The ambition is clear: the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area must become a high-class region. How? 'Only together', with a more professional organization and by making use of the thinking and innovation power that is already available in the region. Welcome to State of the Region 2020.
Last tuesday, in a liveshow together with BTG and the City of Almere, aired from Pakhuis de Zwijger, Leonie van den Beuken, program director, officially launched the new Amsterdam Smart City platform.
State of the Region is the annually recurring critically optimistic event, in which we together take a look at the joint strength and capacity of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. We connect vision of the future to action now. State of the Region would take place in June this year, but has been moved to December 2, 2020.
Sapiens will open on the Zuidas in Amsterdam in the autumn of 2021. In this special institute, young scientists and other professionals will work on innovations and ideas about biodiversity and the climate. The building, the Valley, will soon also house exhibitions about the Anthropocene, our current era. Sapiens is an initiative of Board partners VU University Amsterdam & EDGE Technologies, Naturalis Biodiversity Center and architectural firm MVRDV.
As a result of the corona crisis, many entrepreneurs and employees are worried about their future. At the same time, the current economic headwind offers opportunities to accelerate the course that has been set towards a climate-neutral and circular Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Nina Tellegen, general director of the Amsterdam Economic Board, is convinced of this. "We encounter a lot of enthusiasm in the region and are confident that we will be able to present the MRA Green Deal on December 2." In the slipstream of the European document with this name, the agreement set outlines the route to a green economy.
We are seeing a revival of the Coronavirus and Amsterdam even has code orange. Many parties in the region have been forced to shift their priorities due to the corona crisis. At the same time, this period of reflection offers room to opt for sustainable choices in decisions that still have to be made to restore the economy and to work together on a climate-neutral and circular region. How can we use this disruption for structural change? How can the investments that are now being made quickly contribute to an inclusive and smart, green and healthy region?
Good cooperation between science and industry can give the energy transition a significant boost. A conversation between Board members Mirjam van Praag and Yuri Sebregts. "Without these kinds of collaborations we simply cannot get through such large files."
Entrepreneurs are full of questions in this time of crisis. What arrangements have been made for entrepreneurs? What regulations are you eligible for as a company? What are the most frequently asked questions from employers and what answers are there? Which support package does the cabinet offer? Where can you apply for an extended credit scheme?
Art and culture program maker Ewa Scheifes is one of the new members of Young on Board: "I want to connect the diverse networks of Young on Board and the Board itself as much as possible during program sessions in order to gain new insights and collaborations."
With the municipality of Amsterdam as shareholder, the Johan Cruijff ArenA simply owes it to its stand to take social issues very seriously, says CEO Henk Markerink. And they handle that extremely well, says 'neighbor' Hans Wichers Schreur, director of real estate and housing policy at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA).
