomorrow’s products

idiosyncratic talent and perseverance who (also) want

and invent solutions for future societal challenges.

to deviate from the beaten track. People who want to

Think, for example, of lithography machines that

collaborate structurally with designers, engineers and

produce chips for 80% of all smartphones on this globe,

inventors. This open attitude in combination with

of smart health innovations developed with doctors

technological progress results in dynamic growth of

and patients, of electron microscopes that lead to

progressive

revolutionary breakthroughs in cancer research and of

workers, young entrepreneurs and creative designers

truck platooning initiatives that will soon define the

from the most diverse backgrounds and cultures. In

future of mobility .. and more …

this way, Brainport Eindhoven grows into a trendy

companies,

(international)

Think. Make. Matter. Join.

knowledge

melting pot that is bursting with energy and possibilities.

A technology ecosystem

Everyone feels and experiences that the future is literally and figuratively made here.

If choosing for Brainport, you choose to join a complete and unique technology ecosystem that consists of OEMs, SMEs, suppliers, contract manufacturers and knowledge institutes that cooperate closely and have

Mark Menting is founder and managing director of Smart Robotics, an agency that sells and rents robots to companies. With software developed in-house, these robots are adapted to perform specific operations. With the support of the government and universities, the company also set up a robot academy to train employees of companies in how to use robots.

Did they actually already know each other?

& the entrepreneur the engineer

Written by: Renske Mehra Photography: Bram Saeys He is a pioneer in applications of robotics. She is very

everything that has to do with innovation and is curious

successful in the hospitality industry. Mark Menting

about what the robots that Menting provides to

meets Eveline Wu in her restaurant Wynwood at Strijp-S.

companies can do for her. On this sunny morning, the

What can one person’s technology do for another’s

two of them will explore the possibilities of robotics in

work? They held an open discussion about what is

the hospitality industry.

already possible - and whether you want it to be. Eveline Wu grew up in the vicinity of Shanghai. At age 15 Menting: “Last week in Milan I took my first Uber and

she and her parents moved to Brabant, Netherlands,

then...”

where she took her first steps in the business world in her father’s restaurant. Soon thereafter she opened

Wu (Bursts out laughing): “Mark, had you never used

her own business. Wu now has four restaurants in

Uber before?!”

Eindhoven: Soho, Kreeftenbar, Mood by Eveline Wu and Wynwood. Recently she took over Las Palmas in

Eveline Wu is not at all “technical,” but is probably the

Rotterdam, the restaurant of TV chef Herman den

early adapter of the two. She is very interested in

Blijker. In 2017, Eveline Wu was proclaimed Ethnic

Menting: “I didn’t know Eveline yet, but I am a fan of

in preparation for this conversation. What motives do

her restaurants. I like to go to Mood. Also, I brought a

you have as a catering entrepreneur to work with a

group of European distributors to Wynwood. We

robot? The ones we develop and deploy are primarily

enjoyed the good food and great atmosphere of

intended for an industrial manufacturing environment,

Strijp-S.” Wu: “I didn’t know Mark either, but I’m very curious about his work. I go to China about three or four times a year and last time I was waited on by a robot.”

Menting: “How exactly did that work?”

“It would be nice to be welcomed by a robot”

for

example,

manufacturers.

nut

Robots

remain machines in that setting. In the hospitality industry, it’s much more about

service

and

attention.” Wu: “I think it could be interesting if robots took over

tasks

from

the

operator. But certainly not all of them, no.”

Wu picks up her phone and shows him a video. “See,

Menting: “Robots are still particularly good at repetitive

these robots ride on rails and bring orders to your table.

and predictable tasks, such as stacking boxes on a

Then the robot spins (‘bbzzztt’) and a waiter comes and

pallet. But they can’t really interpret a new situation or

puts the plates on the tables. I thought it was a great

respond to it yet.”

experience.” She laughs: “So if you can develop something like that for me, I’ll buy it right away.”

Wu: “It would be nice to be welcomed at the entrance by

Menting: (Laughs)”Yes, I was already trying to imagine it

a robot.” Menting: “Yes, of course you could do that. We are also currently working on the use of chatbots. In our case, this will enable employees to give orders to a robot. I like it when a sommelier advises you about a good wine or when the cook tells you what he has made. I would never completely replace that with a robot.” Wu: “Yes, personal attention is essential. But I also think it’s important to show innovation.

Business Woman of the Year. 8

What developments do you see in robotics now?”

Wu: “So a robot is good at simple actions?” Menting: “There are usually a few reasons why you start

Menting: “What people are good at, such as interpreting

working with robots. It’s about taking care of

a situation and anticipating it, a robot can’t do that at

ergonomically demanding work, responding to staff

this stage at all. You just mentioned a robot in China

shortages, replacing repetitive and boring tasks, and

that rides on a rail in a restaurant. The new form of

reducing the costs of the production process. But those

robotics should actually be much more flexible. What

arguments aren’t the same for the hospitality industry,

you see now, for example, at Eindhoven University of

I think. As a chef, you really create things.”

Technology, are robots that navigate in a space themselves. They make a map of their surroundings

Wu: “Well, when I’m in the kitchen myself, sometimes I

and can thus navigate in 3D. There are scanners on the

feel like a robot. A cook, too, does a lot of the same

ground so that they can see, for instance, a table leg.

thing. Some things can be replaced by machines, but

What a robot can’t do on its own is to understand that

that doesn’t always improve the taste. A good cook

there is also a table top above the table leg, which is

doesn’t want to give this up.”

also something they can collide with. Learning such associations is one of the major challenges.”

Menting: “Yes, these are very subjective factors. Does something taste good? That’s difficult for a robot to

Wu: “In China you see robots everywhere right now.”

determine.”

Menting: “Yes, things are going fast in China. Last year, more robots were sold there than in Europe and the

The discussion is now also about other innovations. Wu

United States combined.”

has just attended a workshop to see what she can do with the 3D printing of food. Next, the self-driving car will be discussed.

“I don’t think you should replace everything with technology”

Menting: “That’s interesting, actually. That’s how I think it goes with the acceptance of new technologies. Some you pick up right away, others you push in front of you. I also find it very nice to drive a car myself. I don’t think you should replace everything with technology either.” Wu: “We now work a lot more with screens in the kitchen. Instead of hanging vouchers with the orders, the cook now sees on his screen which table is having what. No more hassle with papers that are blown away or numbers that are not easy to read. And you can see at a glance how long a guest has been waiting.” Menting: “True, waiting is never fun as a guest. Sometimes you spend half an hour asking for the bill. It would be preferable to just press a button.”

Wu: “I can’t wait until it’s on the market!” Wu: “And then have a robot come take care of you! Menting talks about his Uber experience in Milan.

That’s not so hard, is it, Mark?”

Wu (surprised): “But Uber has been around for years, hasn’t it? How is it possible that you had never used it before?”

BRAINPORTâ€™S HOTSPOTS

If you want to look at Brainport Eindhoven from above with a nice cocktail in your hand, the VANE Restaurant & Skybar is the place for you. At the top of the NH hotel in the centre of Eindhoven, you can enjoy a drink and a bite with a view.

From 1894 until 1932, cocoa powder

and

chocolate

products were made in the centre of Helmond. Now the Cacaofabriek is a cultural centre with expositions, a cinema, concerts and a restaurant.

An old weaving mill, designed by the Dutch architect and furniture

designer

Gerrit

Rietveld, is now home to Bruns, a developer of exhibitions. It is used as a workplace, but also for exhibitions. The gardens Do you want to go out to eat something nice but

surrounding the building are

donâ€™t know what you fancy? Pop into the Down Town

open to the public.

