Colleges play vital role in innovation systems

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