During Key Region Leiden’s summer event, partners and stakeholders attended an informative presentation by Otto Raspe, principal researcher at RaboResearch, on economic growth and overall well-being in the Leiden region and the Duin- en Bollenstreek. The message was clear: every region has its own dynamics. Regional collaboration is essential for capitalizing on opportunities.

View the presentation

The presentation showed that there are significant differences in economic growth and prosperity within the Netherlands. What works in Brainport Eindhoven does not automatically work in the Key Region Leiden. Each region has its own strengths, challenges, and development paths. According to Raspe, for our region, it’s all about finding the right balance between three priorities: competitiveness, resilience, and broad prosperity.

“Growth is determined by the regional ecosystem. The better it functions, the more opportunities for growth can be capitalized on.”

Potential present

Due to geopolitical tensions and an uncertain international economic environment, RaboResearch has revised its growth forecast for the Netherlands downward to 1.2% in 2026 and 1.1% in 2027. This means the economy will still grow, but at a slower pace than desired. In the longer term, economic growth depends primarily on two factors: labor input and labor productivity growth. Virtually all sectors will feel the effects of slowing growth. Industry, transportation, and construction are under particular pressure. For the Leiden region and the Duin- en Bollenstreek, economic growth of between 0.0 and 0.5 percent is expected. This means the region will lag behind the national average. That does not mean the economic fundamentals are weak. On the contrary. In certain areas, the region is performing above average and has strong earning power, such as at the Leiden Bio Science Park. At the same time, other factors are holding back growth. How can we improve the outlook? According to Raspe, the key lies in a well-functioning regional ecosystem in which businesses, knowledge institutions, and governments reinforce one another.

“Invest in the drivers of productivity growth.”

Full bloom

What else can we learn from other regions? Why, for example, are regions like Eindhoven and Amsterdam growing faster? According to Raspe, the benefits of agglomeration are strongly evident there. Knowledge spreads more easily between companies and institutions, the labor market is larger, specialized services are nearby, and companies more often benefit from collaboration within strong value chains. It is precisely these local conditions that prove to be key drivers of productivity and growth. This also presents a challenge for our region. The Key Region Leiden benefits from its proximity to the economic powerhouses of Amsterdam and The Hague, but at the same time operates in their shadow. The study shows that our region has average labor productivity, while productivity growth is lagging. If we improve this, there will be more opportunities for economic development.

“Learn from regions abroad that are similar to the Key Region Leiden. Copenhagen is a good example.”

RaboResearch also highlights a number of success factors: work toward a shared long-term vision, make strategic choices in economic development, ensure good accessibility, invest in knowledge and innovation, build strong clusters, and maintain a strong focus on broad prosperity.

High score on well-being

Modest economic growth is offset by a strong performance in terms of overall well-being. The study shows that the Leiden region and the Duin- en Bollenstreek score higher than many other regions in the Netherlands and South Holland. The region benefits from its location between the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area and the Rotterdam-The Hague Metropolitan Area. The strong score is linked to factors such as job security, income, health, social connections, and safety. At the same time, there are still areas requiring attention. Challenges remain in areas such as housing, the environment, and civic engagement. According to Raspe, it is precisely in these areas that opportunities lie to further strengthen overall well-being. The key message here is simple: a high score today offers no guarantee for tomorrow. In our region, too, constant attention is needed to maintain the quality of life.

“The Key Region Leiden benefits from its location between the two major economic regions. The level of overall well-being is high here.”

Borrowed size

Another lesson from the study is the principle of “borrowed size”: harness the strength of nearby urban regions. The Leiden region has a large outbound commuter flow. On balance, approximately 33,000 residents work outside the region. Many residents thus benefit from the employment opportunities available elsewhere in the Randstad. At the same time, this raises the question of how talent and knowledge can be more closely tied to the region itself. Better alignment between education, the labor market, and the region’s economic specializations can help achieve this.

“Harness the power of nearby urban regions.”

Which step is important now?