Gourmet Market in Eindhoven. From sushi to tacos and from the Indonesian to the Afghani kitchen, there is something for everyone. 12

THE FUTURE OF

MOBILITY

In Brainport Eindhoven, people are hard at work on the

example, where next to those start-ups and student

electric buses that VDL makes, has been integrated into

The future of mobility that is being developed in

future of Mobility. At the Eindhoven University of

teams, the Dutch research institute TNO is focused on

the trucks of DAF. Thanks to VDL, Eindhoven has the

Brainport Eindhoven is one of smart mobility. Cars will

Technology, where researchers are working towards

different areas of Smart Mobility.

largest fleet of electric buses in Europe.

be connected and sustainable, just as all our other

safer, smarter and more sustainable forms of mobility.

modes of transportation. It also will be a lot safer,

The Solar Team Eindhoven has been the champion of

With a large heritage of building cars, the company DAF

The future of smart mobility is largely powered by

thanks to autonomous driving, powered by electronics

the World Solar Challenge three times in a row. TU/

still produces vehicles in the Brainport Area. The

computers, and that is exactly one of the areas which

that is developed here.

ecomotive meanwhile, is trying to build the worldâ€™s first

company makes trucks and is working towards

chipmaker NXP is focused on at the High Tech Campus

circular car. A lot of the students that have taken part in

sustainable transport. For their first fully electric truck,

Eindhoven. They work on electronics for, amongst

a student team go on to found a start-up. Those start-

they collaborated closely with another large automotive

others, autonomous driving, electric powertrains and

ups can find a place on the Automotive Campus for

company in Brainport: VDL. The technology of the

connected cars.

The solar team of the Eindhoven University of Technology has won the World Solar Challenge three times in a row. The car can hold five passengers and is road legal. Former members of the team have started their own company: Lightyear, that is now producing a car for consumers.

Spike A student team from the Eindhoven University of Technology, called STORM, drove across the world in 80 days on an ©Bart van Overbeeke

It’s Friday afternoon and Emma has a practical day today. She has agreed with her group at school to work together on a group assignment. She always enjoys going to school, because she can put into practice the knowledge she gained at home in the virtual lessons. After school, she has agreed with a number of classmates to go shopping. The plan was to go to Berlin but her ‘smart assistant’ just told her that the Superzug has a delay which would take them almost two hours to complete. She immediately sees some alternatives. Ah, a new experience store has been opened in Düsseldorf, only ten minutes away. She quickly sends a message to her mother. Emma smiles, her mother will say that she had previously demonstrated for a direct connection of one hour. ‘An hour, what a waste of time’, it flashes through her head.

Stella Vie

©Bart van Overbeeke

A DAY IN THE FUTURE

STUDENTS SET THE EXAMPLES

electric bike. The students then went on to found the company SPIKE, that develops electric drivetrains for bikes in Africa.

InMotion These record holding students have managed to get the fastest lap with an electric vehicle on the circuits of Zandvoort,

©Johan van Uden

Zolder and Assen. Now they want to be

the first to compete in the 24H of Le Mans with an fully electric car. The team wants to accomplish this by developing a charging system that can charge the battery up to 80% in under two minutes.

“During my student exchange program in Torino, Italy, I went on holiday to the Netherlands. Since then I wanted to live there. It is so nice and easy. It’s a country where almost everything works perfectly and people know how to enjoy life too.”

THROUGH THE EYES OF: ANDRESSA FROM BRAZIL 18

Text: Sabine te Braake Photography: Diewke van den Heuvel

JALILA ESSAÏDI FROM SHIT TO SHIRTS

SIGNIFY LIGHT UP THE WORLD

-shirts, books, plastic cups: for these

ways to use the manure itself. She decomposes it

kinds of products we normally have

and uses the ‘new’ cellulose for new products out of

to make an assault on nature. Grow

biomaterials, such as plastics, textiles and paper.

and harvest plants, cut trees or use oil. Jalila Essaïdi promises to change this.

With cow shit.

When she launched her Mestic project, she immediately proved that you can actually make something from her unconventional material: she

he company that is famous for

along the Pearl River area in China. “As well as

bringing light to Eindhoven is, of

highlighting architectural features, the connected

course, Philips. With its lightbulb

LED lighting is used to create dynamic light effects

factories, the company had a huge

and images to be projected on the buildings such as

impact on the city of Eindhoven.

blossoming flowers.”

Nowadays, the lighting division of the company, called Signify, is bringing light to other parts of the world.

From landmarks in Vietnam and skyscrapers in

Essaïdi is a designer and entrepreneur but above all a

put on a fashion show, where all the dresses showed

pioneer who is looking for solutions to major societal

were made from manure. Part of her goal is to inspire

With its LED technology, Signify makes light in a city

whenever a train crosses the bridge, Signify put up

challenges. In Eindhoven, she created her own kind

people to work with sustainable materials, or as

into an art: “During the night the lights from the

a show. For many of the installations, the company

of campus: the BioArt Village. In old barracks from

Essaïdi puts it herself: “manure is valuable. In fact, it’s a

buildings are reflected in the river, creating spectacular

works with lighting artist and designers.

the second world war, she has made a place for

gold mine.”

watercolours to enchant citizens and tourists”, said

talented designers and artists to work at the crossover

China, all the way to a bridge in Zagreb that lights up

Jacques Letzelter, Global Business Leader Public

The Eindhoven company not only uses light to make a

of science, arts and nature, and create innovative

Prior to working on Mestic, Essaïdi received worldwide

Segment at Signify about the illumination of 24

city look nice, but it also works on many applications

materials and creative solutions.

fame for her bulletproof skin based on spider silk. Not

buildings in Guangzhou’s central business district

for its technology. Olympic stadiums, vertical farms

only because of the use of new bio-based technology, To stop the manure problem, she doesn’t look at

but also because of the ethical consequences: she

farmers to produce less of it, but she finds new

refused to sell her findings to the US Army.

and concert stages are all illuminated by Signify.

DAVE HAKKENS PLASTIC IS PRECIOUS

he designer Dave Hakkens, was

he wants to recycle plastic: “I wanted to do something

still a student when he was gaining

about the waste of plastic with this project. There are

global recognition for his Phonebloks

currently billions of kilos of plastic on the bottom of

concept, and his ideas began to spread

the ocean. Plastic that is being eaten by fish, pollutes

over the world. He graduated from the

the environment and eventually ends up on your

Design Academy Eindhoven Cum Laude, where he also

WHY INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES CHOOSE BRAINPORT EINDHOVEN

plate.”

came up with the idea for Precious Plastic. You can build a machine yourself, as all the The Precious Plastic machine forms plastic back to a

instructions are open source and available on the

raw material from which you can easily make a new

website of Precious Plastic. And according to Hakkens,

product yourself, such as a vase or a bowl. Those

it doesn’t take much to actually make one: “That

machines are being built all over the world, from

depends on how handy you are, but it can be built

Valencia and Moscow to Rio de Janeiro and Kuala

in a couple of days. Many parts can be found on the

Lumpur.

scrap. I think the materials all together will cost you

Three international companies talk about why they moved to Brainport Eindhoven, and how they like it so far.

100 to 200 euros. But the threshold remains too high Hakkens explained the project and told us about why

for some. We want to make a starter kit in the next version, with which you can get to work right away.”

Soft landing For Shimano, Europe is its largest market. The company,

Attracting a company like Shimano has been a joint

known for its bicycle parts manufacturing as well as

effort by the Brabant Development Agency (BOM), the

making cutting edge fishing and rowing equipment,

High

had outgrown its location in Nunspeet and was looking

Development. The latter provided a ‘soft landing’

for a new home. Marc van Rooij, President Shimano

opportunity to the company and its employees. This

In 2016, Shimano opened its European headquarters at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven. The Japanese company chose Eindhoven for various reasons. Also, the majority of its employees said yes to working in the Brainport region – some not only moved their office but also their entire family to Brabant.

Eindhoven

and

Brainport

meant an organized

the

tour at an early stage

instructions

“Find a location where

Written by: Renske Mehra Photography: Bart Roos | the Identiteam

Campus

Europe, spoke about received from Japan:

Shimano: finding sports tech & design

Tech

Shimano Europe can maintain its present position as the market leader for the next 25 years.

doesn’t

matter

it’s

Portugal, Switzerland, the Netherlands, or Finland, just find the best location.” The company chose the High Tech Campus Eindhoven

for

specific reason. Van Rooij explained why: “The Brainport region

“By being here, we can strengthen our position, and we are more likely to attract international talent”

for

the

people

Shimano to introduce them to the Eindhoven region

and

surrounding Several

the areas.

employees

eventually chose to move to Eindhoven or a quieter spot in one of

the

surrounding

villages. The city also organized

introduction town facilities

and

the other

such

schools.

