Helmond City Council and the provincial authorities are taking charge of the further development of the Automotive Campus

Strategic innovation hub for mobility and energy

Automotive Campus is a strategic location where businesses, research institutions and educational organisations collaborate on the mobility and energy solutions of tomorrow. New technologies are developed, tested and validated on the campus, after which they find their way onto the market.

Through the proposed takeover, the municipality and the province aim to further strengthen the campus’s innovative capacity, intensify collaboration with the education sector and create space for new start-ups, scale-ups and established companies. In doing so, the campus contributes to a strong innovation ecosystem, high-quality employment and the international competitiveness of the Brainport region.

A partnership agreement has been drawn up for the campus’s further development, alongside a business plan for the seven buildings on approximately 4.5 hectares of campus land. This sets out the necessary investments and the strategic direction for the coming years.

Investing in talent, innovation and economic growth

Automotive Campus brings together entrepreneurs, researchers and students from the Netherlands and abroad. By combining knowledge development, applied research and entrepreneurship in a single location, new applications are created in the fields of smart mobility, energy and technology.

The campus thus makes a significant contribution not only to innovation, but also to talent development and economic growth. For Helmond, this means more opportunities for businesses, researchers and technical talent, whilst the Brainport region further strengthens its position as a leading high-tech ecosystem.

“With this campus, we are leading the way, and stakeholders from the region, the Netherlands and Europe are watching with great interest. We want to focus even more strongly on innovation and further strengthen our links with education. In doing so, we expect to attract more start-ups and growing businesses,” said Councillor Arno Bonte Manders of Helmond Municipality.

Public leadership and strategic autonomy

According to the municipality and the province, public leadership is essential to maintaining the campus as an open innovation environment in the long term. Furthermore, the Automotive Campus plays a key role in the development of future mobility and energy systems. Retaining control over these strategic technologies is seen as increasingly important, both regionally and nationally.

“Automotive Campus is one of Helmond’s gems, but for many people it remains a hidden gem. That is precisely why we, as public authorities, want to invest in the further growth of this leading innovation campus. It would be wonderful if the next groundbreaking innovation – which will soon be found in every car – were to be developed here in Helmond,” says Stijn Smeulders, a member of the Provincial Executive of North Brabant.

By bringing the campus under public ownership, the partners aim to ensure that this strategic innovation ecosystem remains independent in the future and continues to offer space for innovative companies to establish themselves and grow.

Final decision in the autumn

Helmond City Council and the Provincial Council of North Brabant will decide in September and October on the funding required for the share acquisition. Should the decision be positive, the transfer of shares is expected to take place shortly afterwards.