Innovative Region Kick-off: Tech and AI are a hidden gem of the region’

‘Tech and AI are a hidden gem for the region’

The meeting was opened by Margrethe Jonkman, chairman of the board of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She emphasized that Amsterdam Economic Board has gone through a solid transition and is ready for this new phase. According to her, the choice of three strategic themes – including Tech and AI – is promising. Jonkman sees in Tech and AI a “Hidden Gem” with great potential. Cashing in on that potential will require intensive cooperation between all partners in the helix.

Facts and opportunities in the region

Bart Krull, coalition manager Amsterdam Economic Board, gave an overview of the region’s technological strengths as well as challenges:

• More than 3,000 tech startups accounting for 139,000 jobs
• 40,000 science students
• Strong research climate with social relevance
• Amsterdam as a leading internet hub

However, there are also bottlenecks: the region’s tech profile is not yet sufficiently visible, the sector is organized in a fragmented way, and R&D investments lag behind. Also, some companies are leaving the region because of limited growth opportunities. The urgency to invest in a shared vision and powerful positioning is thus clear.

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European digital autonomy as a dot on the horizon

Ruben Brave, CEO of Entelligence, made the case for digital sovereignty in his presentation. He took participants through the history of the Internet and outlined his vision of a European tech stack – the Eurostack. Consisting of:

• Ethical AI and applications
• Data and platforms
• Cloud and compute
• Networking and connectivity
• Hardware and chips

He stressed the importance of investing in proprietary digital infrastructure, open-source AI and a federated digital identity. Digital autonomy is not a luxury, but a necessity in light of cybersecurity, economic independence and digital sovereignty.

In a working form on the Eurostack guided by Laetitia Stuijt, coalition coordinator Amsterdam Economic Board, it became clear that the MRA is strong in the layer of AI and applications. It also showed that more attention needs to be paid to Cloud & compute and Networks & connectivity if we want to work on our digital sovereignty.

One region, one story

After several break-outs, Hein van der Loo, mayor of Almere, closed the meeting with a call to join forces. “We should not profile ourselves as separate cities, but as one strong region. If we start that way, this topic has sky-high potential.”

Continued

The kick-off marks the start of the Tech and AI theme. In the coming months, Amsterdam Economic Board will work with partners to elaborate the action lines and strengthen the regional tech agent. Would you like to contribute to this? Then contact Bart Krull or Laetitia Stuijt.

A detailed report of the kick-off including the break-outs, can be read here.

Watch a short movie of the kick-off!