Smart Sustainability

The Economic Board views Smart Sustainability as an important prerequisite for successful growth and flourishing of the top sectors Health, High Tech, and Energy in the region, and use triple helix parties for societal tasks around green growth. Innovations in climate adaptation, sustainable building and the resource transition contribute to future-proof, strong companies, in a broad sense. In addition, these major social tasks are crucial for healthy and sustainable living and broad prosperity in the region.

On the initiative of The Economic Board, the Smart Sustainability helix group was therefore established, in which representatives of 10 regional parties are working together on the Lifeport Circular Lab. Besides The Economic Board, the partners in this coalition are: Green Metropolitan Region Arnhem-Nijmegen, Radboud University, Wageningen University & Research, University of Applied Sciences van Hall Larenstein, HAN University of Applied Sciences, KIEMT, RvN@, Municipality of Arnhem and municipality of Nijmegen.

Lifeport Circular Lab

Directed by the Economic Board, the Lifeport Circular Lab is working to strengthen the ecosystem around three societal challenges:

  • Climate adaptation, with the Soil Valley consortium
  • Circular construction and transformation, with knowledge and innovation centre Via-T
  • Circular economy, with thematic hub Healthy Circular (‘Gezond Circulair’ )

For each theme, the following goals apply: better cooperation and knowledge sharing, forming learning environments of the professional of the future and a structural connection of knowledge, education entrepreneurship and government on these themes. Facilitating meetings is an important point here. This is done at multiple levels; besides entrepreneurs, all educational institutions, from scientific to practical, are involved.

The Economic Board supports the projects within the 3 thematic hubs of the Lifeport Circular Lab by strategically setting the agenda, by steering for broad coalitions, by cleverly establishing connections for this purpose with the business community and others, by actively contributing to the elaboration of the projects and finding co-financing, and by organising meetings.

Strateeg Slimme Duurzaamheid blikt vooruit - Jan Luijten

Lifeport Festival Circulair juni 2023