Red carpet treatment

is the frontrunner in

Naomie

Europe when it comes

Program

Verstraeten, Director

to business and knowledge in the field of sports,

Brainport International Programme, wanted a “red

technology and design. By being here, we can

carpet treatment” as a reception. “When an organization

strengthen our position, and we are more likely to

with so many people is moving to Eindhoven, it is critical

attract international talent. In addition, the location

both for the company and its employees to feel at home

played a role. The High Tech Campus is located in a

here.” Brainport Development has organized similar

central and accessible position just a short distance

red carpet receptions earlier to welcome large

from the Eindhoven international airport.”

organizations in the region, like the DIFFER institute and the European Air Transport Command.

Thermodata: re-calibrating in Eindhoven

For some products or processes, the smallest fluctuation in temperature can be fatal. IVFLabs for example, here a change of only 0,5 degrees can affect the viability of an embryo. Therefore it’s important to exactly monitor the temperature so that researchers can take action when something is amiss. That’s exactly what Thermodata does. The American start-up, founded by two Australians, offers a temperature monitoring solution for hospitals and labs. From their office in Eindhoven, they develop and produce precisely calibrated loggers. Also, they developed an automated process for calibrating sensors in their in-house calibration lab.

Written by: Milan Lenters Photography: Bart Roos | the Identiteam “Normally it takes several days to calibrate 250 loggers, but Robert can do the same amount in 4 hours”, says Jenny Samfat. She and Robert Keith founded the company in 2011 and since then developed all kind of sensors. “How we do this? Everyone wants to know. But it is our secret. I laugh when people say it’s AI. Well there is some logic to it, but don’t forget that Robert has been working on this for years”, Samfat tells with a big smile. When she shows the lab, which is the size of a big broom closet, her smile gets even bigger: “We don’t need much space to do these really accurate calibrations.” She explains that loggers have to be re-calibrated every year and this has to be done by an independent lab or by a technician who visits the customer’s premises.

“We can be geeks here”

Samfat: “When the calibration period of a logger

Thermodata

chose

the

Netherlands

for

their

expires, we send our customers new ones that are

headquarters because of the willingness from the

already calibrated to minimise the downtime. On top of

government to help start-ups. Samfat: “We participated

that, we offer a cloud service where researchers can

in the Rockstart Digital Health accelerator program in

review the collected data to make key decisions. All

Nijmegen and when we completed the program we

data is managed in one place in the cloud, so goodbye

searched for suitable office and lab space at an

to handwritten lists and spreadsheets. You would be

affordable price. With help from Brainport Development

surprised to see how many labs filled with the fanciest

we came to Eindhoven, where there was space available

equipment still record measurements manually.”

at Microlab. The rich history of Philips is evident in this area, a lot of companies are spin-offs. We like the vibe,

Samfat and Keith decided to leave the USA for a number

people are really open to new things and breath

of reasons: “The first one was that we didn’t like where

technology. We can be geeks here, a lot of people have

the Trump administration was heading. It has an impact

the same mentality. They don’t want to hear something

on international trade. We payed 20 per cent tariff on

is impossible before they even try. They make sure to

the parts from China. This made it harder to be

try every trick in the book, that’s the environment in

competitive.Also, our working visa was coming up for

which we want to grow the company.”

renewal and we were hesitating to renew it. We thought about doing our production and R&D in Europe because we have a lot of business there.”

That physical place was created with the Brainport

According to Mennen, this exchange can only happen if

Industries

high-tech

companies can easily come together. “And that’s made

“All

the

possible here. The lines are literally shorter because

companies located here make very complex things,

you meet each other in the Atrium or just visit people.

often in small volumes. That makes it different from

Plus, it is also good for the atmosphere because you

mass production, where one product rolls off the

see each other for Friday evening drinks,” Mennen says.

production line in large numbers. Here production lines

Between sharing knowledge, collaborating in field labs

need to be able to switch quickly between different

and the short lines of communication, Mennen believes

products or specific adjustments, because not everyone

that the companies on the campus are able to take the

asks for the same thing. A conveyor belt is not enough

next step more quickly, such as towards automatic

for this type of production. It requires a different way of

programming, for example: “In the High Tech Software

Campus,

manufacturing

thinking,”

Yaskawa: at the factory of the future Written by: Milan Lenters Photography: Bart Roos | the Identiteam

Yaskawa, a Japanese company with offices all over the world, makes robotic systems and software for production processes. On the Brainport Industries Campus (BIC), the company is working with various other parties on a factory that can run day and night. Eddie Mennen, managing director at Yaskawa Benelux, talks about the decision to move to the BIC. “It started about eight years ago with the establishment of Brainport Industries where all kinds of companies from the manufacturing industry started to work together to accelerate innovation, among other things. That collaboration was never really visible, but the desire to make it concrete was there.”

industry,

Yaskawa, for example, recently worked with KMWE, Rubix and Ijssel on the development of fully

automatic

vehicle (FAVs) with a robotic

arm

exchange

automated

tools in CNC machines. Mennen: “We do this in the

Advanced

Manufactured Logistics

field

lab.

Every party contributes knowledge;

says

for

the

Mennen.

Mennen

explains.

centre

Rubix

good with FAVs, Ijssel

Competence

“There are still boys and girls in high school who think that technology will make your hands dirty”

Centre,

companies are working on

one-on-one

simulations of reality. Here,

production

processes

are

simulated so that you can test whether it works well in practice. This results in a lot of data, so the next step is to use this data to write automatic code for

machines.

parties

All

campus

benefit from this.” “The great thing is that the campus has an

has developed the IT

inspiring

system and we have

Normally you wouldn’t

function.

focused on the vision. Such a vehicle must stop very

be able to see so well how this works. When the Atrium

accurately in front of the equipment so that the robotic

is completely finished, it will look attractive and open

arm can pick up the right parts. By sharing this

with a lot of glass. Visitors will get a better idea of what

knowledge and expertise, we can develop beautiful

exactly the high-tech manufacturing industry does. This

things faster and save costs. We also involve as many

also has a positive impact on education. There are still

suppliers as possible in the work on this product in the

boys and girls in high school who think that technology

process. This ensures that things that are envisioned

will make your hands dirty. On campus we show that

can be put into practice more quickly. That’s only

the opposite is true.”

possible with intensive cooperation.”

DUTCH DESIGN WEEK: IMAGINE THE FUTURE Every October, the city of Eindhoven is transformed into a city of design as the Dutch Design Week arrives. Where Salone del Mobile shows what is in store for design in the next few years, Dutch Design Week shows us what the future could look like. The largest design event in Northern Europe shows of

the organizer of DDW, “We have a theme every year.

work of more than 2600 designers. Unlike other

That’s not meant to put designers in a pattern,

design weeks, the DDW doesn’t only show new

because that doesn’t work anyway, but to explain to

furniture and industrial design, but also a glimpse of

the outside world what designers are doing.”

↑

©Waag

©Oscar Vinck

Dutch Design Week 2019 19 - 27 October

At the exhibition Manifestations, Design and Technology

The Eindhoven hospital Máxima Medical Centre

really come together. The exhibition gives us a sneak

displayed a concept of an artificial uterus that it is

preview of what the future could look like, as well as ask

developing. Such a ‘womb’ serves as a replacement for

the question of how we want the future to look like. It

the incubator. The concept, which had already appeared

also gives us a warning about technology through

to be successful with a newborn lamb, is much more

design: that not everything that is possible is also the

natural due to it being way more similar to the

right thing to develop.

circumstances of a real uterus.

↓

the future and technology. With its so-called Embassies dedicated to societal challenges like global

About those designers, Paulen says: “They come up

warming and the production of food, the DDW wants

with solutions, create innovations, are progressive

to focus on how we can make the future more

and make things tangible and functional. It’s up to all

sustainable.

of us to embrace and stimulate creative solutions. Together we determine what the world looks like.”

lectures, exhibitions and debates during the week.

