Retrospective symposium on Broad Prosperity

Strong growth

Key Region Leiden is growing strongly in the coming years, with an expected increase to about 400,000 inhabitants and 1,000 new jobs annually. This requires good cooperation between government, knowledge institutions, businesses and social organizations. The government’s role in this is mainly one of facilitation. At the same time, it was emphasized that themes such as housing, talent development and regional cooperation are crucial to making this growth sustainable.

‘We are already doing a lot right, but said developments require further forward thinking. We need to think together about the consequences of our growth,” Veltman said.

‘Broad prosperity is all about people,’ Carabain adds. ‘In our region, all the preconditions are in place to get started with this. We just have to do it! The municipalities have a facilitating role in removing obstacles. This requires a broader perspective than just an economic one.

Lessons from Brainport Eindhoven

Robert Strijk, alderman in Eindhoven, shared his experiences from the Brainport region at the symposium. According to him, cooperation between government, education and business (Triple Helix) is now standard, but it is important to involve social organizations as well. This creates a Quadruple Helix, in which economic development and social cohesion are more closely linked.

In the Brainport region, companies are actively contributing time and money to the region’s social agenda. For example, ASML contributes €2,500 per employee per year and many employees in Eindhoven perform social work one day a year. In this way, joint investments are made in projects around, for example, housing construction, education and social cohesion. This makes companies feel jointly responsible for the welfare of the region and creates a strong sense of joint ownership. According to Strijk, this very involvement of companies is an important success factor for strengthening broad prosperity.

‘Consciously mention the social agenda as a goal, but also make sure that entrepreneurs have a firm place at the table,’ Strijk said.

At the same time, Strijk indicated that Eindhoven can also learn from Leiden, for example in better securing strategic choices and the strong involvement of knowledge institutions. The rapid changeover through short lines of communication was also mentioned as an asset of our region.

The Leuven model

Luc Sels, chairman of the Executive Board of Leiden University, presented the so-called “Leuven model” during the symposium. In this Belgian knowledge city, strong and structural cooperation between city and university is central. According to Sels, a successful knowledge city is not only a place where talent comes to, but especially a place where talent also wants to stay.

European knowledge region

Leuven combines international appeal with strong local anchoring. The city emphatically positions itself as a European knowledge region, where cooperation with international partners is important, but always linked to local social goals. Transparent policy and attention to public values play an important role in this.

Three levels

An important characteristic of Leuven is that cooperation not only takes place at the project level, but is also organized structurally. Sels described three levels at which a knowledge city can function. At the project level, parties work together on concrete initiatives. At the system level, structures and forms of cooperation are organized that make cooperation possible. Eventually this can grow to the identity level, where cooperation becomes part of how the city and its institutions function.

Connecting initiatives

There are several initiatives within Leuven that support this collaboration. For example, Leuven MindGate connects companies, knowledge institutions and government around innovation and economic development. There are also initiatives such as Leuven 2030, which focuses on climate and sustainability, and programs that stimulate cooperation in the areas of education, culture and entrepreneurship. In this way, economic development, social issues and urban development are linked.

Value sharing

Sels emphasized that international talent must not only be attracted, but also well received and integrated into the city. Initiatives such as a regional investment agenda, a talent pact and clear cooperation structures can help in this regard. He also said fair distribution of value, value sharing, is essential to maintain support for economic development.

Knowledge city as an anchor

In conclusion, Sels conveyed to us that a city of knowledge is ultimately successful when there is a balance between several dimensions: economic growth and social development, international attraction and local involvement, and cooperation between city and university.

“In doing so, the city of knowledge acts as an anchor for a broader regional network, not a center that gobbles everything up,” Sels said.

• This article is also available as a PDF: Retrospective symposium Broad Prosperity.
• Also read the article on the Leiden University website.

Dialogue table feedback

During the dialogue tables during the symposium on March 4, participants engaged with each other on the issue of broad welfare under the guidance of Platform Social Domain. This led to open and in-depth conversations.

Proud

It emerged at several tables that it can be helpful to frame the issue differently: not only how do we create broad prosperity, but also how do we maintain broad prosperity. The importance of innovation and social cohesion was emphasized. Participants saw that both residents and businesses have an interest in pride in the environment in which they live and work, and in continuity in the development of the region.

Switch

Several tables mentioned that civil society organizations play an important role in strengthening engagement. They can form a connecting link between residents, businesses and knowledge partners. This raises the question of what CSOs need in order to fulfill this role well, and how the knowledge infrastructure and business can contribute to this.

Scale level

In addition, some tables mentioned the importance of a joint lobby towards The Hague and the European Union. This also raised the question of the appropriate level of scale: how do we actually define our region when we act together?

Talent

At another table, the core of the issue was seen primarily in strengthening human capital. Retaining, attracting and housing talent is seen as crucial for both the knowledge infrastructure, business and social organizations. This requires, among other things, an attractive and pleasant living environment in the region.

Art and culture

Finally, it was noted at several tables that the perspective of arts and culture was still not very visible in the discussion. Participants indicated that this is an important part of broad welfare and that it would be valuable to include parties from this sector more explicitly in the remainder of the conversation.

• This feedback is also available as a PDF: Report Dialogue Tables Broad Prosperity.
• Also read this additional elaboration: Deepening Insights Dialogue Tables Broad Prosperity.