Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Rotterdam

Entrepreneurship and innovation are part of the Rotterdam DNA. Strategically located in the Randstad, along the west coast of the Netherlands, one of the largest and most important metropolitan areas in Europe, Rotterdam is the place to be for innovators, start-ups and venture capitalists.

Erasmus University Rotterdam One of the biggest universities in the Netherlands, Erasmus University Rotter-dam - founded in 1913 by Rotterdam businessmen - has a student population of 23,000 and a research community of circa 1,400. Scholars and students in seven faculties and two institutions work on global social challenges in the areas of health, wealth, governance and culture. As part of a large global network of academic partnerships, in strategic alliance with Leiden University and Delft University of Technology and in a unique collaboration between city and port, the dynamic city of Rotterdam serves as the university’s laboratory. The quality of research at Erasmus University, named after Rotter-dam-born humanist and theologian Eras-mus, is reflected in its consistent top-100 position in most major university rankings internationally, including the Reuters Top 100 Innovative Universities 2015.

Erasmus University Rotterdam: RSM Masters in Strategic Entrepreneurship Over the past 40 years, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) has firmly established its reputation as one of Europe’s leading business schools. RSM’s MSc in Strategic Entrepreneurship (MScSE) is a one-year, full-time programme for people with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, economics, finance, science and business, or indus-trial design. Through lectures, case studies, teamwork and projects in which net-works are built, students explore how to fulfil their role as an entrepreneur in an organisation – or how to start up an entrepreneurial business. RSM’s Strate-

gic Entrepreneurship MSc programme ranks as the best master’s degree in entrepreneurship worldwide, according to Eduniversal’s international review of best master’s programmes.

Besides RSM’s MscSE the Erasmus University Rotterdam contributes to Rotterdam’s entrepreneurial and innova-tion ecosystem through several other top faculties and programmes, including Erasmus Centre for Innovation Manage-ment (ECIM), the Centre for Sustainable Innovation, the Civic Innovation Research Initiative (CIRI), Center for Public Inno-vation (CPI) and Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship Research.

Erasmus MC Erasmus Medical Center stands for a healthy population and excellent health-care. Conducting ground-breaking work, pushing boundaries, and leading the way in research, education, and healthcare, Erasmus MC is a recognised leader in innovations for health and healthcare, continually on the lookout for innovation, for the best diagnostic and treatment methods, and the latest findings in the field of health and prevention. Innovation alone is not a goal unto itself. By inno-vating, Erasmus MC aims to promote the further development of good healthcare. Professionals who are trained by Erasmus MC unite the latest scientific insights with practical application, so patients and people with a healthcare need can benefit fully from the connections. Innovation and state-of-the-art treatment go hand-in-hand at Erasmus MC.

Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS) is a dynamic knowledge institute for higher professional education. Over 30,000 students and around 3,000 mem-bers of staff pursue their career here, the typical Rotterdam way. Through the Rotter- dam Educational Model RUAS provides practice-focused, well-considered, flexible education that allows all students and staff to play an important role in real, innovative projects. RUAS teaches them how to play that role and provides them with the necessary tools: an expert view, a lot of nerve, and a result-focused approach.

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) Outside the city borders but in the imme-diate vicinity, Delft University of Technology cooperates with many other educational and research institutions, both in the Netherlands and abroad. The high quality of its research and teaching is widely renowned. The acclaimed university of technology has numerous contacts with government authorities, trade associations, consultancies, industry players and small and medium-sized companies. Innovation is at the core of the curriculum and pro- grammes at Delft University of Technology. The university inspires its Bachelor’s, Master’s and postgraduate students to find technological solutions, even to the less obvious problems, whether these involve energy-saving transport, sustain-able building methods or new, better-designed products. In Delft, it’s all about developing products and technology that people love to use to enhance human and social progress.

Rotterdam Innovation DistrictThe Rotterdam Innovation Districts covers the Merwe Vierhaven (M4H) and RDM districts, home to (amongst others) the Rotterdam Science Tower and RDM Rotterdam. This district used to be the biggest port of call for fruit exports and imports, and is now the new breeding ground for innovative and creative entrepreneurship. Daan Roosegaarde, inventor and artist of the year 2016, has for instance made the move to this area. Erasmus University Rotterdam and Erasmus MC are also strongly represented here, with a medical incubator and the campus of the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship where 64 rapidly growing companies are located.

