New strategy aims to grow Kennispark Twente to 700 companies and 16,500 jobs

In the coming years, this area will strengthen the national earning capacity and Kennispark will grow into an innovation district of international significance.

The “Kennispark Twente Area Strategy 2026-2035” stipulates that Kennispark will continue to develop into the technological heart of the eastern Netherlands in the coming years. The area will grow into a modern, sustainable and internationally recognisable innovation district where working, living, learning and meeting come together seamlessly. By 2035, Kennispark will offer an optimal living, working and living environment for talent and businesses, in a high-quality setting on the edge of the green countryside. This is the ambition that has been translated into an updated strategy for the entire area.

Targeted growth of high-tech activity

Kennispark has consciously opted for the future of the area to focus on the targeted growth of knowledge-intensive organisations: start-ups, spin-offs, scale-ups and established companies that develop and scale up technology. The strength of the ecosystem – with direct access to knowledge, talent, networks and facilities – is the distinctive added value.

The ambition is clear: by 2035, Kennispark will have around 700 companies, more than 40% of which will be active in the high-tech sector. The number of jobs will grow by 30% to approximately 16,500. Research ideas will develop into new businesses, existing companies will scale up and start-ups will develop into international players. In this way, Kennispark will strengthen the economic resilience of Twente and offer young people prospects for a future in the region.

Intensive collaboration with, among others, the University of Twente, ROC van Twente and Saxion University of Applied Sciences ensures a strong connection between education, research and business and creates opportunities at various levels of education.

Kennispark sees the Vredestein location as a promising direction for expansion for new companies and for scaling up the existing activities of the current Kennispark companies.

Innovation hub for chip and medical technology

By 2035, Kennispark will position itself emphatically as the innovation hub for chip and medical technology in the eastern Netherlands. The entire innovation chain for chip technology is present: from research and prototyping to pilot production and upscaling. With shared R&D facilities such as the High Tech Factory and the MESA+ NanoLab, the area has a unique infrastructure. In addition, a pilot and test environment facilitates the crucial step from R&D to market introduction, and production capacity is strengthened through New Origin.

Within the MedTech cluster, researchers, medical technology companies and healthcare providers at Kennispark work together to develop advanced solutions that ensure healthcare remains accessible, affordable and sustainable.

Vibrant community of companies, students and researchers

The 230-hectare area now houses more than 480 companies, over 12,000 students and thousands of researchers. They are developing technologies for applications in chip technology and medical technology, as well as in areas such as defence and security, digitisation and the energy and climate transition.

In the coming years, Kennispark will grow into a vibrant area with space for culture, sports, hospitality, amenities and more housing. Strong connections between companies, students and researchers form the core of a vibrant community. By structurally programming encounters – such as networking events, shared facilities and a Talent Café – Kennispark is growing into a place where collaboration is a matter of course and a strong (international) community is emerging where people not only work and study, but also want to settle for the long term.

Engine of the Twente scale jump

Kennispark is located in the heart of the large-scale Spoorzone Hengelo Enschede (SHE) area development, the key area of the Twente scale leap. This area will see the addition of 30,000 homes and 30,000 jobs. Kennispark acts as an economic and innovative source point in this regard. With almost 13,000 jobs, an added value of almost one billion euros per year and a strong international orientation, Kennispark is already of national and international significance. The area attracts talent from home and abroad, creates high-quality employment and stimulates new markets and economic activity.

Investing in broad prosperity – appeal to the government

The further development of Kennispark requires clear and consistent choices in terms of space, infrastructure and targeted investments. We call on the government to take responsibility, together with regional and local partners, and to opt now for the targeted strengthening of science parks as drivers of innovation. The demonstrable economic return and the structural contribution to national innovation capacity justify the fact that the budget of 100 million euros reserved in the coalition agreement for innovation in regional campuses is largely being used in existing science parks such as Kennispark – the places where the innovations that the Netherlands needs are actually created and scaled up and where international impact is achieved. By investing now in physical space and high-quality facilities, the government is opting for structural reinforcement of the Netherlands’ competitiveness and economic resilience.

Download the Area Strategy 2026-2035

Want to know more about the strategy and ambitions?

The area strategy explains how we will jointly achieve this vision of Kennispark in 2035. Do you have any questions, would you like to discuss this further, or would you like to know more about this strategy and Kennispark’s ambitions? Please email bertyllankhaar@kennispark.nl to make an appointment.