‘PRECISION TECHNOLOGY IS THE FOUNDATION FOR THE KNOWLEDGE AND INNOVATION REGION THAT NORTH BRABANT WANTS TO BECOME’ The longer Martijn van Gruijthuijsen remains the delegate for Economy, Knowledge and Talent Development for the province of North Brabant, the more objectively he looks at ‘his’ region. But when it comes to the precision industry in ‘his’ province, he feels a sense of pride. “When I visit companies in this sector, I am often amazed. That’s what I find intriguing about innovation - you often wonder why it didn’t exist before. It takes something to come up with it.” To get straight to the point: how important is precision technology for North Brabant? “The precision industry is one of the foundations on which our claim that the province is a knowledge and innovation region is built on. We have been named one of the world’s smartest regions on several occasions. Reaching the top is one thing, but staying there is another. I think it is very impressive that we are still there and that the sector is doing everything in its power to stay there. After all, it is becoming increasingly complex, difficult and challenging to stay on top. Can you explain why it is becoming more and more of a challenge to stay at the top? “It has to do with international competition, but also because it is more and more about those last few percentages. The time when it was relatively easy to take big steps is over. Being at the top in the high-tech sector entails increasingly smaller, more complex material. There is no ceiling.” 6 What is it that makes the North Brabant province so good at this? “Collaboration is in the DNA of Brabanders, but our leading position in high-tech is not just due to that. We have built up a solid reputation and that attracts specialists. I always call this ‘the law of proximity’ - so much expertise has accumulated in our region that it attracts other high-tech companies. So the sector is doing well. Where do you think there is room for improvement? “I think that the sector could think a bit more broadly about applications. For example, it would be good if social applications around high-tech were better explored. Consider digitalization, healthcare and the energy transition. These are sectors where precision technology can mean a lot. A good example of where this is already happening is the Holst Centre. They’ve developed a new generation battery - LionVolt - which is based on 3D technology and layers of solid material. These batteries recharge quickly, have a high energy density and a long lifespan. With this, Holst Centre is making a huge contribution to the energy transition.” How does the province support precision technology? “In addition to financial support, we also look at where we can make connections not just in Brabant, but also on a national and European level. For
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