Rotterdam Science Tower Rotterdam Science Tower is a multi-company building on the edge of the city centre: a unique mixture of lab space, offices and facilities for laboratory educa-tion. The Rotterdam Science Tower also organizes events, offering interested parties the opportunity to benefit from each other’s expertise and experience. The programme includes events like the ECE Congress, European Business Plan of the Year, social drinks and pitch nights. Science, education and entrepreneurship all come together in the Rotterdam Science Tower.

Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship ECE is the largest expertise centre in entrepreneurship in Europe and has more

Start, grow, innovate. In Rotterdam

Innovation is part of the Rotterdam DNA

The Rotterdam region is home to internationally renowned knowledge institutions – Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus Medical Center, Delft University of Technology, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences – and start-up and innovation hot-spots such as the Cambridge Innovation Centre with its sister organisation Venture Café, RDM Rotterdam, Rotterdam Science Tower, Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, YES!Delft and many more.

It is this combination of the strategic location, the availability of high-quality and relatively low-cost office space, the presence of knowledge institutions, innovation hotspots and testing facilities, a facilitating government, rapidly growing business communities and networks and the typical ‘make it happen’ mentality that make Rotterdam the logical choice for innovation and a great place to set up and grow your business.

With a strong performance in sectors such as Maritime & Off-shore, Cleantech & Energy, Life Sciences & E-Health, Agro-food & Logistics, ICT & Smart Industry and Insurance & Business Services it’s no wonder that many ground-breaking innova-tions come from Rotterdam.

Innovation ecosystemThe success of Rotterdam’s innovation ecosystem is largely the success of active collaboration between companies, incu-bators, knowledge institutions, financiers and government authorities. This is a vital mix for start-ups and fast growers

who want to make the most of the environment in which they operate – or aim to explore. Over the last couple years, Rotter-dam has welcomed many innovative companies to the city. Accompanying the growing number and diversity of innovative enterprises, more and more incubators and high-level business centres have found their way to our city. Innovation hubs, co- working spaces and programming can be found at various locations in Rotterdam, providing resource-rich, stimulating environments that bring together ideas, talent and money. Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, SuGu Club, Cambridge Innovation Centre (CIC) with their sister organisation Venture Café, RDM Rotterdam, Port Innovation Lab and PortXL are some high-profile examples.

Innovation programmesEstablishing a business in Rotterdam means gaining access to knowledge, networks and financing. It also means operating in an environment with many innovation-oriented programmes, specifically aimed at helping start-ups and growing businesses reach their full potential. This includes educational programmes, training and workshops, coaching and mentorship, networking events and visitor programmes. Through these programmes, the Rotterdam innovation ecosystem provides the perfect environment for exploiting and nurturing talent and creating new opportunities.

This brochure offers an overview of some of the key parties and programmes focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Being a delta city and with most of the region below sea level Rotterdam has always had to deal with challenges. Over time Rotterdam has not only found ways to cope with its watery environment, but also to turn it into economic opportunity and the Northsea and river Maas into sources of trade and prosperity. The Nieuwe Waterweg (‘New Waterway’, 1872), the storm surge barrier ‘Maeslantkering’ (1997) and more recently the world’s first full-scale water square ‘Benthemplein’ (2013) and state of the art office buildings that have been built to be energy neutral (heat-cold-storage) along the inner-city river… all these are testaments to Rotterdam’s inventive and world-renowned water management solutions. Rotterdam is proud of its status as one of the Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities and its #1 positoin in the 2016 Sustainable Cities Water Index of Arcadis and the Britsh Centre for Economics and Business Research.

Another defining factor for Rotterdam’s innovative spirit is World War II, when most of the city was flattened during heavy bombardments. Only a few days after the tragedy Rot-terdam decided not to rebuild the old city, but to reinvent it into a new, modern one. Accolades to the re-inventive spirit of the time are the Groothandelsgebouw, an iconic and for the time very innovative wholesale building with an internal logistics route, and the Lijnbaan (both 1953), Europe’s first car free, pedestrianized shopping centre.