Dutch Design Week is one of the largest events in the

This year’s theme of the week is ‘If not Now, then

Brainport region, with more than 350,000 visitors

When?’ “It’s a strange time, in which we have a lot of

from home and abroad. Throughout the city of

possibilities, technology is developing rapidly, but at

Eindhoven, there are more than 110 locations that

the same time we really need to get to work”, says

take part in DDW.

Martijn Paulen, CEO of the Dutch Design Foundation, 30

©Tommy Köhlbrugge

DDW is actively reaching out at its audience with

©Tommy Köhlbrugge

DESIGN MEETS TECHNOLOGY AT THE DUTCH DESIGN WEEK

BRAINPORT EINDHOVEN HAS

3,2%

Economic growth

30.100 Technology students

43,1%

of all Dutch patents filed

Largest export region of The Netherlands

â‚Ź1.9

billion

FROM START T0 SCALE-UP Young companies that are working on a healthier, more sustainable and better future in Brainport Eindhoven

Private R&D Investments Read more on brainporteindhoven.com

FUELING THE FUTURE

Formic acid as an alternative for diesel

Written by: Linda Bak Photography: Bart Roos | the Identiteam

DENS is a start-up that has arisen from a student team of the Eindhoven University of Technology: Team FAST. As students, they have converted a bus from local bus manufacturer VDL to run on formic acid. Also, they have developed generators for construction sites that run on formic acid. As a company, they want to bring their sustainable technology to the market. With the use of formic acid as a fuel, you can refuel your car or bus as you are used to with diesel or gasoline. The fluid doesn’t have to be kept under pressure as is the case with hydrogen. The formic acid is converted into hydrogen with a reactor that is developed by the student team. In the fuel cell, the hydrogen is then converted into energy for an electric engine. The engine can be used to power a car, a bus, a generator or even a ship, as it is functioning as a normal electric engine. Max Aerts, CEO of the start-up, says that “the further you go ‘off-grid’, the more interesting formic acid becomes. Think for example of generators, excavators and cranes on a construction site.” He continues: “It is a liquid so the machines can easily be filled up on the construction site. It is way too expensive to put a hydrogen gas filling station on a construction site.” The company believes that formic acid can one day replace gasoline as a power source, as the infrastructure is already in place. Converting a gas station into a station that is suitable to use for hydrogen is expensive: between €700.000 and 1 million, while converting it to formic acid is only a matter of changing the fluid. While those are all promising prospects, the company is first focusing on making a generator that is commercially available. “The challenge is to make the system affordable for customers so that we can really compete with the diesel engines. This is only possible if we produce on a large scale”, says Aerts. 36

THE DUTCH TESLA Written by: Frans van Beveren Photography: Bart Roos | the Identiteam What do you do after you win the World Solar Challenge as students with a self-built solar pow-ered family car? You start your own car company of course! That is what the team of Lightyear must have thought when they began their start-up. With the Lightyear One, the company is producing a solar powered family car that can travel 800km on a full battery. While your car is parked, it is charging, thanks to the sun. In a country as cloudy as The Netherlands, you can travel about 8.00km for free every year, while in sunny California, that could be as much as 15.000km. The Lightyear One will manage the large range by being as efficient as possible. The car has broken the record for the most aerodynamic production car, and width a weight of 1250kg, is a lot lighter than an entry level Tesla Model S, that weighs 2100kg. CEO Lex Hoefsloot says the Lightyear One is more than a car with solar panels on the roof: â€œThe car becomes an independent entity because the energy source is integrated into the car itself. To make the concept technically feasible, the car needs to be incredibly efficient. This requires redesigning the chassis, powertrain, and aerodynamics. That is why we have developed an entirely native solar electric platform in recent years. This platform enables us to achieve energy efficiency that is up to 3x

Lighter and more aerodynamic than any other car 38

higher than the current EVs on the market.â€? In a brand-new factory hall on the Automotive Campus in Helmond, the production of the first Lightyear One will take place. In the summer of 2019 Lightyear wants to be able to show the first mobile prototype. The first production models should be delivered to customers by the end of 2020. The exact specifications of the car are not yet fully known.

GROWING YOUR HEART Written by: Frans van Beveren Plastic heart valves that are absorbed and broken down by the body, allowing the patient to make a natural heart valve, that is the purpose of Xeltis. In contrast with the current heart valves, these heart valves may last a lifetime. As a result, patients no longer have to swallow blood thinners. Xeltis wants to be the standard in health care in the future. “The best moment was definitely when the first patients in the hospital got our heart valves, I will never forget that”, says Martijn Cox, CTO of the company. Xeltis was founded in 2006 as a spin-off of the University of Zurich. In 2012 QTIS/e, a spin-off of the TU/e, fused with Xeltis and continued under that name. The company is now active in both Switzerland and The Netherlands, with the largest part of its workforce in Eindhoven. At the moment, the company is running feasibility studies in the United States, that are evaluating Xeltis’ novel restorative pulmonary heart valve for Right Ventricular Outflow Tract reconstruction. “We are working to solve a big problem. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people need a new heart valve and this technology will make that a lot easier and cheaper. Our goal is to help these people and make heart valves that are absorbed by the body itself.” In the future, Xeltis wants to apply their technology for more than only heart valves: “We have now focused on heart valves for children, but the technology behind it can be used much wider. In the future, we’ll also be able to make this for adults and we can also start focusing on blood vessels and other applications.”

A cheaper and natural heart valve 41

Computers can be faster and more energy efficient

THE POWER OF LIGHT Written by: Corine Spaans Photography: Bart Roos | the Identiteam

The technological field of integrated photonics is promising: instead of electric signals, chips use light to transfer information. That means that our computers can be faster and more energy efficient. Effect Photonics started working on Photonic Integrated Circuits, or PICs for short, back at the Eindhoven University of Technology. “This is the perfect time to take our product to market,” says Joost Verberk, director of Product Line Management at the start-up. “Not many people are aware of this, but the increasing demand for Netflix and YouTube, for example, costs a huge amount of energy. Currently, four or five per cent of energy consumption goes to all data centres in the world. If we don’t change something about the current technology, we will need one hundred per cent of the current capacity in 2030 just to keep the internet going. That is not possible. Our technology is a solution because it is a more energy-efficient way to meet that demand.” The big difference with the “ordinary” chip is that it is based on the transmission of light pulses, via extremely small lasers, each of which produces its own light-colour signals. This makes the chip faster and smaller than the normal chip. The company has succeeded in manufacturing a chip and the electronic control around it in-house: the ‘system-on-a-chip’, they were the first in the world to do so. To do this, the company uses the basic material indium phosphide, while normal chips for phones and computers are made of silicon. It’s always difficult to tell this story in simple English, says Verberk. Yet he keeps trying. “It’s a super complicated technical product. Yes, it makes the internet of the future possible, but it is difficult to explain why it is so good or why you should use it.” Fortunately, the customers of EFFECT Photonics see the benefits and understand that. “They know what we’re talking about; they know the technology and material properties. They see the possibilities of our basic material.” 42

“If PSV only did it for the money, we would have made a deal with a foreign company”

According to him, it’s also about emotion, pride and connection with the region. “We re-ceived a lot of positive reactions when we announced it. Brabanders don’t show it but are secretly proud of where they come from. People are excited that in this way we try to get more attention to what is happening here. A business club member who had resigned, changed his mind when he heard about the cooperation. Maybe there are more people who have thought that way. Maybe it will result in new collaborations.” Together with the partners, PSV will continue to work on the deal in the near future. Janssen: “Think of vitality programmes for employees of all those wonderful

Janssen saw the proverbial light and got more faith in this new form of sponsorship: “Putting down a large amount of money in exchange for a company name on a shirt is out of date. We wanted something for the longer

NOT YOUR USUAL SPONSOR DEAL How five companies came together

internationally and, of course, offer entertainment by continuing to play top football. We see a lot of opportunities. Together for the region, as Philips intended 106 years ago.”

stay close to our roots. It requires a different way of thinking, also for the companies that leave out their own name for the bigger picture, for the philosophy of the region. We work together with the companies to share knowledge and to show what this region stands for even more, but each party has its own interests.” “Jumbo does this in the field of nutrition, where our players can compose meals via an app. In this new deal, we want to share this knowledge about healthy

Written by: Milan Lenters No longer a company name on the shirts of PSV

long-term plan. They asked fans, sponsors, inhabitants

Eindhoven, as of next year, five companies under the

of the city and companies from the region what PSV

name of the Brainport Eindhoven Metropolitan Area

should look like in 2030. Janssen himself was digging

will be on the chest of the red-and-white football shirt.

into the past.

