Amsterdam, Netherlands - SEO Economisch Onderzoek

Figure 3-3: R&D expenditures in Noord-Holland (NH) and the Netherlands (NL) as a % of(regional) GDP2.00%1.80%1.60%1.40%1.20%1.00%0.80%0.60%businesses (NH)government (NH)HEIs (NH)total (NH)total (NL)0.40%0.20%0.00%1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003* Data on regional R&D expenditures are only available until 2003Source: Eurostat (2008)The RIS also identifies several bottlenecks of innovation in the metropolitan region. For instance,there are many initiatives and organizations which are somehow supporting innovative andknowledge-intensive businesses, implying a dispersion of responsibilities and a lack of continuity(KVK, 2008: 17). Another point is that educational and research institutions are insufficientlyexploited as a source of innovation, in the sense that the number of start-ups, spin-offs, as well asthe knowledge transfer from HEIs to companies, is unsatisfactory. Furthermore, new innovativecompanies often experience difficulties in obtaining sufficient financial capital. Despite the factthat enough financial capital is made available, the entrepreneurs are often unable to find thesuppliers of capital or write inadequate business plans. In other words, demand for and supply ofcapital often do not match. In response to this issue, the Amsterdamse Innovatiemotor (AIM), haslaunched a financing desk (financieringsdesk); a website that links entrepreneurs with suppliers offinancial capital. Other key priorities that are stated in the RIS are the need for large-scalebusiness parks and the international promotion of the Amsterdam metropolitan area as a highlyinnovative region with a good living and working climate, for instance by organizing a variety ofevents with an international profile.Box 3-1: Innovation in the Amsterdam metropolitan region, key organizationsPieken in de Delta Noordvleugel: Pieken in de Delta programme of the Ministry of EconomicAffairs; allocates funds to support projects in the Amsterdam metropolitan region in the followingfive designated areas: creative industry, tourism, innovative logistics and trade, life sciences(including the medical cluster), and knowledge intensive business services. Pieken in de Delta is60