Of course the port has always played an important role in Rotterdam’s development and success as hotbed for entre-preneurship and innovation. In 2016 Rotterdam celebrates a golden jubilee as the port has been Europe’s largest container port for 50 years. On 3 May 1966, the MS Fairland arrived in Rotterdam. It was the first time a container ship arrived in Rotter-dam. Since then, Rotterdam has been the largest container port of Europe and leading the way to finding new solutions to maritime and port related challenges.

Rotterdam has its feet firmly on the ground and its eyes on the future. With global trends like a growing population and increasing land, energy and food scarcity, the city now focusses on themes like sustainability and circularity, new economy and becoming a smart city. A network of local government, com-panies, knowledge institutions, service providers and financers work actively together in the city’s Innovation Ecosystem to develop new products, technologies and services that will bring the Rotterdam economy forward. The Smog Free Tower, the Floating Farm, The Dutch Windwheel, BlueCity010... these are just some of the modern and future of the entrepreneurial and innovative Rotterdam way of moving forward and making things happen.

The Erasmus University Rotterdam campus grounds

port and city of Rotterdam. This coop-eration takes place in Communities of Practice within four domains: Maritime & Smart Port Industry; Logistics & Future Mobility; Energy & Process Technology; Sustainable Construction & Area Develop-ment. RDM CoE is a centre of expertise of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, recognized and supported by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. It is being developed in a public-private partnership with the Port of Rotterdam Authority and business partners at the campus of RDM Rotterdam, right in the centre of the port.

RDM Rotterdam RDM Rotterdam is the innovation show-case of the Rotterdam port area – located in the Rotterdam Innovation District - where technology and applied science are visualised in attractive ways. RDM accommodates businesses, education and research. Together they shape the new manufacturing industry for a smart port and a smart city. A variety of business and cultural events complements these efforts, making for a dynamic and ener-getic RDM – a place you must see! RDM Rotterdam is an initiative of the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Rotterdam Uni- versity of Applied Sciences. Programmes and facilities of RDM Rotterdam include:

� RDM Makerspace RDM Makerspace gives makers and developers access to machines,

workspace, courses & networks to turn their idea into a real prototype. RDM Makerspace focuses on digital fabri-cation (laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC etc.), Internet of Things, 3D printing, robotics and drones, collaborating with partners in those fields.

� IoT Academy KPN partnered with RDM Makerspace to found the IoT Academy to generate and promote awareness of the Internet of Things. IoT Academy provides work-shops, developer meet-ups and IoT challenges. There is also a special IoT lab with the newest technologies avail-able on the IoT scene.

� Robotics Academy IRS Robotics partnered with RDM Makerspace to found the Robotics Academy to generate and promote awareness of robotics. No longer relegated to the realm of rocket sci-ence, robotics is becoming more accessible for start-ups and SMEs to create new applications. Robotics Academy provides access to 3 industrial robotic arms (1 ABB, 2 Fanucs) and gives classes to operate and test new applications with these machines.

� 3D Printing Academy RDM Makerspace works with 3D Printing Academy to provide workshops related to 3D modelling and 3D printing.

Aboutaleb and winning an all-inclusive trip to join an international pitch competition.

Erasmus MC (Life Science) Incubator The Erasmus MC (Life Science) Incubator combines office and lab space outside Erasmus MC premises. In the Incubator, starting companies get the opportunity to develop rapidly in a business friendly environment, while being supported in multiple ways to maximise the chances of success. The Erasmus MC Incubator pursues these goals by offering entre-preneurs advice, coaching, training, access to professional networks, a docu-mentation centre, easy financing, and laboratory and office space. The incubator is located in the Rotterdam Science Tower.

LabHotel The LabHotel in the Rotterdam Science Tower offers researchers the option of hiring a fully equipped laboratory with-out being tied to a rental contract spe-cific permits are provided. This makes small-scale, innovative research on topics like medicines or medical aids more affordable and more accessible.

SuGu Club SuGu Club (SuGu: Start-Up & Grown-Up) develops and manufactures products and services for new markets to acceler-ate the transition to the next economy. SuGu Club does this by creating a next economy cluster of companies with various competencies in one space with focus on bio-based and recycled plastics, advanced manufacturing and circular design. SuGu Club accelerates the devel-opment of start-ups, scale-ups and grown- ups, focusing on the bio-based and creative industries in and around Rotterdam and aiming to facilitate and boost collabo- ration and entrepreneurship. SuGu Club is the place where drive, knowledge and know-how meet, where start-ups work together with corporates, finding inspi-ration and growth.

