Ideas from Europe: State Secretary Mona Keijzer

Speech by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Mona Keijzer, at Ideas from Europe

Welcome, everyone.

I’m proud to be hosting the grand finale of Ideas from Europe.

The Netherlands initiated this competition three years ago, together with the SME Envoy Network of the European Commission.

Last September, the Dutch final of Ideas from Europe was held on the Barrier Dam, one of the few man-made structures visible from space.

During this ‘Making Waves’ event, Micreos was chosen to represent the Netherlands at the European semi-finals in Tallinn.

Entrepreneurs from all EU Member States were there to represent their country in what some called 'the real Eurovision'. Twelve of them – including Micreos - were selected to be here today. Finalists, as you can see you’ve drawn quite an audience.

It’s symbolic to be hosting this event here in the Hall of Knights, between the two houses of parliament that represent the Dutch people. In true democratic tradition, we’ll be giving the floor to diverse voices. We’ll hear from entrepreneurs who not only make waves, but also have the potential to create a storm. We need to hear those different voices. They provide us with much needed optimism.

Because as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement tell us: our natural resources are being depleted. So we have to do more – with less, every year. That’s not an easy task. In fact, it may well be the greatest challenge of this century.

But there is one source that will never run out, and that’s ideas.

Today, each of the finalists will tell you about their ideas − projects they’ve worked on for hours, days and nights, weeks and months. And they’ll condense this down to just a few minutes, for us.

Their inventiveness will inspire us; their creativeness surprise us. Because no matter how alarming the circumstances are or how daunting the problem at hand, entrepreneurs always find a way.

We often call SMEs the fundament of our economy, because they are the biggest job creators. They also often have strong ties with their local community, for example as a sponsor of the local soccer club. SMEs are rooted in our society and our economy.

Start-ups especially are the source of new ideas that shape our future. That’s why the public sector relies on the private sector for its innovative power. And the private sector can ask the government to help it take its ideas from the drawing board to the marketplace. Add financers and knowledge institutions, and new businesses have a real chance of turning an idea into a product.

Mimetas, the Dutch winner from last year can attest to that. This innovative biotech company for personalised medicine, which makes Organ-on-a-chip models, just secured 16.5 million euros of financing. They are here today to tell us all about what they have accomplished since last year.

I hope that today’s winner – and all finalists – can find the partnership they need to transform their idea into a product. In an ideal public-private partnership, we help each other move forward. We help each other lift obstacles, so that ideas can flow freely.

The same goes for Europe. Our commitment to each other is not only about economic benefits.
Here, today, we invite our countries’ brightest minds to unite in their common strength great ideas and their common goal: to improve the health and safety of the citizens of Europe. And to make Europe more prosperous, sustainable and competitive.

Thank you.