Limburg business desk for innovation activities for the Ministry of Defense
From Brightlands Chemelot Campus, partners are joining forces to connect entrepreneurs and defence and strengthen cooperation.
Limburg-based companies and knowledge institutions are developing new material solutions for the Ministry of Defence, such as 3D-printed lightweight metals and plastics and protective ceramic coatings that make components more wear-resistant and better able to withstand harsh conditions.
Six months after the signing of the letter of intent between the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Province of Limburg, Brightlands Chemelot Campus and LIOF, the physical office of the Limburg Regional Team has opened at MindBase on the campus in Geleen.
This desk is one of seven national access points for entrepreneurs who will contribute to technological solutions for Defence, particularly within the five strategic development areas: smart materials, sensors, quantum technology, space technology and intelligent systems. Its launch marks an important step in the implementation of the Defence Strategy for Industry and Innovation (D-SII) and the Limburg Defence Agenda.
Entrepreneurs with an innovation or idea that may be relevant to the Ministry of Defence can contact the desk via mindbase@mindef.nl.
The Limburg Regional Team is part of the national ODIN programme office, which connects regional innovation teams and coordinates alignment with defence needs. Limburg plays an additional role in this as national coordinator for the theme of 'smart materials'.
Experts from the Ministry of Defence, Brightlands Chemelot Campus and LIOF work together from the desk to support entrepreneurs in exploring opportunities, matchmaking, forming consortia and finding suitable financing such as subsidies or venture capital through SecFund. The emphasis is on dual-use technology: innovations that can be applied in both civil and military contexts and that strengthen defence innovation and economic growth.
First concrete results: Limburg companies working for the Ministry of Defence
The first projects show that Limburg companies are already successfully responding to defence needs, including in the field of advanced materials and production technologies. This involves collaboration with Limburg research and knowledge institutions at secondary vocational, higher professional and university level. Through ODIN, the Limburg approach is linked to national and European programmes, enabling promising innovations to be scaled up more quickly to applications within the Ministry of Defence and creating new market opportunities for the region.
“The chemistry and materials development present at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus make Limburg a cradle for smart materials such as 3D printing or materials with special properties, where we see that Limburg is also particularly adept at establishing connections with opportunities and developments elsewhere in the country,” says Hugo Leyte, Head of the ODIN Programme Office within the Ministry of Defence.
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