“The Northern Netherlands has a number of companies that are among the best in Europe and the world. We can be proud of this here in the Northern Netherlands, and we should make this known to the outside world, too”, Kloppenburg told the crowd gathered in Allardsoog. “There are also opportunities in the North to bring start-ups here from elsewhere, which will further strengthen the north’s current position as the top Dutch region.”
TopDutch’s campaign aims to increase the number of innovative startups and other companies in the North, and raise the profile of the Northern Netherlands as an innovative region.
“We want to become the Sillicon Valley of start-ups in the North. We are literally going to put the Northern Netherlands on the map by making it clear that young foreign companies with great potential for further development should choose the Northern Netherlands as a region to establish themselves.”, reports the Groninger Internet Courant.
The TopDutch campaign is a continuation of an initiative of the same name from several years ago, which had been put on hold due to internal struggles. But the brand is now part of the Noordelijke Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (Northern Development Society, NOM), which has a considerable business network in the region, as well as knowledge and experience to make it easier for innovative companies to come to the north.
As reported by Dagblad van het Noorden, Kloppenburg also made a clear distinction between the revamped TopDutch approach and its original ambitions. “If companies want to come to the three northern provinces, they have to be able to fit in here. We are no longer just trying to cast a wide net to catch whatever we can.”
The launch of the revamped TopDutch, and its website, took place in Allardsoog, a symbolic location: it is the place where the three borders of all three Northern Dutch provinces meet.
Kloppenburg, responsible for the campaign, expressed renewed enthusiasm and ambitions at TopDutch: he hopes attracting promising innovative companies to the region will end the problem of brain-drain (graduates leaving the area for job opportunities elsewhere) in the future. Part of TopDutch’s goal is to ensure that young people considering moving to the Randstad or the southern Netherlands are aware of the job opportunities there are here in the north, and choose to stay.
Drenthe deputy Henk Brink (VVD) succinctly summarized the meaning and mission of TopDutch. “With TopDutch, we in the North get to raise our heads above the ground. And we will do so in unison with the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe.”
Original text and photo courtesy of Groninger Internet Courant
This story was made possible through our content partnership with TopDutch. TopDutch is the economic region of the Northern Netherlands, spread across the three provinces in the north of the country: Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. We offer a home for your innovative business, ecosystems to support your ambitions and a community of like-minded talents to enable your growth.
