The strategy of the Northern Netherlands to jointly promote itself abroad as the TopDutch region—with a particular focus on its own unique selling points—appears to be paying off more and more. This was once again evident in the water technology sector in November 2025, when both the American company Cobalt Water Global and the Latvian company Spectromarine announced in quick succession that they would be establishing themselves at WaterCampus Leeuwarden. With the arrival of these two innovative tech companies, two more gems have been added to the chain of the innovative ecosystem. A few of those directly involved explain the who, what, where, and, above all, the why.
Developing a region economically by attracting foreign businesses is not that simple; it requires more than just active outreach. The provinces of Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe, which promote themselves internationally as the TopDutch region, recognize this. A few years ago, they decided to focus their policy strongly on their own strengths. “That’s how we developed our ‘Missing Link Program,’” explains NOM investment manager Betty Postma. “We focus on the key sectors of the northern provinces. These sectors are agrifood, green chemistry, energy, smart industry, life sciences & health, high-tech manufacturing and services (HTSM), and water technology. When we identify a missing link in those sectors—or rather, when we see significant added value for our ecosystems—we try to attract such a company to the North. And if a company is also willing to establish itself in the North, then in many cases we are also willing to invest.”
Green Light
A great example of such a value-added company is Spectromarine, led by CEO Girts Ozolins from Riga, Latvia. Late last year, they decided to set up shop at WaterCampus Leeuwarden, with the goal of conquering the world from there with a unique sensor. Reinder de Jong, Internationalization Project Manager at NOM, is responsible for identifying these types of companies. He explains: “Together with the NFIA (The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, ed.), we evaluate companies based on so-called ‘value sheets’ to assess their added value. We do this on a sector-by-sector basis.”
Spectromarine fared particularly well in the water technology sector. During the Deep Tech Atelier event in Riga in May 2025, we discussed further the possibilities of establishing a presence at WaterCampus Leeuwarden. In June of that year, Spectromarine traveled throughout Europe in search of a suitable base of operations. They seriously considered several countries but ultimately chose Leeuwarden. They were already somewhat familiar with Leeuwarden because they had previously participated in a Water Alliance Business Challenge at WaterCampus. The excellent facilities at WaterCampus, combined with the proactive support from the NOM and the municipality of Leeuwarden, ultimately gave the project the green light.’
Biofouling
CEO Girts Ozolins and his co-founders spent years developing their sensor at the Institute of Solid State Physics at the University of Latvia in Riga. Ozolins: “Our sensor tackles biofouling, a major bottleneck for water treatment plants, desalination plants, and fish farms. It can be caused by various types of contamination or algae. The buildup of microorganisms impairs the performance of membranes or systems, leading to higher maintenance costs and reduced efficiency. By detecting or predicting potential problems in real time, operators can intervene by flushing filters or applying chemicals in a controlled manner. This saves energy and extends the service life of membranes. For our customers, this can result in hundreds of thousands of euros in cost savings.”
For Evelien Walstra, who worked for many years in the Economic Affairs Department of the City of Leeuwarden but recently changed jobs, the arrival of the Latvian entrepreneurs feels like the culmination of a wonderful journey. “The NOM and the City of Leeuwarden have been collaborating closely for years, together with partners at the WaterCampus. We met the Spectromarine team during the European Water Technology Week (EWTW) in 2024, where companies could be connected with potential funding sources. That’s where things really started to take off. It’s great that they’re now setting up shop in Leeuwarden.”
Nitrous Oxide
Another great result of the NOM strategy is the arrival in Leeuwarden of Cobalt Water Global, a company founded in 2020 in Brooklyn, New York. Their solution is the “N2ORisk DSS platform.” It helps wastewater treatment plants drastically reduce emissions of nitrous oxide (laughing gas). This gas is released during wastewater treatment and, as a greenhouse gas, is many times more harmful than CO2. Furthermore, it depletes the ozone layer and poses risks to air quality and public health. The platform can estimate and predict nitrous oxide emissions in real time and uses artificial intelligence to advise operators on the proper administration of oxygen, the adjustment of pumps, and other process operations. According to the company, this can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by up to 90%.
“The main reason for choosing Leeuwarden and WaterCampus is the unique innovation ecosystem that has already been established here,” explains CEO Jose Porro. “It offers direct access to investors, customers, partners, and R&D facilities and funding. For us, that is invaluable in accelerating our impact.”
Effective collaboration between government, research institutions, and entrepreneurs is essential for such an environment, emphasizes Ronald Wielinga, director at Water Alliance (also based at WaterCampus Leeuwarden). His organization helps more than 200 members innovate, share knowledge, and facilitate partnerships. “Innovative water and environmental technology is crucial to improving the world we live in and the way we interact with it,” says Wielinga. “So it’s inspiring to facilitate that. But of course, we also want the national and regional economies to benefit from it. That means, on the one hand, helping to promote the export of Dutch water tech and, on the other hand, helping to ensure that the Netherlands—and the northern region in particular—serves as a magnet for knowledge-intensive companies.” Government-funded programs such as WTEX10 and UPPWATER are crucial in this regard, but municipalities and the province also provide significant support, for example through the Cross-Sectoral Innovation Program for Water Technology (CIP). And with foreign companies moving to the WaterCampus, we’re demonstrating that the collaboration between the NOM, government agencies, and us creates an ecosystem that attracts business activity.”
Betty Postma of the NOM is pleased with this. “The focus on added value is relatively new. The same goes for the NOM’s role as an investor in attracting foreign companies to the North. That’s what makes it exciting. But the arrival of companies like Aquacycl (an American company that established itself at the WaterCampus as early as 2023, ed.) and, more recently, Cobalt Water Global and Spectromarine shows that this is how you can create economic growth.”
Financial Times
The Northern Netherlands’ strategy of specifically seeking out companies that can strengthen the region’s unique ecosystems already yielded a nice publicity boost in 2024, when the Financial Times, in its report “European Cities and Regions of the Future,” ranked the Northern Netherlands eighth in the category of medium-sized regions. In a ranking that evaluates hundreds of European regions based on their ability to attract, retain, and strategically direct investments, the Northern Netherlands’ business climate thus stands out positively.
WaterCampus Leeuwarden is a collaboration between Wetsus (European Center of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology), the Center of Expertise Water Technology (CEW), and the Water Alliance. The campus offers not only outstanding knowledge and education, but also numerous facilities, such as laboratories, testing sites, and business development support.
In the header photo, from left to right: Gatis Tunēns, Girts Ozolins, and Aleksejs Zolotarjov of Spectromarine.