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Amsterdam: innovations melting pot where talents can flourish
Cities around Europe have traditionally been connected with innovative technological efforts and progressive ideas. They are places in which innovation thrives and they also serve as incubators for new ideas. The population of cities is increasing, which provides numerous opportunities for innovation and growth, among other things.
‘’Cities are often places of great energy and optimism. They are where most of us choose to live, work and interact with others. As a result, cities are where innovation happens, where ideas are formed from which economic growth largely stems,’’ it was stated in Future Agenda’s Future of Cities Report 2017.
Every year, the European Commission awards the European city that best demonstrates its openness to innovation and uses it as a way to improve the quality of life for its residents. This flattering title was given to the Dutch capital Amsterdam in 2016. For its efforts in the field of innovation, Amsterdam came first in the rankings, followed by Italy’s Turin and the French capital Paris.
A more recent innovative cities index ranking, published by the company Paymentsense, also featured Amsterdam in Top 10. Trying to find out which cities did the best job in fostering innovations, the company conducted an extensive research and then published a global Index in which Amsterdam was able to secure 7th place.
Factors that were considered in the research were number of patent applications registered on Google, number of new business registrations in 2019, number of universities and their rankings, average monthly search volumes and trends for ‘how to start a business’ and number of Kickstarters. Ultimately, the French capital Paris came on top as the most Innovative city, followed by Washington and Canberra.
Amsterdam and Netherlands in general constantly score high in many other global and European indexes which revolve around the topic of innovations. The Netherlands, one of the most densely populated countries in the world, is often praised for its businesses and entrepreneurship climate and openness. With its forward-thinking culture, the country is not yet showing signs of slowing down and continues to play a major role in the world of innovations.
One of the places in the city that can certainly be considered a hotspot for innovations is Amsterdam Science Park. It has one of the densest concentrations of academic education and research facilities in Europe. Being home to world-class research institutes, universities, and over 170 businesses, it is considered to be a key centre for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
There, brilliant minds work together to create groundbreaking answers to some of the most important societal challenges the world is faced with. With a focus on AI and data science, sustainability, life sciences, and high-tech systems and materials, Amsterdam Science Park is at the forefront of technology. At Amsterdam Science Park, companies are able to benefit from a wealth of specialised knowledge.
In this dynamic science park, a diverse community of students, researchers, and entrepreneurs explores a wide range of topics. However, this vibrant place confirms the long-standing reputation of the Netherlands as one of the countries that is not afraid to experiment and always looks for a multi-disciplinary approach to stimulate new ideas. Similarly, that is also viewed as one of the biggest assets of Amsterdam Science Park.
One of the goals of the Amsterdam Science Park is to encourage innovation. It’s crucial to bring science and business together so that the breakthrough scientific discoveries can be applied and used to solve the challenges the world is bound to encounter. According to their 2013 Energy report, Amsterdam Science Park also aims to become one of the most sustainable science parks.
By nurturing sustainable building, and securing shared electricity sources and improved energy efficiency, Amsterdam Science parks also wants to contribute to the environmental goals and bring us one step closer to a greener and more sustainable world.
Amsterdam Science Park’s vision for 2025 has a focus on expanding and improving long-term R&D and innovation collaborations with SMEs and multinational corporations. This melting pot of innovations is expected to continue playing an important role in Amsterdam’s further development and growth. (photo credit: ufuture.com)