RDM Centre of Expertise RDM Centre of Expertise (RDM CoE) is the innovation engine for port and city. Within RDM CoE, educational institu-tions, research centres and businesses work together on improving technical education, new knowledge and sustain-able innovations that are needed for the

� AquaDock An innovative and experimental testing, demonstration and production envi-ronment for construction on water. At AquaDock, the focus is on showcasing and developing new techniques, products and prototypes. AquaDock is a collabo-ration of Port of Rotterdam Authority and the RDM Centre of Expertise (Rotter-dam University of Applied Sciences).

iTanks iTanks brings together knowledge institutions, businesses and industry experts and introduces them to new technology, fresh knowledge and the latest innovations. iTanks is a one-stop shop for innovation, facilitating the innovation process from concept to final product. iTanks supports the search for funding, subsidy, marketing, alter-native applications, contracting and business case development. This has already resulted in several ground-breaking innovations and the iTanks track record of innovative successes keeps growing. iTanks’ expertise and services centre around:

� Bringing together an extensive net-work of asset owners, contractors, small and medium enterprises, top engineers and innovative start-ups that reaches beyond borders;

� Organising high-quality, top-level events like field trips, master classes

and pitch breakfasts with the goal of introducing start-ups to relevant networks and bringing together peo-ple with innovative ideas, solutions and technologies;

� Rotterdam Investment Club: financing promising new ventures for the port-related industry by reaching a network of active investors and generating funding from private investors, banks, governmental institutions and crowd-funding. iTanks has its own crowdfinance portal, designed to contribute finan-cially to new ventures and innovative initiatives, giving them a kick-start.

Rotterdam Central DistrictRotterdam Central District is the heart of the Rotterdam city centre. The area is characterized by a high urban density and is a hub where inhabitants, entre-preneurs and tourists meet and mingle. It is the district of a developing 24-hours economy where you will find a mix of international headquarters, business services, trading companies and crea-tive entrepreneurs.

CIC CIC Rotterdam is the new start-up and scale-up hub in the iconic Groothandels- gebouw. Starting operations in 2016, CIC aims to house 550 innovative com-

than 4,000 people joining its programmes every year. Driven by the conviction that entrepreneurship is the primary condition for realising progress, the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE) offers a learning environment where companies become better at entrepreneurship by gaining new insights and turning ideas into innova-tions. ECE supports start-ups, SMEs, as well as corporates in this process through a combination of a strong academic background and a community filled with experienced entrepreneurs.

The ECE Campus is the place where new ideas are created, then translated into innovation. It’s an ideal learning environ-ment, a relaxed place to work alongside other talented people. The ECE Campus offers office space, meeting and event rooms, and a range of services and packages that make §work a little bit easier and a lot more enjoyable.

ECE Get Started Programme One of the ECE programmes is the Get Started Programme: an intense 10-week start-up programme that helps ambi-tious entrepreneurs grow their early

stage business through mentoring, workshops and a great network of fellow entrepreneurs. Participants receive coaching from experts and experienced entrepreneurs, access to curated tools and insights on starting a start-up, their own workplace at the ECE Campus, and membership in the ECE Community.

Rotterdam 100 The Rotterdam 100 is a competition in which 100 talents work with institutions and companies like ABN AMRO, CGI, Port of Rotterdam and the City of Rotter-dam and more. The programme aims at creating and implementing innovative solutions for the Rotterdam business ecosystem. Rotterdam 100 helps de-velop entrepreneurial skills, cross-sector insights, career opportunities and a valuable network. Rotterdam 100 is open to Dutch and international students and young professionals from research-oriented universities and universities of applied sciences. The full programme includes pitch days, battles and a final, after which one team is crowned as ‘Rotterdam Most Excellent’, receiving a Letter of Recommendation from Mayor

Top education at Erasmus University

Rotterdam Science Tower including ECE, PortXL and LabHotel.

