Opening High Tech Connections Forum
Speech to be given by Frank Heemskerk, Minister for Foreign Trade, at the High Tech Connections Forum, San Francisco, 24 September 2007.
It’s great to be here in San Francisco. A city whose atmosphere and creativity remind me of Amsterdam. I’m sure these surroundings will inspire some interesting contacts between Dutch and American businesses.
On behalf of the Dutch government, let me welcome you to this conference: the third High Tech Connections Forum, which follows previous forums in Silicon Valley and Boston.
I am proud to be here with such a distinguished Dutch delegation. I have even brought along our prime minister, though not in person, I’m afraid. To stress how important this conference is for the Netherlands, he would like to say a few words. Ladies and gentlemen, the Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.
[Video message Jan Peter Balkenende]
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to be here with so many ‘people in motion’. Many Americans know our country as the land of Hans Brinker, the little boy who saved us from drowning by sticking his finger in the dike. He still serves as a symbol for our heroic struggle against water. A nice, romantic image. But it’s time to update it for the 21st century. Hans Brinker is replaced by Paul Verhoeven, the Dutch film director, who shot films like Total Recall, with a famous European actor, who later became governor of this fine state.
Because we are also a country with one of the highest broadband densities in the world. With the fastest transatlantic internet connection. With Surfnet, the largest and most advanced network for scientific applications. With an innovative and pioneering creative industry.
Hans Brinker? Sure, there’s a place for him. But let’s focus on the Netherlands of today. For entrepreneurs, the Netherlands is a land of boundless opportunities. The Netherlands is the place to be.
To prove it, I will give you three solid reasons for doing business in the Netherlands:
1. excellent business climate
2. quality of life
3. focus on innovation
Together, these reasons are bound to persuade you that your future business partners can be found in the Netherlands.
Excellent Business Climate
First of all, the Netherlands offers one of the best business environments in the world. After Shanghai and Singapore, Rotterdam is the world’s largest port.
And in less than one hour there is Amsterdam Airport or Schiphol the fourth largest airport in Europe. With these excellent transport hubs, we are the natural gateway to Europe.
Our open economy and excellent business infrastructure attract investment and enterprise. We have a good education system and a highly educated and creative workforce. No wonder some five and a half thousand foreign businesses operate actively in the Netherlands.
Of course, a competitive fiscal climate is part of our business environment. Entrepreneurs should not have to face unnecessary obstacles. For this reason, the Dutch government is further reducing administrative costs for businesses. Within the cabinet I’ am responsible for fighting red tape and simplifying procedures.
The Netherlands already has a very competitive fiscal climate for foreign businesses. In 2007, we have made it even more so by reducing corporate income tax to 25.5% – which is lower than the European average.
Entrepreneurs – not hindered but backed by government – can do great things. But still, I did not mention our researchers and universities that are amongst the top of the world. Did you know that the region around Eindhoven – home town of Philips – has the highest patent density of Europe?
Cooperation between public and private sectors is encouraged in the Netherlands and is increasingly coming into its own. This also means interesting prospects for foreign entrepreneurs.
Quality of Life
The Netherlands is also a very pleasant place to live. A recent survey showed that 82 percent of the people living in The Netherlands consider themselves ‘happy’ or even ‘very happy’. 82 Percent!
This is of course founded on our stable social, political and economic climate, which also makes The Netherlands attractive to foreign entrepreneurs.
Recent figures from Statistics Netherlands show clearly that, compared to other countries, the Netherlands has excellent basic conditions for economic growth: favourable macroeconomic conditions as well as effective and efficient governance.
Also important for foreigners is the open-mindedness of the Dutch. As a centuries old trading nation we are used to dealing with all kinds of people. We are sometimes so straightforward that the English complain ‘the Dutch are so American’.
Our trading history also explains why we are well known for our command of languages. Almost every Dutch person speaks good English – from the top academics to the girl at the bakery shop. That is a real contrast with Berlin or Brussels.
Furthermore, the Netherlands hosts several excellent international schools. And because of the short distances, there is always one nearby. So setting up your business, or considering a short term assignment in Amsterdam, makes a lot of sense, business wise and personally.