With this, PSV is moving away from a traditional main sponsor. ASML, Philips, High Tech Campus Eindhoven,

For this, he takes us back to 1913. PSV was founded

VDL Group and Jumbo Supermarkets are the founding

in that year by the Philips brothers. Af-ter a long

fathers of what PSV calls a premium partnership. The

working week, employees could come to the club for

companies will cooperate with PSV in the areas of

relaxation and entertain-ment. It created team spirit

innovation, health, entertainment, talent development

and cooperation, not only in the fields and jobs but

and recruit-ment. By doing so, they want to give the

also in the factory halls and in the business world.

region an even more prominent image as a world

“People wanted to work at Philips for this reason,” says

leader in the field of innovation and high-tech.

Janssen. “If you make a leap in time and now listen to what companies in the region are saying, the common

Frans Janssen, commercial director of PSV, tells the story

thread is the same. They want healthy employees who

behind the deal. It started when PSV was working on a

enjoy them-selves, also outside of work.”

term. With this setup we go back to 106 years ago, we

companies, we will promote the business climate

nutrition with the rest of the region,” says Janssen. The football club is also working with Philips and the Sint Anna hospital on a Sports Performance Centre at the Herdgang training complex. “Here, medical inventions can be tested in a good environment to prevent injuries or improve performance. Knowledge reaches the rest of the region through cooperation with companies and the hos-pital and not only top-class sports benefits. That’s the beauty of it.” But PSV is not a charity, the deal also brings in money. The commercial director doesn’t want to say how much exactly, “but if we only did it for the money, we would have made a deal with a foreign company. That was more financially interesting,” Janssen laughs. Frans Jansen, commercial director PSV

GETTING TOGETHER TO INNOVATE

Daan Kersten and Jonas Wintermans developed a complex, high-tech 3D metal printing system in just over three years, advancing from a mere idea in 2012 to a rapidly growing business with a customer list that now includes Airbus, Volkswagen and the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 Racing Team. The young company, Additive Industries, recently relocated from Eindhoven’s iconic Strijp-S district to a much larger facility in the neighbouring Strijp-T, reflecting ambitions to be in the top three global players in this segment by 2022.

Written by: Erika van der Merwe Photography: Bart Roos | the Identiteam

dynamics generate a new combination of knowledge

Kersten, CEO, believes unequivocally that this rapid

and resources, that boosts regional innovation and

progress would not have been possible in any location

development.

other than Eindhoven, a region which benefits from the legacy of technological innovations generated over

The triple-helix theme is evident in Kersten’s perspective

decades by Philips and its various spin-offs, and enabled

on the Brainport region. “Eindhoven is unique in that all

through cooperation with knowledge institutions and

supply chains are outsourced. For a young company

government.

such as ours, this gives instant access to a very experienced and well-developed supply chain. Also, if

“I am convinced that what we achieved has been

we need anything, we can just reach out to colleagues

possible only because we

in the region and get access

could

to their experience.”

re-use

knowledge

from the region that had been developed for other applications.” Added to this legacy of innovation is a willingness to share knowledge and experience.

“There

strong bias in this region towards collaboration. We have all come to recognise that if we collaborate, we can do much more than if we do things individually. In the past that was just borne

“The collaboration is really something that helps to push things forward”

He credits a positive attitude towards

trust

for

this.

“Everyone starts out giving each other the basic trust that it will work out well. And

then

start

collaborating even before it is all put into writing. The collaboration

really

something that helps to push things forward.” Kersten sees the benefits of triple

helix

collaboration

by necessity. But I think we

flowing well beyond the

have now come to recognise

Eindhoven region. “I think, in general, the region has become less Philips-centric,

it as a strength.”

with a broader and more evenly spread number of

This open approach to innovation was modelled in the

companies and innovation eco-structure. We live in a

early 1990s by Dutch academic Loet Leydesdorff and

digital world in which there are no borders, and the

the American Henry Etzkowitz, as the triple-helix thesis.

collaboration doesn’t stop at the borders of our

They observed an increasingly closer degree of

Brainport

cooperation

institutions,

-headquartered companies have subsidiaries all over

government and industry, as part of the shift from an

the world, so this is more the hub of an ecosystem that

industrial society to a knowledge society. These

extends across the world.”

between

knowledge

municipalities.

Besides,

Eindhoven

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION LEADS TO INNOVATION Printing in 3D is on the rise. According to an ING study, by 2060 half of all products will be produced by 3D printers if the current growth rate of 3D printing continues. Brainport Industries, supported by Brainport Development, together with Eindhoven University of Technology and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Cluster Mechatronik & Automation in Bavaria, Germany, in the Additive4Industry project. It focuses on setting up research, innovation and development projects with partners in Bavaria in the field of industrial 3D printing. What does this international cooperation mean for business?

Written by: Caroline Lichtenberg Anne Verhaag, international consultant and project

in Brainport, Eindhoven. It consists of Brainport

“In the meantime, three project consortia have been set

scenes to convince policymakers and decision-makers

manager for strategy at Brainport Development:

Industries,

Eindhoven

up on specific topics within 3D printing which various

in The Hague of the usefulness and necessity of bilateral

“The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs has commis-

University

Netherlands

Dutch and German companies have already joined.

innovation funding. This is often a critical point in many

sioned the Cluster Mechatronics & Automation in

Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)

This creates a mix of partnerships. The intention is not

discussions when parties talk to each other about

Bavaria to look for a partner in Brabant, Netherlands,

(AMSYSTEMS) and the 3D printing factory AddFab. The

to stop at these three, but to create a structure from

cooperation. The risks of cross-border innovation are

for a new financing arrangement in Germany called

aim is to stimulate international innovation cooperation

which new projects will emerge. So we are in it for the

greater and more difficult to assess, especially for

Internationalisierung von Spitzenclustern (Internation-

that leads to strategic business partnerships. According

long term.”

companies. Thus a large part of our efforts is also aimed

alisation of Key Clusters). At the time, it was specifically

to Verhaag, both in Bavaria and in Brainport there is the

stated that Brainport Eindhoven is a very interesting

conviction that only by working together internationally

A requirement from many companies is 3D printing on

region with many similar, relevant companies and

in a European context can we maintain or increase the

a large scale. Verhaag: “Think of a project on how to

knowledge institutions that also have the organisational

competitive position and innovative strength of our

monitor and predict the quality of printed metal spare

capacity to get international cooperation on the topic of

industries, including manufacturing.

parts. How can you adjust it in such a way that quality is

Brainport of

Development,

Technology

and

the

innovation off the ground. We at Brainport Eindhoven

at devising a good financial instrument that removes

still guaranteed even when producing in large volumes

welcomed this signal and expressed the intention to

“We do this by contacting networks of companies

and series? Companies are willing to cooperate to get

jointly stimulate international innovation cooperation

abroad on behalf of a group of Brainport companies. By

the answers to these questions.”

between the two regions.

investing in such strategic relationships, companies and knowledge institutions in the Brainport region gain

Finance is often a critical point

By working together internationally, we will increase our innovative power.

access to both knowledge and expertise outside their

But as with any form of innovative cooperation, money

own ecosystems and difficult-to-reach potential cus-

plays a role. “In the Netherlands, there is relatively little

In principle, this is a collaboration between the Cluster

tomers or cooperation partners abroad. Additive4In-

funding for the internationalisation of innovation,” says

Mechatronik & Automation in Bavaria and a consortium

dustrie (A4I) is a good example of this strategy.”

Verhaag. “That is why we are working hard behind the

this barrier.”

