Last February De Kien got its own office – the Kennislab. How is that going?

‘Really well! Thanks to the Kennislab, we can now quite literally showcase De Kien. It is wonderful that Witteveen+Bos, along with vocational training firm Aventus, made this modern space possible at this unique location. We’ve noticed that the office has become a real linchpin of the campus, where we can collaborate with students and professionals, and also receive exciting guests.’

Yes, and those guests come from near and far to visit De Kien…

‘De Kien is enjoying wider recognition. We’ve had the opportunity to tell our story to the heads of government ministries, municipalities, provinces, think tanks, companies, and educational and knowledge institutions. It is encouraging to see that De Kien is an inspiring example of a place where we collaborate to tackle modern challenges. So, actually doing things. We are now already running over 50 projects a year with students, while also actively involving SMEs. On top of that, this year we organised our inaugural national event: De Kien Expo(sed). With a packed house of some 200 attendees at the Deventer Theatre, we delved into the future of sustainable urban development, new ways of collaborating, new technologies and the future of AI.’

Can you give an example of one of the projects?

‘De Kien has developed a detailed approach to a knowledge and innovation agenda: digitalisation and data-driven work for urbanisation issues. More and more non-conventional players are getting in on the action. These are bold actors who are devising new concepts, putting them into practice in the real world, and just doing things differently. In this process, we are collaborating intensively with Saxion (higher vocational education) and Aventus (intermediate vocational education) to engage and retain students for the Deventer region.’

You recently received a subsidy under the Regional Deal. What exactly does that include?

‘Along with 11 other projects in the Tri-City region, De Kien just got a hefty boost of National Funding through the Regional Deal programme. The province and municipality are also making an additional contribution to De Kien. This support and recognition is really amazing. With this funding, we can achieve our priorities, scale up further, and ensure the long-term prosperity of De Kien as a whole. We applied to the Regional Deal with a plan that we wrote along with all the stakeholders within De Kien. That makes this success all the sweeter.’

Can you tell us more about De Kien’s priorities over the coming years?

‘De Kien is a knowledge and innovation pioneer in the areas of digitalisation and data-driven work, especially for sustainable urbanisation issues. We want to reinforce and expand this position over the years to come. First and foremost as a driver of knowledge and innovation: we bring together early adopters and innovators to identify knowledge gaps and innovation needs. We also conduct research and experiments, like combining digital simulations with real-world validation. To stimulate knowledge transfer and talent development, we organise knowledge sessions, events, new training sessions, talent programmes, projects and targeted talent marketing. This way we reinforce existing skills and knowledge, while attracting and training new talent. This combination makes De Kien the ultimate learning experience for integrated and multidisciplinary work on the challenges facing society. It is truly a microcosm of the Netherlands.’

How do you see De Kien’s future?

‘We want De Kien’s lessons learned and solutions to be scalable and transferable to other municipalities. This way, we can use data and digital innovation to help create sustainable and liveable towns and cities. On top of that, we attract and retain talent by encouraging projects that connect students, youth and young adults in the Tri-City region with employers in the technology and IT sectors.’