Focus on innovation
Reason number three – and not the least – is our commitment to innovation. Innovation is high on the agenda of the current government’s.
We give entrepreneurialism all the space it needs. Because innovation begins with enterprise. Above all, we encourage young technology-driven startups. Because they are smart and determined. Because they dare to take risks.
We bring entrepreneurs and academics together. We make it easier for top foreign talent to work in our country. We have an Innovation Platform, headed by the prime minister, that aims to boost the Netherlands into the international top five in higher education, research, and innovation.
Anyone looking to excel is welcome in the Netherlands. It is therefore with great pride and excitement that I can announce that the Netherlands has been chosen to host the seventeenth World Congress on IT in the year 2010 in the city of Amsterdam. We are excited to host this event that is known as the ‘Olympics of ICT’.
The Netherlands offers a fertile breeding ground for high technology and innovation. We have some of the world’s most influential and prestigious high-tech businesses and research institutes.
You are all familiar with Philip’s high-quality technological products. Or NXP’s ultramodern microchips.
ASML is a worldwide leader in the production of high-tech equipment for semiconductors. ‘
TomTom, the worlds biggest producer of navigation systems, is a Dutch company with its head office in Amsterdam.
The Mesaplus Institute for Nanotechnology in Enschede is renowned for its strong regional, national, and international network. And the leading Kavli Institute of Nanoscience is based in the university city of Delft.
The Netherlands is a worldwide leader in nanotechnology. With pioneering scientists and specialist businesses. Nanotechnology still requires much research and development. To make it possible, the government is investing in multidisciplinary research programmes.
Eight research institutes have joined forces with Philips to launch a powerful initiative called NanoNed, which combines the Netherlands’ strengths in nanotechnology with research in important scientific, economic, and social areas.
The Netherlands is also working with Belgium at the Holst Centre, a world-class research institute in nanotechnology. We want to become the Silicon Valley of nanotechnology. For this reason, we have set up the Point-One programme to make it easier for businesses and research institutes to capitalise internationally on our lead. Up to 2011, we will heavily invest in the programme.
Innovation is important for economic growth. But also for solving social problems. In the field of health, for instance, think of growing worldwide problems such as obesity (obéésity) and demographic ageing.
In these areas, too, the Netherlands has launched many initiatives. Take the Genomics Initiative, backed by the Dutch government, which has created a dynamic and supportive climate for genomics research.
Or take Food Valley in Wageningen, a famous public-private food and health cluster, working for innovative solutions in agri-foods, life sciences, genomics, nutrition, and health.
We have the top technological institute Pharma, where scientists work with cutting-edge businesses like Akzo Nobel and Crucell.
In the ‘Parelsnoer’ initiative, eight university hospitals are sharing their clinical data in national biobanks. Through public-private cooperation, more than one billion euros are being invested in this type of research in the healthcare field.
Of course I don’t have to convince you about security, we live in a world where people are becoming more mobile, borders more open, and technology more powerful – all of which increases the need for innovation in security, a field where the Netherlands is also active.
Schiphol was first to introduce the iris scan, developed by a young and innovative Dutch company. The same applies to the five nuclear detectors used by the port of Rotterdam to check all incoming containers for radioactive cargo. Rotterdam’s innovative example has been followed by ports in New York and New Jersey.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Hans Brinker was a smart kid. He came up with a simple solution for a difficult problem. If Hans Brinker were alive today, he might just be a highly educated, internationally minded, enterprising knowledge worker. He’d be open to new ideas and innovative forms of cooperation. There are a lot of young men and women like him in the Netherlands, and they would love to work with American companies.
So what are you waiting for? The Netherlands is an exciting country, where much is possible. I’ve tried to reflect this in my comments today. I mentioned our excellent business climate, the quality of life in The Netherlands and our commitment to innovation. But I’m sure that you will learn a lot more in the next few days about the Dutch entrepreneurial spirit and our desire to work together.
I sincerely hope that this third HTC Forum will serve as a springboard for interesting contacts between our two countries. The programme is inviting, dynamic, and interactive. Join in and seize the opportunity! I hope to meet you in the coming days. But most of all, I hope to see you in the Netherlands, in promising Dutch-American cooperative ventures! I wish you all an inspirational conference. Thank you.