“Companies are willing to cooperate to get the answers to these questions.” 49

THROUGH THE EYES OF: MARIE FROM SLOVAKIA

“You can do a lot in Eindhoven. In the weekends I love to go to the Stadsfoyer of the Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. Every Saturday between 16:00 and 19:00 they have Blue Note Club Sessions with live jazz and soul music. The atmosphere is so relaxed!” 50

Text: Sabine te Braake Photography: Diewke van den Heuvel

Roos | the Identiteam

THE FUTURE OF

©Bart

3D-PRINTING That 3D printing is here to stay is an understatement.

spin-out of Philips developed a platform for 3D printing

company makes machines that can print metal objects.

of the Eindhoven scale-up byFlow, you can actually print

This

rapid

and made 3D printing into an on-demand service. You

They started in 2012 and in a short timespan have

food. Their printers are being used in Michelin-starred

prototyping, fast development and new ways of

can upload your own design for printing, or use their

created a rapidly growing business and have an

restaurants to make the most beautiful and delicious

manufacturing in all kinds of different fields.

expertise in designing 3D models.

impressive list of customers, that includes Airbus,

food, as well as in nursing homes. When you have

Volkswagen and the Alfa Romeo Racing Formula 1

problems with chewing and swallowing food, you can’t

Team.

eat like you are used to. But if your food is mashed and

groundbreaking

technology

enables

In Brainport Eindhoven, there are companies working

While this is perfect for prototyping, companies that do

on making 3D printing technology even better. Take

in-house production could use machines of their own

Shapeways for example, a company that started in

and don’t only want to print plastic products. That is

You can make a lot of different products of plastic and

Eindhoven and now also has offices in New York. This

where Additive Industries comes in. This young

metal, but you can’t eat it. However, with the 3D-printers

printed, it can still be attractive.

This young company makes machines that can print metal objects. They started

van Overbeeke

in 2012 and in a short timespan have created a rapidly growing business and have an impressive list of customers, that includes Airbus, Volkswagen and the Alfa Romeo Racing Formula 1 Team.

Shapeways Starting out in Eindhoven, this spin-out of Philips now also has offices in New York. It developed a platform for 3D printing and made 3D printing into an on-demand service. You can upload your own design for printing, ©Shapeways

Lucas sighed deeply, his brain haemorrhage a few months ago had turned his life upside down in one fell swoop. Instead of travelling to work, he was now picked up every morning by Karel, his regular ‘robofysio’, to be rehabilitated. Usually, they made a tour through the park to do all kinds of exercises, but today’s trip is to one of the ‘vegetable gardens’ in the centre of the city. Luckily, walking was getting better and better and when he threatened to fall, Karel caught him on time. Curious as to which vegetables he was going to pick up in the city, he pointed to the window above the 3D food printer in his kitchen to see what’s on the menu that night. Satisfied, he saw that it was one of his favourites that he hadn’t eaten for some time: pasta with gorgonzola sauce and broccoli. Picking the herbs that were needed for that would be a challenge, he immediately thought, but apparently, he was ready for it now. Since his brain haemorrhage, he had really come to appreciate the 3D food printer. He had soon noticed that chewing and swallowing food was difficult for him. Dysphagia, his ‘docbot’ had explained to him: he could no longer tighten most of the muscles in his mouth and throat, an annoying side effect of his brain haemorrhage. His 3D food printer automatically ensured that his food was exactly the right thickness and texture, making chewing almost no problem. Karel appeared on the screen, announcing that he was almost there. Time to get ready and go.

Additive Industries

©Bart

A DAY IN THE FUTURE

START-UPS SET THE EXAMPLES

or use their expertise in designing 3D models.

Luxexcel Luxexcel developed a 3D printing technology for ophthalmic lenses. With this technology, there is no need for polishing and grinding the lens, what means that you can produce lenses with a lot less material. The company is the only one in the world that is able to print custom prescription lenses.

At the centre of the city, you can immediately see the influence Philips has had on Eindhoven. The Lichttoren is an old Philips building, that is now accompanied by new architecture in the Blob. 56

ÂŠMike Roelofs

URBAN OR JUNGLE?

JUNGLE The watermill in Opwetten was built around the 11th century and is featured in a painting of Vincent van Gogh. The old building, situated at the river Kleine Dommel, is now a restaurant along the bicycle route past places Van

ÂŠPaul Raats

Gogh visited and painted.

URBAN At the neighbourhood Strijp-S, old factories of Philips have been transformed to lofts and offices. A lot of the old industrial features have been preserved, as you can walk under the former pipes that delivered gas and water to the factories. It is the creative district of the city of Eindhoven and the epicentre of the Dutch

ÂŠNick Bookelaar

Design Week.

JUNGLE In the natural area of The Campine, or de Kempen, in Dutch, lays the heathland of Eersel. The Cartierheide, as it is called, is a great place to walk, cycle and escape life in the cities of Brainport

ÂŠNiek TottĂŠ/Studio de Brink

Eindhoven.

URBAN Designed by Piet Blom, the Kubuswoningen in Helmond were built in 1974. These buildings represent a shift in

architecture

from

the

modernist architecture from after the second world war. After these were made in Helmond, they were also built in Rotterdam.

JUNGLE The river De Dommel flows from Belgium right through the Brainport region and the city of Eindhoven. It is used for recreation, and you can go

ÂŠPaul Raats

kayaking on it.

URBAN At the Eindhoven area of Strijp-S, you can find the biggest indoor skatepark of the Benelux. Area 51, as it is called, is a home for BMXers, skateboarders, skaters and everyone that lives for urban

ÂŠNick Bookelaar

sports.

TU/e Campus houses over a

innovation district of the city of

hundred

Eindhoven. This former Philips

knowledge institutes and high

industrial plant has grown into a

tech companies, varying from

vibrant urban area that offers a unique mix of working, living, learning and all kinds of leisure facilities

that

meetings.

lead

casual

ÂŠBart van Overbeeke

Strijp is the creative, design and

renowned

technological

multinationals

Philips, NXP and General Electric to innovative SMEs and cuttingedge start-ups and spin-offs with a focus on Smart Mobility, Energy and Health.

Former Volvo Nedcar development centre has transformed into an international automotive and mobility

hotspot

where

industry,

start-ups,

education, knowledge institutes and government come together in an open innovation, OEMindependent and neutral setting where all kinds of systems can be tested.

The birthplace of open innovation. What was built as the R&D facility of Philips, is now home to over 185 companies and institutes. It has been dubbed the smartest square

the innovative and competitive force of high tech

kilometre of Europe and is a

manufacturing accelerates. It is the first location

workplace for more than 12.000

tech supply chain work closely together on innovation and production in the factory of the future.

ÂŠPaul Raats

Brainport Industries Campus is the place where

in the world where all parties involved in the high-

researchers, entrepreneurs.

developers

and

THE FUTURE OF

MEDTECH

Once a company famous for its consumer products,

spent in The Netherlands. In 2018, Philips applied for

is almost customary in this region, the University not

All in all, in Brainport Eindhoven we work towards a

now Philips has transformed itself into a health

1,617 new patents at the European Patent Office, the

only does research but puts in a lot of effort to bring the

healthy future where we keep people healthy. We focus

technology company. The majority of its Dutch

majority of which geared towards medical technology;

technology

research

on prevention instead of treatment and large-scale

workforce is working in the Brainport region. One of the

the company is by far the most active patent applicant

departments to market with spin-offs. Preceyes, for

analysis of data provides valuable insights for personal

companyâ€™s largest production facilities is located in

in the Netherlands.

example, develops robots that assist eye surgeons, so

health. In Brainport Eindhoven, people and technology

they can insert a needle into the retina more precisely

work closely together to make people live longer and healthier lives.