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Erasmus University Rotterdam� RSM Masters in Strategic Entrepeneurship� ECE Get Started Programme

Rotterdam

Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences

Dutch Windwheel

Startup Foundation

BlueCity010

iTanks

RDM Rotterdam� RDM Makerspace� IoT Academy� Robotics Academy� 3d Printing Academy� AquaDock

RDM Centre of Expertise

Rotterdam Science Tower� Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship� PortXL� LabHotel� Rotterdam 100

Floating FarmStudio Roosegaarde

Yes!Delft� Port Innovation Lab

CIC� Venture Café

Delft University of Technology

Sugu Club

Plant One

Erasmus MC

and knowledge institutes. It also offers activities, coaches, testing facilities, access to a launching customer network, investors and more. The programme moves ideas and concepts into the next phase, validating business plans and helping participants to take the right steps on the road to a successful start-up.

PortXL PortXL is a mentorship-driven, open innovation programme focusing on port-related industries, supporting start-ups and spin-outs in building their port business. PortXL offers a programme focussed on validating business oppor-tunities in the sectors of Transport & Logistics, Energy, Maritime and Chemicals & Refinery. An intensive, 100-day mentor-ship-driven programme accelerates ten exclusively selected start-ups. PortXL also offers an ecosystem of founders, investors and corporate partners that supports and accelerates the entrepre-neurial journey. On demo day teams pitch their business ideas to an audience of

launching customers, business angels, venture capitalists, multinationals, journalists, sponsors and others that will help launch the start-ups to great-ness. PortXL is a joint effort by compa-nies and institutions like the Port of Rotterdam, EY, Van Oord, Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, Heineken, Innova-tion Quarter, Rabobank, Count / First Dutch, Vopak, Damen, E.ON and Boskalis.

Plant One Rotterdam Plant One Rotterdam is a testing facility where chemical and industrial compa-nies can research and test their innova-tive ideas for (more) sustainable tech-nology and products on a commercial scale. At its location in the port of Rotterdam, Plant One offers lots of space (including warehouse and lab space) and facilities for the testing of a wide range of techniques and solutions. Plant One Rotterdam has a comprehensive environmental permit (Wabo), making it possible for clients to drastically reduce licensing processes. Plant One also offers

various trainings to improve knowledge and skill levels in organizations and companies.

YES!Delft YES!Delft is a tech incubator that helps entrepreneurs to build and grow leading technology companies. The YES!Delft programmes turn promising technology ideas and teams into solid start-ups and grow them to successful companies. YES!Delft offers guidance and support to graduates, scientists, engineers and professionals in their start-up journey.

The programmes YES!Delft offers entre-preneurs focus on customer validation and long term growth of complex tech-nologies. YES!Delft offers access to mentors, experts, investors and partners who share their know-how and experi-ence with entrepreneurs.

YES!Delft is focused on building compa-nies that offer solutions in industries such as Clean Technology, Industrials, Energy, Health & Medical Technology,

ICT, Mobility and Consumer Products. YES!Delft has successfully built more than 160 companies so far and every day continues to focus on building tomorrow’s leading firms.� YES!Delft offers a wide variety of pro-

grammes for people who are interested in technological entrepreneurship. Discovery Day: a one day crash course to transform your tech idea into a potential business idea.

� LaunchLab: a 3 month pressure cooker to discover the business potential of your tech idea.

� Incubation Program, starting with a 6 month Foundation to prepare for fast & sustainable growth.

� YES!Delft Info Sessions: monthly sessions where participants can meet entrepreneurs, the YES!Delft team, ask questions and learn more about the programs YES!Delft offers.

panies, building on the Cambridge Inno-vation Centre’s international community of entrepreneurs, investors, and estalished businesses, offering premium flexible office, coworking, and event space and amenities for innovative companies and entrepreneurs. With hundreds of great entrepreneurs in one campus environ-ment, CIC Rotterdam is the ideal place to start and grow a business.

Venture Café CIC’s sister organisation Venture Café Rotterdam is also located in the Groot-handelsgebouw in Central District. From there it’s reach stretches to innovative communities in the city, the region and throughout the Netherlands.

