Toespraak van staatssecretaris Van Dam bij TEDxBinnenhof

Toespraak | 31-03-2016

Ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome to The Hague.

Hello to all of you watching us live around the world. And a warm welcome to our speakers today.

We’re here in the Knights’ Hall, built in the 13th century for the Count of Holland. This is where the nobility gathered for feasts and banquets. For decades they ruled Europe with power gained from their ancestry.

The Dutch Golden Age in the 17th Century an much more the French revolution led to a shift in power. Towards the merchants and later the industrial barons. As international trade expanded, bolstered by the industrial revolution, whoever had money could buy the world. A class society developed.

Since the Second World War the power of ancestry and social class was slowly replaced by knowledge and education.

Now we’re amidst a new revolution: we are entering the age of creativity. Ideas can change the world, thanks to transport and internet. Take a look at today’s audience. It’s not about where you’re from; it’s about your ideas. And this power stretches as far as the inventor can take it.

Let me tell you my story. I'm Martijn van Dam. I'm proud to be the Minister of Agriculture − the Netherlands’ most innovative sector. At the beginning of this century, I studied engineering in Eindhoven, home to companies like Philips and ASML and one of Europe’s best universities of technology. A hotbed of innovation with plenty of scope for experimentation. My fellow students and I took full advantage of that. We spent several years working on a virtual world where you could wander through shopping centres and meet other people, from the comfort of your home computer. It was a brilliant idea. But we didn’t know it at the time. At some point we lost faith in our idea and gave up. Not long after, something new came out of the United States. Second Life.

36 million people signed up for it, enabling them to wander through shopping centres and meet others in a virtual world. Just as we had imagined it. Okay, so it’s not as popular as it used to be. But it’s an innovation that’s still being built on.

I learned the hard way. Every successful innovation starts with a good idea. But not every good idea becomes a successful innovation. For that you need more: innovation is the sum of ideas and entrepreneurship. You need to keep on believing in your idea and give it your all. And if you fall, you simply get up and carry on.

You know that, because you are entrepreneurs. You know how to turn a good idea into an innovation. Timing is vital. A successful innovation doesn’t give us what we need now, but what we will need in the future. And knowing the scope is essential, too. The whole world is your potential customer base, rival and partner, all at the same time.

Tomorrow’s challenges – food security, climate change, poverty reduction and health care – affect the whole world. Ancestry and money alone will not solve these problems. For that, you need ideas and the flexibility to optimise timing and scope. And that’s exactly what small and new businesses have to offer. And why they actually shape the world today; not the government.

But the government does have a role to play – by making innovation possible. By building and forging partnerships, fostering entrepreneurship and making ideas happen. With this in mind, we launched Start-Up Delta, a nation-wide initiative aimed at creating an ecosystem where entrepreneurs can flourish.

And I’m pleased that I can now do my part as a minister. Like here at TEDxBinnenhof. By giving 'ideas worth spreading' a stage so that they can continue to grow. And the concept works. Former speakers – some of whom are here today – have ensured that their talks led not only to useful new contacts, but also to international assignments. Like the one good idea shared 2 years ago that produced 21 startups, 60 new jobs and three scale-ups.

I'm also delighted to announce that 'Ideas from Europe' – a joint initiative from the Netherlands and the SME Envoy Network of the European Commission is not a one-off. We will carry on the search for Ideas from Europe and give them the stage they deserve.

Because Europe’s future depends on ideas that spark innovation. As John F. Kennedy once said, ‘Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource'. And those who can put this resource to good use will wield power from now on.

So, let’s get inspired today! Thank you.