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It is now still three more or less self-contained areas: the University of Twente, the Business & Science Park and the so-called ‘Twente Village’ – with FC Twente soccer club as one of its main residents. In the 180-hectare area on the north side of Enschede, a lot of knowledge and the activity of more than four hundred companies come together. All the ingredients for a successful innovation district seem to be present.
“We have gold in our hands,” reads one of the reports on the vision for the area. So it’s time for a major transformation. By 2030, the area should be redeveloped into one area with one look and feel. A top location of international stature: Kennispark Twente.
Kennispark Twente focuses particularly on companies in the technological sector, for which the University of Twente is also known. According to the acting director, it is important for an innovation district to have a distinctive profile. Stokkelaar: “If you want to make a success of your innovation district, you have to choose the unique knowledge positions in which you are already strong. In our case, for example, these are chip design, medical technology and nanotechnology. We now profile ourselves much more emphatically in those.”
FACILITATING MEETINGS
To stimulate cooperation between students, professionals and scientists at Kennispark Twente, it is very important that they can meet each other. Then relationships and networks are built and knowledge transfer takes place. Such an environment leads to innovation.
A mix of working, living, leisure, catering and sports in one area should ensure that meetings can take place in an accessible way. A good connection to the city of Enschede also contributes to the liveliness of the area. In this way, the campus transforms into a “complete high-quality living environment” connected to the city and the region.
For companies, the collaboration with students and the proximity to other companies in the same sector are important motives for locating at Kennispark Twente. Rudy Sesink is COO of tech company Eurofins Maser, which specializes in testing chips for cars and consumer electronics. Sesink explains that Eurofins Maser regularly seeks cooperation with students, for example by having them perform practicals or give tours to students. It’s convenient to be physically near those students, or other chip-design companies, he says. “It’s easy to connect. You speak and see each other.”
ENTICING VISION OF THE FUTURE
The Enschede-based company Phix, which builds components and modules for photonic chips, has been growing at the seams on the university campus since its founding in 2018 and will soon move to larger premises on Hengelosestraat at Kennispark. Marieke Hofste, Phix’s financial director, explains that it is a nice place for them to realize the company’s ambitions, for example because of the good accessibility.
The proximity to other companies also plays a role: “The services and products we provide are very knowledge-intensive. And for that, cooperation with many partners is important. These include the University of Twente, but also many high-tech companies we do business with.”
Sesink of Eurofins Maser also looks forward to the grand plans for the area: “That vision of the future is enticing. It is something that concerns people: a green environment, that they can get there by bike or public transport, or that you can take a nice walk around during the break. This is only becoming more and more important. Not just the workplace, but everything around it.”
The above are highlights from an article gebiedsontwikkeling.nu. Read the full article here (only in Dutch).
