On Tuesday 24 March, Barry van de Lagemaat, cooperative director Rabobank Gelderland-Zuid - during the 'Captains of Lifeport' breakfast - handed over the report 'Making Impact Together: A Cooperative Perspective' to Jan van Dellen, director of The Economic Board Regio Arnhem Nijmegen, and Alexandra van Huffelen, chairman of The Economic Board. In this report, Otto Raspe outlines how broad prosperity and resilience are under pressureAnd where there are plenty of opportunities. The report also shows a positive development compared to the results of two years ago due to the cooperation between business, education and knowledge clusters and the common ambition to work on broad prosperity in Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen.
The Cooperative Perspective acts as a compass, based on survey data and structured dialogues with hundreds of Dutch people - to guide the way towards a resilient society, with the aim of strengthening broad-based prosperity.
Broad prosperity is more than material welfare and economic growth
During the ‘Captains of Lifeport’ breakfast, Otto Raspe (Chief Economist and Head of the Netherlands, Economics and Sustainability at RaboResearch) discussed both the economic agenda relating to productivity (the Wennink report, Draghi) and the broader prosperity agenda. According to Raspe, it is precisely the Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen region that can make a difference in this regard:“Aresilient region that combines a strong economy with a strong society. Lifeport can offer solutions to major societal challenges relating to health, energy and sustainability.” The ‘Co-operative Perspective’ report shows that many people in the Netherlands perceive their overall well-being to be declining. People are experiencing a decline particularly in the areas of safety, health, housing and subjective well-being. Residents in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region also recognise these trends. The report demonstrates that there are ample opportunities to strengthen overall well-being in the Lifeport region, provided that stakeholders work together. The region boasts strong economic and knowledge clusters, growing collaboration between public authorities and the education sector, and a solid foundation in the areas of innovation and sustainability.
We need everyone
"Together with education, business and the knowledge clusters, we are working in Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen on, for example, talent plans to better connect education and business and to work on retraining and upskilling to give people the opportunity to work in the sectors that have a future and help shape the future." van Dellen said. The report stresses the importance of a collective approach with choices and action perspectives for all, with intergenerational connection and solidarity, social cohesion and equal opportunities. Those who are healthy can contribute to the collective. You don't just live in a house, you are part of a community at the same time. And without good cooperation in ecosystems, there are no supported solutions to the issues of housing, sustainability and healthcare. Barry van de Lagemaat states, "With this Cooperative Perspective, we will navigate towards a resilient society. We see that broad prosperity and resilience are not determined by individual organisations, but by collective strength.
That is why today we are handing this report to Jan van Dellen and Alexandra van Huffelen as an invitation to continue building a strong region together. Because connecting leadership is key to navigating the compass. It requires a collective approach to tackle the challenges in health and care, building and housing, energy supply and economic ecosystems. We have to do it together and we need everyone. That is why Rabo also works closely with The Economic Board in this region and why we are partners in the Lifeport Partner Fund. Together we can make an impact."
Lifeport Partner Fund
Through the Lifeport Partner Fund, more than 40 companies in the region are now linked, investing in themes that are also identified as key areas of focus in the Cooperative Perspective. “We are going to build the future of Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen by investing together,” said van Dellen. “The Lifeport Partner Fund is a private investment fund through which the partners aim to drive forward four pillars: accessibility, talent, housing and accelerating transitions.” The aim is to establish a solid private foundation with the objective of securing a substantial financial contribution from the government to realise this shared ambition. The government has indicated that it will contribute financially provided that the business community also invests. The Lifeport Partner Fund provides a financial injection to accelerate area developments, strengthen innovative capacity and thereby achieve broad prosperity. During the ‘Captains of Lifeport’ breakfast, Toni Iniguez, chair of Ondernemers Kontakt Arnhem, also signed up to the Lifeport Partner Fund on behalf of the entrepreneurs in this business network. Toni Iniguez: “Joining and contributing financially to this fund was a ‘no-brainer’ for OKA, the largest business network in Arnhem and the surrounding area. We really need to join forces in this region to capitalise on the potential we have and the impact we can make on prosperity and well-being. We hope that even more companies and business collectives from our wonderful region will follow suit, so that, together with the government and knowledge institutions, we can make a difference!”
About the report 'Making Impact Together; A Cooperative Perspective'
The report 'Making Impact Together: A Cooperative Perspective' is a follow-up to the 2024 study entitled 'First the Bridges, then the Bridge' where the main focus was on regional economic strength. RaboResearch then researched the Gelderland-Zuid (Arnhem-Nijmegen) region with the central question; what is needed to strengthen the region's economic strength and broad prosperity? Now there is an in-depth follow-up study with a focus on broad prosperity, resilience and social value.
Download the report: 'Making Impact Together; A Cooperative Perspective' here
