Twente has a perfect ecosystem for pioneers devising smart solutions to society’s biggest challenges.
New technology as the catalyst of change, innovation and progress in society: Twente has been particularly successful in turning newly-developed knowledge into economic activity. Nowhere in the country have so many start-ups and spin-offs arisen from universities and universities of applied sciences.
Twente: smart solutions to global challenges
During the industrial revolution, the Twente region was a world leader in textiles and metal, and Twente is also at the forefront of today’s digital revolution. With active support from the University of Twente and its leading research institutes, the region has turned into an innovative ecosystem supporting large numbers of both new and experienced high-tech companies. Initiatives such as the Kennispark Twente innovation campus have delivered numerous innovative technologies, materials and techniques in fields such as robotics, photonics, mechatronics, medical tech, microfluids, and many more. The area’s products, which include nanotechnologies and drone technologies, have found national and international markets. At the same time, the region is working hard to build a circular and bio-based economy and to create a balanced, natural habitat that respects and values animals as well as people – as Twente has done for centuries.
'The good work-life region'
Twente offers an organically-evolved balance between city and country, between buildings and landscapes, and between work and relaxation. It is a ‘smart’ city, where urbanites and farming communities alike are linked to each other and the rest of the world by advanced infrastructure – online and offline. Twente has been dubbed ‘the good work-life region’, where entrepreneurial work culture is combined with safe and pleasant living and where cultural, culinary and sporting opportunities and associations strengthen human networks. Short travel distances and well-organised infrastructures link Twente directly to other technology-rich regions in the international TristateCity, the mega-agglomeration composed of the Netherlands, northern Belgium and western Germany.