About us

Oost NL is the regional development agency of the East Netherlands. On behalf of the Dutch national Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate and the provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland, we are strengthening the regional economy of the East Netherlands. We are active in the sectors Food, Smart Energy, Digital Economy & Industry, Medtech & Prevention and Circular Ecoomy. We conduct our business through three business units that work together in a fully integrated manner: Business Development, Capital and International.

Business Development offers regional SMEs: expertise, access to funding, networks and 1-to-1 contacts in the realization and marketing of innovations. For this we form consortia with multiple companies, knowledge institutions, governments. The result of our business development activities: open innovation centres, campus development and business cases that lead to market introductions.

Our business unit Capital finances starting and growing innovative SMEs with risk capital from various (innovation) funds. Through its regional anchoring, Oost NL offers entrepreneurs not only (growth) capital, but also knowledge, network and personal contacts.

Our International business unit offers internationally operating companies a 'soft landing' in our region. For these companies we provide tailored 'bid book presentations' and 'fact finding trips'; we organize trade missions, presentations and company visits. We give international companies access to our regional networks at research and knowledge institutions, governments and the business community. We are also part of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN).

Within the region of the East Netherlands, we collaborate with quadruple helix organizations such as,  networking and trade organisations, institutes of higher learning and research, universities, trade organisations and the two provinces in East Netherlands in Th!nk East Netherlands. We are also part of the AI Hub East Netherlands, the regional hub for entrepreneurs, knowledge institutes and governments in the region who (want to) work with AI. The hub connects and supports AI applications for a better, more sustainable and healthier life.

As East Netherlands, we are a member of the Vanguard Initiative, a network of 39 industrial European regions. The initiative is focused on stimulating industrial innovation and building European value-chains based on complementarities in regional smart specialisation strategies. Within this network we are part of the following pilots: AI, 3DP, Efficient and Sustainable Manufacturing (ESM), and co-leading the Nano- and Smart Health- pilots.

We are also partner of the European Digital Innovation Hub of our region, EDIH BOOST Robotics EastNL that focuses on Robotics & Sensing Technology, mainly in the sectors Manufacturing, Healthcare and AgriFood.

We have been part of the previous AI RGIO consortium and wish to further strengthen the network by our participation in AI REDGIO 5.0.

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We are part of the many work packages within AI REDGIO 5.0 but specifically we will participate as didactic factory in the East Netherlands Region.