‘Investing in the breeding pool of talent’
‘Talented people drive innovation and are indispensable for knowledge-intensive companies like Prodrive Technologies.’ Innovation and the availability of sufficient technical talent are therefore the two main reasons why Prodrive is investing in the Brainport Partnerfonds. Marc Uleman, CEO of this innovative high-tech company since January 2024, is very clear. 'This is a unique construction in which the government, provided we as companies join in, co-invests and invests heavily. Of course we will then participate.'
Ask Marc Uleman what exactly Prodrive does and you will get an enthusiastic story. And that is not surprising. After all, what Prodrive invents, develops and makes is unique in the world. Engineering of the very highest level. That leads to products needed by the semi-conductor industry, but also by makers of equipment for the health market and the energy transition. ‘Cutting-edge technology’, Uleman calls it.
Talent driving innovation
2,100 employees are the driving force behind the many innovations. 'The average age of our employees is 30. We are very young, so. They are mainly highly educated people, coming from some eighty countries. In the next few years, we are going to grow considerably in terms of turnover and we will definitely be adding people, especially in R&D. Smart people who make unique, highly developed and very high-quality products'.
Brainport Partnerfonds
Prodrive was one of the first companies to join the Brainport Partnerfonds. Through this private fund, companies contribute to issues such as training more (technical) talent, a balanced labour market, better accessibility, accelerating the construction of affordable housing and social cohesion and equal opportunities. This is necessary, as the number of jobs and residents in the Brainport region will increase significantly in the coming years.
Attractive region
According to Marc Uleman, the Brainport region's growth hinges on the presence of well-trained people. ‘And that growth is essential,’ he says. 'Because of the specific knowledge we have now gathered here, prosperity has increased and the role of the Netherlands is changing, also geopolitically. Look at our dependence on Germany. That has been greatly reduced, certainly also due to the development of the semiconductor industry. We need to cherish our innovative strength and see it strengthened. That is why it is important that we as a business community play a greater role when it comes to maintaining and strengthening the knowledge economy. The breeding ground of smart people, who come up with smart solutions to complex social problems, that must remain.'
Strengthening cooperation
So if it is up to Uleman, there will be considerable investment in talent development. Prodrive would like to lead the way in this. 'We already do a lot, but I think, for instance, we should intensify the cooperation with TU/e and invest in it. There are already people from us, there are already partnerships, but more can be done. By taking on more PhDs for example, providing chairs and strengthening cooperation in more aspects.'
Uleman is proud to be part of a unique ecosystem with Prodrive. 'In this region, you can work on societal challenges such as the energy transition and new developments in the health sector. Because we work together and because we invest in innovative talent. We have to keep doing the latter and I think it's great to be able to make a concrete contribution to that.'