Founded 5 years ago Venture Café started as an organization seeking to connect innovators with the aim to power change. It started as an experiment by CIC with the goal of creating regular and authentic opportunities for entrepreneurs to meet to share, improve and implement their ideas and innovations. Today, Venture Café is a growing organization that provides havens for trying out the unimagined,

opportunities for conversations that spark new ideas or validate old ones. Through events, programs, fellowships, office hours and weekly get-togethers, Venture Café connects people and fuels innovation. Venture Café creates a forum for con-necting innovators who ultimately seek to create positive change in both local and global communities.

From it’s home base in Boston, Venture Café has successfully expanded to St. Louis and in 2015 to Rotterdam at CIC in the iconic Groothandelsgebouw just outside of Rotterdam Central Station. At this prime location Venture Café organises it’s signature Weekly Gather-ing events every Thursday. Venture Café is the place for accelerated innovation, innovation community meetings and pro- gramming that is wholly inclusive to all people, ideas, technology and industries.

Startup Foundation Startup Foundation focuses on support-ing founders with scalable ideas and aims to support entrepreneurs with huge ambitions, ideally those that generate a positive impact. Startup Foundation

connects founders to other founders and facilitates knowledge exchange by giving transformative workshops, positively impacting entrepreneurs across the globe.

BlueCity010 BlueCity010, located in former tropical swimming paradise Tropicana, is all about innovation, sustainability and the circular economy. BlueCity 010 is a network of entrepreneurs including Rotterzwam, Superuse Studios, Spireaux, Stadsimker, Studio Dust and the Aloha Bar that fit their business processes, resources and waste streams around each other, experimenting with waste and learning the most effective ways to deal with it. Besides housing these companies, BlueCity010 is also the place for starting pioneers and fast growers, functioning as a laboratory where ideas can be tested and new products and services can be developed.

Port of Rotterdam The Port of Rotterdam Authority is the manager, developer and operator of the port and industrial area, providing tailor-made advice about establishing a business

presence in the Port of Rotterdam. In the port of Rotterdam, inventive solutions are conceived and innovators are given all the space, opportunities and support they need to succeed. This makes the port of Rotterdam not only one of the largest ports in the world, but also the smartest. One of the programmes through which Port of Rotterdam actively supports entrepreneurship and innovation is Port Innovation Lab, where the Port of Rotter-dam Authority and YES!Delft join forces in their aim to boost innovation.

Port Innovation Lab Port Innovation Lab is a programme to give technological ideas for the port a boost. Port Innovation Lab is a joint pro- gramme, offering the best of two worlds: the proven approach of successful incu-bator YES!Delft and the network provided by Europe’s largest port company, Rotterdam Port Authority.

Attracting and accelerating new and relevant port ideas into successful start-ups: that’s what Port Innovation Lab is all about. The programme brings together port industry, port start-ups,

Rotterdam Internet of Things

An important contributing factor to the success of the Rotterdam entrepre-neurial and innovation ecosystem is the development of an fully operational and accessible Internet of Things. A community of parties in Rotterdam, including start-ups, corporates, municipality and knowledge institutes are working togeth-er to fully develop the Rotterdam Internet of Things, also called TTN010.

TTN010 is an open LoRaWAN: a long range, low power, wide area network. It is capable of sending and receiving simple messages (<50Kb) over long distances (10Km) and works perfectly in a dense urban environment such as Rotterdam. Sensors that communicate through the LoRa are very energy efficient (5 years battery life) and don’t need to be connected to electricity. More importantly, there’s also no need for an internet connection: no 3G or 4G, no Wi-Fi and no subscription fees. The possibilities are practically endless and the technology is still improving.

Some obvious use-cases are related to the reading of sensors (for example for air quality, water levels, pressure, position or usage) and the execution of simple commands (like on/off, open/close, faster/slower). The combination of the information from all these sensors provides new insights that can be used for optimization. This can range from timely maintenance of specific machinery, or even anticipating flood risks in the city.

