Prime Minister Dick Schoof paid a lightning visit to the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven on Thursday. It was an introductory visit for the Prime Minister. Schoof spoke with Eindhoven mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem about the developments on the smartest square kilometer in Europe, as the campus is called.
The Prime Minister told Omroep Brabant that he was impressed by the energy on the Campus: “Everyone always talks about ASML and NXP, but it is striking that there are so many other companies that are working with technology. I also have a number of examples there. small companies with which the Netherlands can play an extremely important role.”
Schoof indicated that the government wants to provide chip machine manufacturer ASML in Veldhoven with all the support it can where possible. At the same time, the Prime Minister wants to prevent certain technology from falling into Chinese hands: “We are very critical of this. So that we do not export technology to countries that could pose a threat to the Netherlands.”
Project Beethoven
Last year it was announced that the government is investing billions of euros in the Eindhoven region, the so-called Beethoven project. Schoof has high expectations for this. He thinks that the money and the associated cooperation can mean a huge push for the region: in construction, in the field of mobility and when it comes to investing in people. “We will continue to pursue this with vigor,” the prime minister promised.
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During his visit to Eindhoven, he did not want to say whether more money from the government will be invested in the region: “Let’s first spend this money well.”