BRAINPORT MONITOR SUMMARY BRAINPORT IS A GROWTH ACCELERATOR

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1 BRAINPORT MONITOR SUMMARY BRAINPORT IS A GROWTH ACCELERATOR

2 INTRODUCTION The Brainport Monitor 2015 reveals the economic trends and competitiveness of the Brainport Eindhoven Region. This is the eighth successive annual edition of the Brainport Monitor. The conclusion of the Brainport Monitor 2015 is that economic recovery continues in Brainport Eindhoven Region. What s more, the region is profiting more from the growing economy than the rest of the Netherlands. With economic growth of 2.1% in 2014, against an national average of 0.9%, Brainport is one of the fastest-growing regions, due to the high-tech and manufacturing industries that have been traditional strengths of the region. Like industrial export that rose by 5% to 14 billion; above the national figure. Altogether, the top R&D companies maintained their investments in 2014 (a total of 2 billion), something companies in the rest of the country were not able to do. The figures also reveal that Brainport companies derived 43% of their revenue from the sale of new products, making these companies more successful in innovation than their counterparts in cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The region is also an attractive place to live; in 2014 more people from abroad and within the Netherlands came to live in the region than left it. An ongoing focus on employment is needed; unemployment and the number of job vacancies increased in The region lost some 7,000 jobs, or 1.8%, which was relatively more than the national average (-1.1%). The transport/communication, business services and industry sectors felt the most contraction in jobs while the high-tech sector remained more or less constant in this respect. The design sector witnessed above-average growth in jobs. The regional economy has shown itself to be resilient, because even during the recession of 2012 and 2013, the cyclically sensitive region kept on a par with the Netherlands was a particularly difficult year as industrial export and the number of high-tech jobs declined. Figures now show that Brainport has got itself out of the crisis and has pushed on towards economic acceleration. More information about the figures is contained on the final page of this summary. The full Brainport Monitor can be downloaded at:

3 GENERAL The Netherlands is an innovative and highly competitive country Brabant and Utrecht are the forerunners of innovation in the Netherlands Brainport profits from expanding world trade In 2013 the Netherlands kept its internationally strong position in innovation and competitiveness in various rankings. The Netherlands is a modern country whose scientific output and capacity to innovate put it among the world s elite (INSEAD), although flexibility in the job market and the financial system remain a concern (WEF). In terms of innovation, the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Utrecht are clear leaders (EC). Brainport is one of the top regions in the Netherlands and Brainport is expected to exceed average economic growth also in The export sectors like industry, wholesale and transport are a major stimulus for this, with the electrical engineering and transport vehicle industries in particular demonstrating growth (ING). Following the crisis, spending and investment will rise further along with consumer confidence (ING, EIM). In domestically-oriented sectors, profitless growth may occur due to the current overcapacity (ABN)

4 BUSINESS w During the recession in 2012 and 2013 the regional economy, which is cyclically sensitive due to its strong high-tech sector, showed itself to be resilient. The manufacturing industry is the driving force behind this according to the CBS. e Industrial export from the Brainport region rose more strongly in 2014 than the national average to 14 billion (7.8% of the Dutch total), with the metal and food industries determining factors here. r Fast-growing companies are key drivers of the economy. Their share of the total number of companies in the region is higher than the average in the Netherlands. t The region witnessed job losses in 2014 for the second year in a row; some 7,000 this time around. Only a minor portion of these came in the high-tech sector where more development jobs are being created and there is less work in ICT and machines. Manufacturing exports boost revenues Brainport can be a hub for the Dutch economy through crossovers, smart collaboration, highly-educated freelancers and a lot of ICT activity The growth in revenue in the Netherlands in 2014 came mainly from manufacturing export. Germany is by far and away our most important importer and recalculated export figures reveal that more business is being done with Russia and China. Thirty-eight per cent of Dutch added value goes abroad (ING). The Netherlands is a European contender to successfully exploit the digital age because of its modern, innovative mindset (Roland Berger). Digitisation will cause the further fragmentation of value chains, the emergence of new business models and companies to operate on a smaller and more flexible scale. Platforms at the interface of several sectors will accelerate innovations and generate new market opportunities (Rathenau). With smart collaborative partnerships and crossovers, Brainport Eindhoven Region can act as a hub for the Dutch economy (Oudshoorn, ING) The number of entrepreneurs in the Netherlands fell in By contrast, the number of students ( ) running a company while studying doubled (ECE). To enable innovative companies to grow, customisation and an ecosystem are needed. Entrepreneurs can learn a lot from each other and starters have to get help or funding at the right moment (Kauffman). Companies are increasingly seeking a mix of funding types: both loan and equity capital. Little use will be made of crowdfunding (TNS/ NIPO). Venture capitalists have most confidence in the low-capital sectors like cloud computing and little in semiconductors and hardware (Deloitte).