Best, where among other things MRI scanners are

that

comes

out

their

developed and produced. A large part of the R&D

Meanwhile, at the Eindhoven University of Technology,

and any vibrations of the surgeonâ€™s hands are filtered

facilities of Philips is located at the High Tech Campus

a lot of fundamental research is done in the field of

by the device. Those technologies have already been

Eindhoven. Globally the company invests around 1.76

medical technology. Often in collaboration with one of

tested in hospitals, with success.

billion euro in R&D, over 700 million euros of which is

the four excellent hospitals in the Brainport region. As

‘A world-class event’, says the Asia Post in 83 languages at the opening of the ‘medical centre of the future’ in 2033 in Eindhoven. It contains all state-of-the-art medical technology and presents a variety of new concepts that multidisciplinary innovation platforms are still working on. In the high-tech centre, everything has been thought of to prevent medical errors and to keep bacteria at bay. Medical centres are increasingly combining ‘clean zones’, in which medical equipment and robots do most of their work on their own, with ‘mixed zones’ in which healthcare providers and technology work together in the care of patients. Humanoids do most of the daily tasks for patients while robots perform operations with extreme precision. From a distance, medical specialists and nurses watch to adjust or change procedures if they feel it is better for patients. In most cases, algorithms appear to be able to deal with individual abnormalities better and faster than the smartest people. Sharp diagnoses and new treatment methods also make invasive procedures superfluous and the number plummets by three-quarters in just a few decades.

MicroSure This start-up, born out of research done at the university, makes robots that can assist surgeons during microsurgery. The

surgical

robot

MicroSure

A DAY IN THE FUTURE

MEDTECH SETS THE EXAMPLES movements are converted into smaller, more precise movements which then are performed on the patient by a set of ‘robot hands’.

Bambi Medical Premature babies often have to go in the incubator to stay warm. Data is kept track of with different adhesive electrodes. These must be moved around every once in a while and that is very stressful for the baby. The Bambi-Belt wirelessly monitors the data, so the baby no longer suffers from electrodes, threads and patches.

Bluejay Team Blue Jay Eindhoven is developing the world’s first indoor drone in such a way that it can perform small tasks in healthcare, like picking up and transporting

©Bram Saeys

small items in a hospital. This gives

healthcare providers more time for their patients to provide better care. The drone has already been tested in a Hospital in Veldhoven.

“Eindhoven is the place I once dreamed about but didn’t know yet. I’m really happy here”

THROUGH THE EYES OF: TUFAIL FROM PAKISTAN

Text: Sabine te Braake Photography: Diewke van den Heuvel

GLOW Eindhoven 2019 9 - 16 November

GLOW:

LIGHT

UP THE CITY! Written by: Frans van Beveren Photography: Bart van Overbeeke Once a year, Eindhoven proves to be the City of Light. During the week long light festival Glow, the city is illuminated by lightshows and installations, created by international artists and engineers. The festival is one of the major attractions of Eindhoven, with more

GAME:ON in the Philips Stadium

The city was once a large producer of matches, followed by the production of light bulbs by Philips. To this day, the headquarters of Signify, the former Philips Lighting, is located in Eindhoven. Glow was first organized in 2006 and has always

than 700.000 visitors from all over the world.

been a free festival. The walking route along which

Eindhoven has been known as the â€˜City of Lightâ€™ for

and spans somewhere near 5 kilometres each year.

the light art is shown runs through the city centre

quite some time now, even before Philips was born.

Something Blue by Kari Kola 78

THE FUTURE OF INTEGRATED

PHOTONICS The new gold, the next ASML, one of Europe’s five “key

photons. In Brainport Eindhoven, we try to put our

One of those is a spin-off of the university, EFFECT

Another young company, called Smart Photonics, also

technologies”,

business.

money where our mouth is and not only talk about

Photonics, it makes so-called ‘Photonic Integrated

has its roots at the university. The company is a

Superlatives are thrown at you when you speak to a

integrated photonics, but also develop and produce

Circuits’: integrated photonics on a chip. All optical

producer of photonics components and has its facilities

representative from the integrated photonics sector.

Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) and even the first

elements come together on one chip. They are the only

on the High Tech Campus Eindhoven

But as is often the case with new technologies, what is a

photonic system on a chip (SOC) in the world.

ones in the world to do so. To do this, they use the basic

potential

billion-dollar

concrete vision of the future for the frontrunners, is at most a vague promise for the rest of the world.

material indium phosphide. Normal chips for phones This all started at the Eindhoven University of

and computers are made of silicon. Both materials

Technology, where a lot of the research has been done

form the basis for all the tiny components with which

Integrated photonics is a new field of chip technology,

and technology has been developed, that made it

they build the chip.

where electricity, or electrons, is replaced by light, or

possible for new companies to be established.

A DAY IN THE FUTURE

We are deeply challenged by the explosive growth of data traffic in the near future. Current chip technology cannot keep up with this. The solution? Integrated photonics. The Netherlands has a pole position in the world when it comes to integrated photonics, and Brainport Eindhoven is a frontrunner. Estimations for integrated photonics are that it will become a multi-billions market that will lead to thousands of jobs for highly qualified professionals.

Current chip technology is reaching its limits

We use and produce 70% more data every year. If this growth continues, in just six yearsâ€™ time all of the electrical power we produce globally, will be needed for the handling and exchange of data. Integrated photonics offer an answer. Expectations are that within 30 years from now, there wonâ€™t be a single application that does not use integrated photonics.

Integrated photonics faster and more energy efficient

Photonics is a fast-evolving technology that uses miniscule laser beams or light parts (photons). The field of integrated photonics concerns microchips that are based on those light signals instead of electricity and are built into devices. Photonic microchips have the advantage of being faster and more energy efficient. This leads to significant power savings. Exactly what is needed for the highly demanding data traffic and data usage. Moreover, integrated photonics offer opportunities for totally new functionalities, as for example sensoring, in a lot of other fields such as the automotive, lifetech and the food industry.

Multi-billion market and thousands of jobs

The European Commission has recognized photonics as one of five Key Enabling Technologies that provide the basis for innovation within the European Union. The market for photonic chips, and the products that are based on them, is expected to be worth hundreds of billions of euros ultimately. About 160 photonics companies are situated in the Netherlands and, according to research, the only photonics sector that can lead to an explosive growth in jobs within ten years is situated in the Brainport Eindhoven region. Estimations are that 7,000 highly qualified jobs will be created in photonics in Brainport in the next ten years, one of the first regions that is about to turn this groundbreaking technology into business.

SETTING THE EXAMPLES TOGETHER Datacenters

The microchip revolutionary and changed the way computers where build. Photonic Integrated Circuits could add to that. With higher speeds and more energy efficiency, photonic microchips could reduce the energy datacentres need, so we can keep watching our favourite shows and interact with each other in the future.

Medical Research A lot of medical tests could be improved with the use of photonics. For example, photons can be used to detect abnormalities in your blood, like low glucose levels, and thanks to integrated photonics, can also be embedded in mobile devices, to measure different biometrics, such as your pulse.

Testing construction Small photonic chips can accurately calculate tensions in buildings and infrastructure. Long before any cracks could appear, these microchips could send out a warning where the weak spots are, which could lead to safer bridges and buildings.

A GATEWAY TO EUROPE From Eindhoven to the rest of the world

DUTCH TECHNOLOGY WEEK: DISCOVER THE POSSIBILITIES

Dutch Technology Week 2020 8 - 13 June

Written by: Frans van Beveren Photography: Bram Saeys Each year in May, high-tech companies in and

“It’s always about what is going on now or is about to

around the Brainport region open their doors for

come. We think it is important to be at the forefront

visitors. Not only that, there are special programs all

of developments. By not making it heavy – it always

week long to get people excited about technology.

has a kind of light-footedness – we present things in

Dutch Technology Week is where everybody can

a funny and different way like in a game or workshop.

experience what is developed in Brainport Eindhoven.

That is what makes it fun. And the great thing is that the makers get immediate feedback: a young person

With the largest pub quiz of The Netherlands, special

simply says what he or she thinks or just walks by.”

programs for schools and kids, workshops, hackathons, lectures

professionals,

All week long, people are introduced to the world of

there is something to do for everyone. Take for

technology, in the hope that they get inspired and

example the Night of the Nerds. In one day, 5000

want to work in this field. That is how in Brainport

teenagers are introduced to the world of technology.

