Led by Prof. Dr. Erik Stam of Utrecht University, a consortium consisting of the regional development corporations (ROMs), The Hague University of Applied Sciences and the Rathenau Institute-KNAW is embarking on the project "Enabling Social Missions with Ecosystems for Entrepreneurship" (ESMEE). This, and two other projects on mission-driven innovation systems, have been awarded a total of 4.2 million euros through the NWO KIC call. Civil society and private partners are contributing 800,000 euros in co-financing.
ROMs, with a nationwide network of 9 development companies, play an important role in developing ecosystems and accelerating societal transitions. This is also evident from the recently published evaluation report of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. With the knowledge and data from the ROMs, Prof. Dr. Stam and the other affiliated knowledge institutes are making a scientific analysis of the mechanisms of ecosystem development. By using data to determine how an ecosystem develops and where the gaps are, the ROMs can better tailor their services to the needs of entrepreneurs.
"Innovative entrepreneurs they are an indispensable link if we want to work on major societal challenges, such as energy transition, healthy aging or the sustainable production of food. With the results of the ESMEE project (Enabling Societal Missions through Entrepreneurial Ecosystems) , we as ROMs know better which knobs to turn to make an ecosystem function even better. By smartly analyzing our data, we can better predict which investments, innovation projects and attracting foreign companies will have the most beneficial societal impact. We look forward to working with renowned researcher Prof. Dr. Erik Stam and are pleased that he is taking on this project with us," said Rinke Zonneveld , director of InnovationQuarter and chairman of ROM Netherlands.