Brabant is one of Europe’s most innovative regions and as such, stands out from other Dutch provinces. This emerged from the European Commission’s benchmark survey of the innovative qualities of the 27 members of the European Union. The European Regional Innovation Scoreboard presents Brabant as an economic region, awarding it the predicate ‘High Innovator’. Although most innovative regions are to be found in the most innovative countries, Brabant is an exception to the rule: in the survey, the Netherlands is regarded as a Medium/High Innovator, so Brabant’s lead position is striking, both in this country and within the Benelux.

The European Commission’s survey confirms the findings of other recent publications which portray Brabant as an area where innovation is developing quickly and becoming more distinctive. A case in point is the Brabant city of Eindhoven, which was awarded the title of European City of the Future by the reputable fDi Magazine. The magazine, published by the international business journal the Financial Times, concluded in the its bi-annual survey of the economic performance of Europe’s regions and cities that Eindhoven holds a lead position in the category ‘Towns under 250,000 inhabitants’.

Just a few months ago, the whole of Brabant was appointed a lead position in a KPMG survey of areas with suitable conditions for business locations in Western European countries. This survey lists Brabant as an exceptionally good location for the aviation industry, while once again stressing Brabant’s attractions as an opportune location for the automotive sector and the electronics industry.

These surveys reveal that the high degree of innovation in Brabant and Brabant’s industriousness have created an area that appeals to international companies as an advantageous business location, and explain why Brabant is proving to be increasingly popular among R&D companies, even in times of economic crisis.