What does Raspe believe is needed to make further progress? First and foremost, a shared vision. Successful regions dare to think big, work together, and build on what sets them apart. It is precisely this shared ambition that creates the momentum needed to tackle economic and social challenges.

To achieve that vision, Raspe emphasizes the importance of regional collaboration between entrepreneurs, government, education, and research. This so-called triple-helix approach ensures that the parties jointly identify opportunities and determine how they can contribute to them. As an example, he cites business roundtables, where various parties come together to address shared challenges and opportunities.

The presentation thus once again made it clear that Key Region Leiden can fulfill precisely that connecting role. Collaboration between businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies is now firmly established. With its three program areas— Strengthening the Innovation Region, Future-Proof Entrepreneurship, and Space & Framework Conditions —the agenda aligns well with the recommendations from the study. The foundation has been laid; now it is time to further translate our shared ambitions into action.

Holland Rijnland Region Economic Dashboard

In addition to the national figures, Ellen Dijkstra, a researcher and data analyst for the City of Leiden, presented the Holland Rijnland Region’s economic dashboard during the afternoon session. This dashboard provides insight into the economic development of our region. With up-to-date figures on topics such as employment, economic activity, sector development, and the labor market, the dashboard clearly illustrates trends and developments. Users can view both the region as a whole and the individual municipalities and easily compare them with one another. In this way, the dashboard supports municipalities, policymakers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and other interested parties in making informed decisions and strengthening a future-proof regional economy.

• Curious about these regional and local economic figures? Check out the dashboard here: https://hollandrijnland.nl/ruimte/economie/
• You can find more statistics on this page of our website.

Check out our infographic

Why this works.

• We connect knowledge and innovation with SMEs, strengthening the entire regional economy.
• We create jobs close to home, reduce travel time and increase livability.
• Each government euro provides at least €3.50 in value.
• We are committed to future-proof business parks, strong supply chains and an attractive business climate.

What we ask of local politicians

• Choose structural collaboration.
• Invest a minimum of €3.25 per resident to fulfill our common tasks.
• Give room for innovation, talent and growth: for residents, entrepreneurs and municipalities.

What it delivers

Colleges play a crucial but often underestimated role in the Dutch innovation system. This is again evident in a recent analysis by Birch Consultants, which mapped the cooperation between colleges and external parties. For regions like Key Region Leiden, this explains exactly why partnership with an institution like Hogeschool Leiden is so valuable. In this interview, Joeri van den Steenhoven, vice president of the Executive Board of Hogeschool Leiden, talks more about it.

99 percent are SMEs

“The analysis shows that colleges now collaborate with about 64,000 partners in practice-based research,” says Joeri van den Steenhoven. “What often leads to surprise is that 73 percent of these partners are companies. Even more striking is that 99 percent of them are from SMEs. Precisely these companies traditionally have difficulty connecting with universities and other knowledge institutions, while they do have concrete and urgent innovation questions.” According to Van den Steenhoven, this makes colleges act as an indispensable R&D partner for SMEs. “Practice-oriented research makes it possible to make knowledge directly applicable within existing companies. That is a substantially different form of innovation than focusing on start-ups alone.”

Explosive growth

Another striking result from the Birch report is the tremendous growth of the collaborative network. “Between 2015 and 2024, the number of college partners grew by a factor of ten,” Van den Steenhoven said. “That’s really explosive.” That growth contrasts sharply with the funding available for practice-based research. “Funding has only increased by a factor of three during that same period,” Van den Steenhoven said. “This means that colleges are realizing greater social and economic impact with limited resources.” This lopsided growth suggests that practice-based research deserves more attention because of its high social return. Precisely because it takes place in close cooperation with companies, healthcare institutions, governments and civil society organizations.

Knowledge transfer for earning power

According to Van den Steenhoven, the analysis shows that innovation should be understood much more broadly than is often the case. “These figures underline that valorization is not only about spin-offs and start-ups,” he says. “It is also, and perhaps especially, about knowledge transfer to existing organizations.” Precisely therein, he says, lies an important foundation for the earning power of the Netherlands. “We have almost forgotten how important it is to help existing companies innovate. While therein lies a huge part of our economy.”