Eindhoven, high-tech companies show themselves

The organizer of the event, Maurice Schmitz says:

to the public: open, together and to attract talent.

and

network

events

for

ART meets

TECHNOLOGY

The bicycle path combines innovation and design with cultural heritage and is part of the Van Gogh bicycle route that connects locations Vincent van Gogh featured in his paintings of Brabant. The world-famous artists produced his first masterpiece, The Potato Eaters in Nuenen, and the Opwettense

and

Colse

watermills

featured in his paintings. Vincent van Gogh lived in the area from 1883 to 1885. Roosegaarde said about the path: “I wanted to create a place that people will experience in a special way, the

technical

combined

with

experience, that’s what techno-poetry means to me.” While it is good to remember your heritage, in Brainport Eindhoven, the combination of art and technology is much more than just that. Every year, the festival STRP combines the two fields to take a look at the future with provocative exhibitions, workshops and lectures. The artspace MU has exhibitions all year round that use art to look at how we use technology and science.

Many

artist

and

engineers also combine their strengths to raise awareness or make beautiful art, many of which you can visit and look at during the Dutch Design Week.

In a region that is strong in high technology, art and design should not be forgotten, and that is certainly not the case in Brainport Eindhoven. To mark the start of the Van Gogh 2015 international theme year, a bicycle path was opened that combined the fields of art and technology. The artist that designed it, Daan Roosegaarde, was inspired by the world-famous painting The Starry Night. While during the day, the path looks like any other, at night, it lights up. That is thanks to the thousands of stones embedded in the path, that charge during the day and glow at night.

“the technical combined with experience, that’s what techno-poetry means to me” 89

URBAN DEVELOPMENT business climate.

influx of expats. To make sure there are enough

Three large skyscrapers are going to be built next to

houses for everyone who wants to work in the

the train station, and even more, will follow

Brainport region, a lot of urban development is

throughout the city. It should make Eindhoven a city

planned. For example, the area around the central

with an appearance that matches its profile of high-

train station is being developed. At the moment,

tech capital of the world. In the west of the city, the

there are primarily office buildings with little

Strijp area is still being developed, with a lot of houses

character north of the station, but in twenty years’

and

time, some 15,000 people will have to live in an

neighbourhood.

inspiring environment that will ensure an attractive

office

spaces

planned

this

industrial

Not only in Eindhoven, but also in all the other cities

CASA. There will be a lot of diversity as there will be

and villages in Brainport there is a lot of building going

possibilities to build your self-designed house but also

on. But in the smartest region of the world, normal

to rent social housing and the opportunity to as well

housing blocks will not do anymore. That is why the

live, as work in the district.

Brainport Smart District is going to be built. It should be the smartest neighbourhood in the world. 150 hectares

Both the Eindhoven University of Technology and

of land will be converted into a smart and sustainable

Tilburg University are involved in this project. Ideas of

district in Helmond. The district will include 1500 homes,

students and start-ups can be tested in a real-life

cosy courtyards where the elderly can live and support

environment and the impact of technology on the

each other and a sustainable house, built by a student

residents will be monitored. Ultimately, it will be a

team of Eindhoven University of Technology, Team

district where technology helps its citizens.

©UNStudio

The city of Eindhoven is growing fast, thanks to an

©UNStudio

How Brainport Eindhoven builds its future

10 REASONS TO JOIN BRAINPORT EINDHOVEN A complete high tech infrastructure covering on a very small scale Brainport Eindhoven offers companies and organisations a wide diversity in technologies, renowned OEMs, world-class universities, innovative suppliers, knowledge institutes, 20,000+ researchers, high R&D expenditure, start-ups, student teams, and shared R&D facilities. The high tech infrastructure contains all ingredients R&D and tech companies and organisations need to bring out the best in themselves.

campuses and our multi-disciplinary way of working make it possible to benefit from knowledge sharing, strengthening each other’s core competences, making use of R&D budgets on roadmaps, taking shared risks and developing and testing with end-users in public spaces to develop technologies at competitive costs with a short time to market.

Lots of opportunities to commercialise knowledge intensive technologies Brainport Eindhoven is the ideal place to commercialise complex technologies and products. The region provides a complete and unique technology ecosystem, in which over twenty high tech OEMs work closely together with high tech suppliers and knowledge institutes. Moreover, the Netherlands is seen as a EU pilot country and offers facilities for acquiring the necessary compliance labels for market-entry.

The excellent reputation of Brainport companies and our educational and knowledge institutes attracts technology and IT talents from all over the world. This labour market provides companies the ability to make use of an extensive talent pool of researchers, scientists, physicists, developers, designers and engineers that are best-in-class in their particular field.

Active help in setting up your business and a high ease of doing business development The region is known for its close cooperation and joint innovation stimulated by the campuses. These campuses facilitate foreign companies to get connected with the

performing cost and risk competitive R&D and manufacturing. The region offers a wide range of R&D facilities on a pay-per-use basis. Because of these facilities and the great diversity in partners for prototyping and industrialisation, even relatively small organisations can work on breakthrough technologies in a flexible manner with shared risks.

Fertile breeding ground for new ideas, technologies and innovations and ideal place for technology spotting Eindhoven University of Technology works closely with the industry and has a great expertise in knowledge valorisation. Together with many accelerator and incubator programs this makes Brainport Eindhoven a fertile breeding ground for start-ups, scale-ups and spin-offs. They contribute greatly to Brainport’s unparalleled innovation power and our region’s high patent density.

in the region or find partners or suppliers.

Launching ground-breaking tech by co-creating with industry, governments and citizens In Brainport Eindhoven a tech-minded government, innovative and early adapting citizens, collaborative industry partners, living labs and pilot opportunities offer companies and organisations room to experiment. Brainport offers real-life testing grounds for products and services with an added value that meet the needs of the end users.

A region with the expertise and partners that can actually realise unimaginable technologies In Brainport Eindhoven a great diversity of high tech companies and organisations in various fields come together. Players that are used to collaboration. In Brainport you find partners that are actually able to develop, test, prototype and build systems that are beyond your imagination in the most efficient way possible.

Access to the most creative, brightest minds in tech and IT

Development, supports companies completely in the process of setting up a business

Brainport Eindhoven offers all aspects companies and organisations need for

Our open research platforms, open supply chains, tech-minded government, clusters,

high tech ecosystem. The region’s economic development agency, Brainport

Cost and risk competitive R&D and manufacturing

Collaboration on technology development leads to competitive costs and a very short time to market

A stable, prosperous country and an internationally oriented business climate The Netherlands is a stable and prosperous country with an internationally oriented business climate that forms a gateway to Europe. Brainport Eindhoven is strategically located, has the second largest airport in the Netherlands, an excellent digital infrastructure, a highly-educated, multilingual workforce, a thriving and growing international community and a high quality of life. 93

HOW BRAINPORT DEVELOPMENT HELPS Brainport Development is a new-style economic development agency, that works with representatives from industry, knowledge institutes and government to strengthen Brainport Eindhoven top technology region. In cooperation with the Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) we provide Foreign Direct Investors and international companies and organisations that want to do business in Brainport Eindhoven with information and practical assistance free of charge.

•

Providing you with all the information you need about the regional business climate • Connecting and introducing you to a transparent network of reliable service providers Introducing you to our large and valuable network for the development of your core-business

How we help international companies set up their business Our services, all provided on a confidential basis, include: • Real estate search, providing insight and data on site selection and logistics strategies • Personal guidance on matters such as available incentives, permit procedures, tax structures • Identifying the right talent and other human resource issues • Introducing you to a variety of Dutch networks and service suppliers in business, to government authorities at national and • regional levels, to academic and private sector consultants, and to others central to the investment process • Connecting you to innovation programs and consortia of international companies that are relevant to your business 94

• •

Introducing you to customer segments that are relevant to your business All other aspect concerned in setting up your business

How we help international companies, governments and educational- and knowledge institutes do business in Brainport Eindhoven Our services, all provided on a confidential basis, include: • Supplier sourcing and partner sourcing • Spotting technology that enforces your business • Helping you in cooperation with start-ups • Scan to see how Brainport Eindhoven helps making your manufacturing process more efficient • Networks for business development • Connecting you to shared R&D facilities like labs, testbeds, of contract R&D partners

Please feel free to contact us

Do you have any questions or do you want to obtain more information? Then please feel free to contact us as at any time. You can reach us by phone or email and you can also follow us on social media. ✉ info@brainportdevelopment.nl ☎ +3140 751 24 24

Brainport Development helps you set up your business in a fast, flexible and transparent manner. By:

SEE YOU IN BRAINPORT EINDHOVEN 96