Arnhem, 21 May – During Arnhem Electricity Week, the official launch of GreenKarting took place on Thursday 21 May at Cleantech Park Arnhem. At this event, companies, educational institutions and regional partners demonstrated how students are already being prepared today for the technology, innovation and sustainable mobility of tomorrow in the Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen region.
GreenKarting is the leading hands-on technical education programme in which pupils seek out the thrill for themselves: they build, maintain and drive their own electric kart. In doing so, they are introduced to sustainable technology, e-mobility and innovation in a practical and inspiring way. The programme bridges the gap between education and industry, allowing pupils to experience how technology contributes to solutions for major societal challenges such as the energy transition and sustainable mobility. GreenKarting is an initiative of Techportal,the redesign.life Foundation and NexTechnician.
Regional cooperation on talent and technology
Affiliated partners at the launch included Gemeente Arnhem, HAN, NXP, IW Achterhoek Rivierenland and The Economic Board Regio Arnhem Nijmegen. GreenKarting will formally launch in the new school year. The launch marks the official kick-off of the collective programme: companies and organisations from the region that want to work together to find excitement and connect with technical talent can now join the Lifeport coalition. Talks are actively being held with potential partners who want to build the region's technical future together.
At the opening, Jan van Dellen, director of The Economic Board, emphasised the importance of regional cooperation between government, education and business in order to retain and develop young technical talent for tomorrow's challenges, such as energy transition.
On behalf of GreenKarting, Peter-Paul Laumans introduced the educational programme and the ambitions for the region. Speaking on behalf of the business community, Martijn van der Linden of NXP emphasised the importance of technical talent for the future of innovative companies. Jan Kusters of Olympus College then provided an insight into the added value of practice-oriented technical education for students.
Suzanne Caspers, also from The Economic Board, then addressed the growing urgency of the human capital issue and the shortage of technical staff in the Lifeport region. She showed why initiatives like GreenKarting are essential to get students excited about engineering, innovation and sustainable energy early on.
GreenKarting aligns perfectly with the ambitions of the Human Capital Agreement to strengthen talent development, innovation and sustainable technology in the Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen region. Collaboration between the education sector, businesses and the government is central to this.
Launch of GreenKarting in Lifeport Region Arnhem Nijmegen, 21 May 2026 at the Cleantech Park Arnhem
First construction kit officially handed over
During the meeting, the first GreenKarting construction kit was symbolically handed over to participating schools. Thus, this afternoon was not only a festive launching moment, but also the official kick-off of the GreenKarting process in the Lifeport Region Arnhem Nijmegen.
In the months to follow, students will work on building, testing and personalising their own electric kart. Lifeport follows one of the schools during this process and captures their journey of discovery in the world of technology, innovation and energy transition. It shows how pupils learn, cooperate and build tomorrow's mobility and technology by doing.
Join Lifeport GreenKarting coalition?
Join us in the excitement and step into the technology race. Join the Lifeport GreenKarting coalition and contact Peter-Paul Laumans at pp.laumans@redesignlife.com or 06-20537156.
