‘Harness the power of partnerships toward Europe’

The Leiden region has everything it needs to make an impact in Europe: key technologies in bioscience, space and drones, strong triple helix collaborations and an ecosystem where innovation is literally within cycling distance. But how do we smartly approach the way we work towards Brussels? We talked about this during the Europe Table. Led by Mayor Peter Heijkoop of the City of Leiden, a number of speakers took us through the possibilities and opportunities.

Pooling goals

MEP Jeannette Baljeu: “Cooperation at the European level is not a luxury, but a necessity. Bundle your goals and be very concrete. That way you can make an impact as a region. That does require the region to be very aware of its own strengths.”

Partnerships

Karen van Dantzig (Dutch Urban Envoy) outlined the new direction of the European Commission: “The strength of regions lies in their ability to translate European ambitions into concrete innovations. Ecosystems such as in the Leiden region – where key technologies converge – show how regional cooperation can contribute to strategic European goals. Partnerships that forge broad coalties in the process stand out in Brussels.”

Solutions

Paul de Bruijn (Committee of the Regions): “The key to European influence lies in cooperation. Only if we tell one story as a region can we reach Brussels. MEPs listen for solutions that work – and we have them. By joining forces, we increase our visibility as well as our clout.”

Trump in control

Many insights were shared during the meeting that call for a follow-up. The challenge now is to come up with a joint EU approach together, in which we actively bring the solutions from our key sectors to Brussels. What does that mean in concrete terms? Smart cooperation on innovation and R&D, across municipal borders, where coalitions with like-minded regions within Europe is also a smart strategy. Connecting (programs for) startups and scale-ups from the bio science, space and unmanned systems sectors. The Leiden region holds a trump card in this regard, as nowhere will you find so many key technologies together!

The next step? On July 7, we will launch our new name and direction as a regional cooperation. With that story, we will set out together, including towards Brussels. Follow us not to miss it.