Solid knowledge partner

What strikes Van den Steenhoven personally are the reactions from the field. “What I often hear is mild surprise,” he says. “Many external stakeholders had simply not realized how big a role practice-based research now plays in the Dutch innovation system.” That surprise, he says, touches on a broader perception issue. “People still too often see universities of applied sciences primarily as educational institutions,” Van den Steenhoven said. “While in the meantime they have grown into solid knowledge partners for region and business.” This underlines why collaborations like the one between Hogeschool Leiden and Key Region Leiden are so strategic: they link knowledge development and talent directly to regional (SME) issues.

From awareness to utilization

“This analysis shows how crucial practice-based research is for economic and social innovation,” Van den Steenhoven concludes. “And that awareness may still land much wider and be better utilized.”

To research report

The National Science Agenda (NWA) call, “Economic Structural Change in South Holland: Space for an economy that contributes to broad prosperity,” is open from March 9. With this call, NWO (the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) aims to contribute to the development of insights and action perspectives to support economic structural change in South Holland. This call uses a Sandpit procedure.

About the call

In the province of South Holland, there is a great need for insight and frameworks for action to accommodate economic structural change. Although the province is one of Europe’s most innovative economies, growth in the region lags behind. Also, not everyone benefits from the (broad) prosperity and the distribution of scarce space in the province leads to complex trade-offs between economic, social and ecological interests. To work towards a sustainable, future-proof and competitive economy, South Holland faces the challenge of making sharp choices at the intersection of economy, space and broad prosperity. This call aims to approach the issues integrally and arrive at a broadly supported perspective on structural change.

Sandpit Workshop

To increase the chance of impact of research, collaboration between researchers, with researchers from other disciplines and with partners such as companies and civil society organizations is needed. NWO supports the formation of a consortium by organizing a Sandpit. The aim of the Sandpit is to establish collaboration in a new partnership, resulting in a single joint application. Read more about what a Sandpit workshop entails on NWO ‘s website.

To determine who can participate in the Sandpit workshop, this program has a round of selection based on Expressions of Interest submitted by individuals. A maximum of 30 participants can be selected to participate in the Sandpit.

Budget and deadlines

The grant ceiling for this call for proposals is 2.8 million euros for one research proposal. C orinancing is possible within this call for proposals, but not required. The deadline for submitting individual Expressions of Interest is April 9, 2026. The deadline for submitting the full application is Jan. 12, 2027.

Online information session

On Monday, March 16, 2026 NWO is hosting an online information meeting for this NWA call. Those interested in this Call for proposals are cordially invited to attend the meeting. NWO will explain the purpose and design of the call and provide practical information about the Sandpit procedure. Sign up here.

On December 15, together with the Province of South Holland, the Economic Board South Holland and more than 90 partners, we launched the Acceleration Program South Holland. In doing so, we are working to put the preconditions in place to unleash investment in the province of South Holland. Accelerate, Simplify and Connect is the advice.

Beneficial effects

The Acceleration Program helps to accelerate the expansion of energy infrastructure, organize space for sustainable and innovative business activity, attract and train talent, improve permitting and enable strategic investments. By accelerating together, projects can get off the ground sooner and we strengthen the economy, strategic autonomy and broad prosperity of Zuid-Holland.

Building bridges

Key Region Leiden is driving and building bridges between the knowledge economy and the region’s broad-based SMEs, the engine of our broad-based prosperity. We embrace the acceleration program because we see the importance of making targeted choices so that all the right preconditions are in place for innovation and entrepreneurship in Key Region Leiden. Together we are making South Holland ready for the future!

Joint approach

The Acceleration Program Growth Agenda South Holland is the joint approach of the province of South Holland, the Economic Board South Holland, governments, businesses and knowledge institutions to get the preconditions in place so that investments in our beautiful province will be released again. By working together faster on energy infrastructure, space, talent and strong investment proposals, among other things, we are ensuring that important projects actually get off the ground. In this way, South Holland makes a large and concrete contribution to the national goals for climate, housing, productivity and strategic economic growth.