BID’s innovation journey: building bridges, crossing borders

Brabant Innovation Days (BID) accelerates innovation by connecting Brabant’s ecosystems with international high-tech hubs. In this blog, Miguel van Raamsdonk, Advisor International Affairs East Asia & Southeast Asia | Province of Noord-Brabant, shares insights and reflections on the annual event and broader platform of collaboration.

“Innovation isn’t static – it evolves, adapts, and renews. Since 2018, BID has been connecting Brabant’s high-tech innovation ecosystem to the world. When I took on the role of leading this project with a talented team in 2024, it felt like the right moment to evaluate and refresh. And our vision is clear: to build on our successes, especially in Japan, expand our locations, and grow BID from a single annual event into a broader year-round platform for impactful global partnerships.

Building on success: The Japan connection

The original concept for BID was born from the belief that innovation, especially in the high-tech sector, is an international playing field. It began to give our research institutes and universities a global platform, something they lacked compared to large corporations. Over time, this evolved to include startups and government agencies, showcasing our entire ecosystem.

While we’ve explored other locations – such as San Jose and Boston, in the United States – Japan has proven to be the most successful and best cultural fit. There’s a powerful synergy: Brabant produces groundbreaking, innovative ideas, but we sometimes lack the means to scale them up. In addition to its own technologies, Japan possesses the large-scale production and implementation capabilities needed to bring these innovations to life. It’s a complementary, collaborative relationship where we refine and strengthen each other’s visions.

This long-term investment in building trust and relationships is yielding tangible results. An example is the opening of Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.’s (DNP) first international R&D hub at Eindhoven’s High Tech Campus in mid-2025. This strategic collaboration between DNP and TNO focuses on developing CoPackaged Optics, a key technology for the next generation of semiconductors. DNP first connected with the ecosystem at BID in 2023. This milestone underscores how our patient and persistent efforts to build trusted partnerships are paying off.

A new vision: from annual event to continuous collaboration platform

Our goal is to evolve BID into something more than just a yearly event. We want to create smarter, continuous connections and build a year-round drumbeat of collaboration – a trusted platform where partners stay updated and engaged with our region’s progress.

Part of this is coordinating Brabant’s international initiatives and connecting them to broader Dutch efforts, so presenting a unified front. If we say we operate in a triple-helix model, we should practise what we preach during BID: through joint events and potentially even a shared strategy.

It’s easy to talk about innovation in abstract terms, but what BID captures so well is the human side of it. The platform brings together people who are not only passionate about technology but also motivated by a desire to make a difference. That mix creates a kind of electricity – an atmosphere where ideas flow freely and unexpected synergies emerge.

Continuous investment in relationship-building

A clear example of this evolving vision was during Brabant’s health mission to Japan in October 2025, themed ‘Future Health Innovation and Digitalisation in Society 5.0’, which coincided with the World Expo in Osaka. The mission highlighted Brabant’s long-standing and consistent partnership with Japan – one of the province’s strongest international relationships. This continuous investment in relationship-building was recognised and warmly appreciated by the Japanese, as well as Dutch stakeholders, like the Dutch Embassy and NFIA. Brabant’s regular return to Japan also has become a hallmark of trust and reliability in the eyes of our Japanese partners.

Another of the mission’s biggest successes was being able to tailor the programme to the needs of individual delegates. The province’s direct involvement made this flexibility possible, something that’s harder to achieve in broader missions. A standout example was a dedicated networking event for alumni and partner universities. This was widely regarded as one of the mission’s highlights and a valuable boost to Brabant’s education and innovation networks.

Experiences like these show the value of ongoing engagement and personalised collaboration, especially when it comes to Japan. The shift from a once-a-year mission to a year-round platform is more than a goal – it’s already happening, and it’s being noticed, thanks to the partnership of organisations such as the Brabant Development Agency, Technical University of Eindhoven, TNO, PhotonDelta, and Holst Centre.

Looking ahead: new horizons and a deeper purpose

The future of BID is exciting. We’re expanding our geographical focus to new, promising regions like South Korea and Southeast Asia, including Singapore. Thematically, we’ll remain rooted in Brabant’s high-tech core, but we’ll explore evolving topics like integrated photonics, AI, digitalisation, and the circular economy, applying them to fields such as medical technology and mobility to help solve some of society’s biggest challenges.

Ultimately, this is all driven by a deeper purpose. Every BID event, every international partnership, is fundamentally about tackling major societal challenges – from accessible healthcare to energy solutions.

In an interconnected world, we cannot afford to innovate in isolation. We must look beyond our borders, learn from others, and collaborate to stay at the forefront. This open, humble, and outward-looking perspective is the key to making sure Brabant remains a top innovative region and, more importantly, contributes to making society better for all. This outward-looking approach underscores the importance of strengthening our ties not only within Europe but equally with key Asian innovation powerhouses such as Japan and South Korea, where complementary strengths create valuable opportunities for shared technological progress.