Internationalisation Impulse for the South Holland Cybersecuritycluster

The province South Holland and the municipality of The Hague are making resources available to promote the internationalisation of Dutch cybersecurity businesses. In this way, promising companies with international growth ambitions are supported in expanding their activities abroad. This was announced on 2 October during the international cybersecurity business event. One of the many events that will take place during the European Cyber Security Month in The Hague with the aim of sharing knowledge, ideas and innovations for a secure future.

Chris van Voorden, head of internationalisation at InnovationQuarter says that ‘’the aim of the programme is to help a leading group of around 50 companies accelerate their international breakthrough and to establish themselves in various target markets. In the past, efforts towards this have already been made in Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Japan. In cooperation with a number of companies, we have also explored India and Taiwan.’’

Strengthen the South Holland cybersecurity cluster

Cybersecurity is an international market with fast technological developments. Therefore, many companies have to look beyond their borders to realise further growth. A centrally implemented programme on a selected number of target markets and joint action will accelerate this process for these companies. The province and the municipality are now investing in an internationalisation programme and InnovationQuarter is implementing this programme in close cooperation with The Hague Security Delta (HSD). In this way, InnovationQuarter, as regional development organisation for South Holland, is giving concrete shape to the growth ambitions of the companies within the cybersecurity cluster.

Joint approach

Internationalisation requires a different approach than doing business in your own country. Legislation, import restrictions, accessibility and national protocols, but also language barriers and cultural differences can be obstacles when entering new markets. In addition, trust plays a big role in the cybersecurity domain. Many entrepreneurs therefore benefit from the support of services such as those of InnovationQuarter, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Dutch embassies and consulates. Cooperation with other Dutch entrepreneurs on an international market also increases the chance of success.

"For individual companies, it is difficult to make the move to a foreign market. This is easier if you join forces. We have seen this for instance during the IT-SA in Germany, where we had a joint Holland Paviljoen. With this programme we hope to achieve this too. This is in particular something for a regional development organisation such as InnovationQuarter to take the lead in this’’, says Adri Bom Lemstra, deputy Economy and Innovation of the Province South Holland.

The importance of this programme transcends the city borders of The Hague, but it does have an impact on the businesses in The Hague, international city of peae, justice and security. "The The Hague region is home to a lot of cybersecurity companies which have established themselves in the area of the central government, NATO, Europol and knowledge institutions such as the TU Delft. For The Hague it is of high importance to help these companies grow and thus help create jobs in and for the city. To create international impact, we need to work together locally, regionally and nationally, which is given good shape in this programme", says Saskia Bruines, alderman for Education, Knowledge Economy and International at the municipality of The Hague. The city has already been working intensively on strengthening the cybersecurity sector and was one of the co-founders of The Hague Security Delta (HSD) and the Cyber Security Academy (CSA).

One Conference

The announcement by the Province South Holland and the municipality of The Hague will be made against the background of the One Conference which is taking place from 1 till 3 October in The Hague. The One Conference is the leading cybersecurity conference of the Netherlands and connects technicians, experts, policymakers and decision makers on a non-commercial, neutral platform. Over the years, the conference has increasingly contributed to the international position of the Netherlands on the field of cybersecurity.

The One Conference is an initiative of the central government and is, in close collaboration with the municipality of The Hague, organised by the NCSC of the Ministry of Justice and Security and the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

October is the European Cyber Security Month! As a part of this, there will take place various conferences, competitions and training sessions in The Hague, with the aim of sharing knowledge, ideas and innovations for a secure future. In this way, the cybersecurity sector in the Netherlands can be strengthened. The announcement of the Province South Holland and the municipality of the Hague during the International Cybersecurity Business Event in the Marriott Hotel on 2 October 2019 contributes to this.

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