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6 PEOPLE w Despite the unemployment in Brainport lying below the Dutch average and economic growth above the Dutch average, the slight rise in unemployment does give some cause for concern. The question is whether this can be regarded as jobless growth. We will be analysing this further in the coming period. e The percentage of those with a higher education background continues to rise especially in 2014 faster than the national figure, with more than a third of the working population now having received a higher education. The working population of the region currently stands at 399,000. r The region had 9% more first-year engineering students this academic year, with more students at all levels of education, including university and this year also at intermediate vocational level. t The region is attractive to move to. For five years in a row the domestic migration balance has risen. There is also an increasing number of foreigners coming to live in the region. For specific engineering jobs a shortage will remain in Brainport Employees must continue to take refresher courses and demand for ICT and technical personnel is growing The employment situation is still worrying but with the economy improving the number of jobs in Brainport Eindhoven Region is expected to rise a little (0.6%) (UWV). There is a mismatch whereby many of those seeking work have a low level of education while engineering companies increasingly require personnel with at least full intermediate vocational level. Brainport is likely to continue to face a shortage for specific engineering jobs (UWV). Technological progress, greater complexity and the digital age mean there is increasing need for more engineers and ICT personnel with different and more complex competencies (McKinsey, Dialogic). This causes loss of jobs for employees with an intermediate-level education and requires education to constantly innovate and employees to continue to take refresher courses (TNO&HCSS) Since 2007 the number of knowledge workers in Brabant and Limburg has tripled to 13,000. Specifically those coming from Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom have increased (Decisio). International knowledge workers opt for the Netherlands due to work or studies and the possibility to live in a suburban environment (UvA). The knowledge workers that opt for Brainport are the least concerned about an urban residential preference.

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8 TECHNOLOGY w Companies in this region invest by far the most in innovation; 19% of the Dutch total ( 13.3 billion). e Companies in this region also dominate the 2014 list of biggest R&D investors. And although the total spending of the top 30 companies fell, Brainport companies stayed on course. r In terms of patents, Brainport has been leading in Europe for years. Over the past year, this lead has simply grown as the number of patents in other top regions decreased. t With 43% of the revenues of Brainport companies coming from the sale of products that are new to the market or the company, companies here derive more revenue from innovation than companies in, for example, Flevoland, Arnhem/Nijmegen and Amsterdam. Every euro of private R&D generates 2.30 in GRP More and more companies are cooperating to create innovation Brainport is the biggest innovation hotspot of national importance Investments in innovation by business and industry result in economic growth: every euro of private R&D generates (delayed by 1-2 years) an increase in GNP of 2.30 (TNO). However, investments in Europe are lagging behind those in the rest of the world, and those in the Netherlands behind the rest of Europe (EC). Government investments in R&D are being reduced in the period from 2013, in both absolute and relative terms (from 0.78% in 2012 to 0.65% in 2018) (Rathenau). The top sectors policy aims to stimulate cooperation in innovation among companies and knowledge and educational institutions. 48% of the top sector companies cooperate in innovation as opposed to 34% a year earlier (Panteia). Access to knowledge is the most important reason cited, with cooperation being awarded a score of 7.7. Research shows that the government is well advised to earmark hotspots of national importance to boost the performance of geographical, innovative networks and thus of companies and knowledge institutions. Brainport is the biggest engineering hotspot and benefits from greater openness and market development (AWTI)

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10 BASICS w Residents in the province of North Brabant travelled a total of 31.4 billion km in 2013, which is 16% of all kilometres travelled in the Netherlands. Although people in Brabant use public transport more now than three years ago, it is still below the national average. e The number of passengers at Eindhoven Airport has grown tremendously. A rise of 15% in 2014 saw Eindhoven Airport get a spot in the top 100 most popular airports in Europe (in 100 th place). w e The agglomeration power of Brainport can be boosted by rapid connections with the complementary amenities of other cities Physical proximity and trust are important for interactions in a knowledge region Dutch cities are too small to gain optimum economic performance. High-quality, rapid connections can boost the agglomeration power for amenities and better enable complementarity to be exploited: borrowed size and borrowed quality (RLI). But for a knowledge region like Brainport the key is physical proximity and interaction based on trust. Research highlights that high-tech manufacturing companies like to locate near an urban centre with an airport and international railway station (PBL)

11 SPECIAL: KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT Knowledge management is the collection, labelling, sharing and application of knowledge. The Brainport Monitor is focusing on this aspect this year because the need for shared insight and intelligence along with the availability of data is growing. Health cooperative Slimmer Leven 2020 is a knowledge unit in the Brainport region that has demonstrated its value. Geared to technological innovations in the care sector, it offers its 70 members a point on the horizon and a platform that enable concrete projects and knowledge circles to emerge. The figure below shows how Slimmer Leven fleshes out the five process steps of the Knowledge Management Value Chain designed by Mathieu Weggeman (2010). Knowledge sharing is the rationale of Slimmer Leven, so you have to constantly put energy into this. FIVE LESSONS FOR OTHER KNOWLEDGE UNITS: 1. Make clear at which level (concrete/generic) what data are important 2. Work according to demand 3. Stimulate active knowledge development among members 4. Create learning capacity where partners see benefits 5. Use free data

12 ABOUT THE BRAINPORT MONITOR The Brainport Monitor draws a coherent picture of the regional ecosystem through 30 macro-economic statistical indicators and an analysis of 70 research reports. It is structured by the domains People, Technology, Business and Basics. This year there is also a special focus on knowledge management. Statistics reports The availability of the qualitative figures varies. Some statistics lag a year or two behind. If there are no figures available at the Brainport (Southeast Brabant) level, the province of North Brabant is taken as a reference. This year modified methods for several indicators have revealed new figures, such as economic growth, revenue from innovation, private innovation spending and vacancies. COLOPHON Editor: Brainport Development NV Sources: CBS, CBS CIS, NOWT, EIM, Eurostat, LISA, UWV, WTI2 Disclaimer In drafting this publication use has been made of various sources and information provided by many different organisations. However, Brainport Development NV is not able to guarantee the correctness or accuracy of the data, information or opinions that appear in this publication nor their relevance to any purpose, situation or application. Brainport Development NV is thereby not liable for any damages, losses or other consequences that may be incurred as a result of using the data, information or opinions as contained in this publication. No rights may be derived from this publication. Brainport Development NV, 2015 Brainport Development NV Emmasingel 11 P.O. box 2181 NL-5600 CD Eindhoven info@brainportdevelopment.nl