"Triple Helix is a Successful Form of Collaboration"

Forming consortia for digital transformation Europe

EIT Digital is the European Institute for innovation and technology that accelerates the digital transformation of Europe. Therefore, education, entrepreneurship and the establishment of innovative projects are important priorities. A “call” for new projects has been shared by, among others, HSD in 2018. Two project proposals of HSD partners got approved.

“Over 200 universities, research institutions, and industrial players are part of the ecosystem of EIT Digital Europe,” says Patrick Essers, director of EIT Digital Nederland. “Our Dutch office brings triple helix parties together in the Benelux. We also initiate deep tech innovations and co-invest in them. The funding is derived from the European innovation stimulation programme Horizon2020, and Horizon Europe in the future.”

Being wise three times

The triple helix-collaboration is not obligated for submitting project proposals, but it is a smart thing to do.

“I believe in ‘collaborative innovation’: partners innovating together and sharing both costs and profits. I know from experience that triple helix is a successful form of collaboration."

"There is a business that creates a product, service or start-up and launches it into the market, a technology supplier (such as a university or research-technology organisation) that adds knowledge, and a launching customer that indicates its needs. In the Netherlands we have HSD, facilitating en bringing together these triple helix parties. This is unique within Europe. As a partner of HSD, we benefit of this cluster. It provides the opportunity for us to quickly communicate with relevant parties and to collaborate to realise our goals.”

Compared to the other countries where EIT Digital is active in, the Netherlands had a rather big share in the approved innovation activities proposals of 2018. This has to do with, among others, the broad scope of digital activities that the Netherlands is strong at, such as cybersecurity, digital finance, digital industry, digital wellbeing, and smart cities. EIT Digital and HSD decided to work more closely together in 2018 in, for example, the areas of education and innovation activities.

Read the interview in Dutch.