Rotterdam Central District, with the Groothandelsgebouw and Central Station

BlueCity010

RDM Rotterdam

Connecting with entrepreneurs and innovators at Venture Café

Showcases of innovation and entrepreneurship

Studio Daan Roosegaarde: Smog Free Project Dutch designer and entrepreneur Daan Roosegaarde and his team of experts have created the world’s largest smog vacuum cleaner. The Smog Free Tower uses patented ion technology to produce smog-free bubbles of public space, allowing people to breathe and experience clean air for free. Creating a tangible souvenir, Roosegaarde designed Smog Free Rings and Smog Free Cufflinks of compressed smog particles. The Smog Free Project is not only intended to be a final local solution, but also a sensory experience of a clean future. Along with governments, NGOs and the clean-tech industry, people participate and are themselves part of the solution instead of the problem.

Rotterdam is an excellent location for innovators and entre-preneurs to develop their talents, concepts, products and solu-tions. From their home base in Rotterdam, they reach out to the world, offering innovative and sustainable solutions for complex problems. On this page we present to you some of the current and future showcases attracting international attention:

Floating Farm The Floating Farm is a new technologically advanced, highly sustainable farm, floating on the water. It produces and processes fresh milk and fresh dairy products. The Floating Farm makes food production more sustainable and less reliant upon increasingly scarce farmland. It’s located on the water and very close to the consumers in the city, thus reducing transport and logistics. Besides the daily dairy production, the Floating Farm emphasises the educational aspect, teaching children and all visitors about healthy food. The Floating Farm is open for visitors to view the entire process of milk handling, animal welfare and our high-tech robotics. The first Floating Farm will be in operation in Rotterdam in the summer of 2016.

Dutch Windwheel The Dutch Windwheel is the planned sustainable icon and future landmark in Europe’s largest port city of Rotterdam. This most innovative ‘windmill’ in the world will be an attraction with unprecedented global reach and a showcase for technical and clean-tech innovations, one of which is EWICON technology. This pioneering wind turbine converts wind energy into electricity without moving mechanical parts by using a framework of steel tubes. The Dutch “Windwheel” is an initiative of the “Windwheel” Corporation, a consortium of Rotterdam based companies BLOC, DoepelStrijkers and Meysters, in close collaboration with leading companies and research institutes.

For more information

www.rotterdampartners.nl

Rotterdam Partners

Julia Oomens-Meer Business Manager InnovationT +31 (0)6 53 26 90 01E j.oomens-meer@rotterdampartners.nl

Mirjam van de KampAccountmanager Congresses (Associations)T +31 (0)10 790 0174E m.vandeKamp@rotterdampartners.nl

This brochure was made in collaboration with:

Rotterdam Partners is the promoter of the regional economy on both a national and international level to all stakeholders including residents, visitors and compa-nies. The department of International Trade and Investment and Expat Services focuses on strengthening and stimulat-ing regional economic growth. Our key tasks include:

� Strategic acquisition of foreign com-panies that strengthen the supply chain in the region. Particularly in the sectors and crossovers encompassing; Clean Tech, Agro food, Smart Industry / IT, Life Science & Health, Maritime & Offshore and Financial Services & Insurance. Logistics and Innovation are key drivers and are intertwined within all sectors. We provide support to companies that have decided to locate in the Rotterdam region, in addition we further track their settlement process and ensure that they anchor in the region;

� Stimulating and supporting the regional business community in internationali-zation, innovation and finance. We (co-) organize relevant (international) corporate events and trade missions, invite companies to meet with incoming trade delegations and we (co-) develop

business development programs and projects;

� To facilitate this we have among other things, developed an Investor Rela-tions program where we visit (C-level) international and regional companies (as many as possible), thereby facili-tating in the implementation of the strategy of companies;

� Supporting companies (as employers) in the field of expat services.

The regional network of companies and business partners is crucial for us in carrying out our core tasks effec-tively and thus in allowing us to make a successful contribution to the regional Rotterdam economy.

As the promoter of the Rotterdam economy, Rotterdam Partners are happy to assist and provide you with advice on business opportunities in the Rotterdam area. Moreover, we can help you set up and expand your business in Rotterdam and introduce you within the business network. Additionally we offer advice and support relating to the acquisition and organiza-tion of business events and congresses.

Photographs Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, Flying Holland/John Gundlach, Worcflow, RDM Rotterdam, Port of Rotterdam, iTanks, Beladon/Floating Farm, Maarten Laupman, Marijniz, Chris Gorzeman,BlueCity010, Jannes Linders, Freek van Arkel.Ossip van Duivenbode