Regional Development Fund for Innovation (ROM-Z)

26 Jun 2013
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Author: HSD Foundation

The province of ‘Zuid Holland’ (NL), city councils, knowledge institutes and the government will jointly invest 27 million Euro in a new regional development fund named Regionale Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij Zuidvleugel (ROM-Z). The development fund will be launched to provide financial support to promising innovative companies in the greater ‘Zuid Holland’ region. Companies in the region with a strategically and technologically feasible project will qualify for capital injections, since many fail to launch innovative projects due to lack of funding. Consequently, it is expected that such actions result in the growth of the local economy and stimulate the creation of new jobs. The fund will be revolving and is expected to reach a budget of 100 million Euro in a few years. Through this initiative, the involved parties have the ambition to turn the region into a top European hub for cleantech, medical technology and security. 

 

The ROM-Z fund will have three core responsibilities:

1.       Marketing (positioning, profiling, branding of the region) and international acquisition.

2.       Stimulating growth and innovation.

3.       Organising and ensuring a revolving budget for financing innovative initiatives.

 

In order to achieve this ambition, close collaboration between businesses, governments and knowledge institutes - also known as the ‘Triple Helix’ - is required. The Hague Security Delta, built on similar foundations, holds close ties with ROM-Z. In The Hague Security Delta, businesses, government and knowledge institutes work together on a joint ambition to triple businesses, employees, students and turnover in security by 2025.