The Economic Board update: 31 January 2025

De eerste boardvergadering van 2025 vond plaats op 31 januari jl. bij gemeente Duiven. The Economic Board is een triple helix-samenwerking tussen ondernemers, overheden en onderwijsinstellingen. Elke twee maanden komen de Boardleden bijeen om te overleggen over hun gezamenlijke inzet voor een vital en duurzaam leven in Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen.

Economic profile Duiven

Huub Hieltjes, Mayor of Duiven and a member of The Economic Board, will host this board meeting and provide an overview of the municipality’s economic profile. Duiven is a key hub for logistics, industry and retail. Retailpark Duiven is the main shopping destination, offering a wide and varied range of shops. In addition, Duiven is home to the largest contiguous industrial estate in the eastern Netherlands, with InnoFase and the new Centerpoort-Noord 2 leading the way in sustainability. InnoFase is the Netherlands’ leading circular business location. Here, companies share heat, CO₂, biogas and waste streams, creating a unique synergy. Centerpoort-Noord 2, the forthcoming expansion, makes sustainability a prerequisite for businesses setting up there and will launch immediately with a decentralised energy network. Both sites will feature a Smart Energy Hub, which will enable energy to be managed locally.

Strategic Plan 2026-2030

The Economic Board is working towards a strong and resilient Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen region. Through the Strategic Plan 2026–2030, we are committed to broad prosperity and, together with our partners, are tackling major societal challenges.We are in an era of far-reaching transitions in the fields of energy, raw materials, digitalisation, the labour market, healthcare and sustainability. This calls for smart and innovative solutions. The period 2026–2030 will be crucial in this regard: how do we ensure that our region not only weather these changes but also emerges economically stronger?

Focus on promising clusters

For Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen Region, this has a dual significance. On the one hand, we face challenges such as grid congestion and labour market shortages. On the other hand, these developments also present enormous opportunities. Innovations within the Energy, Health and High Tech clusters can contribute to solutions that not only help our region move forward but are also relevant on an international scale.

• Energy: smart innovations to combat grid congestion and accelerate the energy transition.
• Health: digital care solutions and medical technology for future-proof healthcare.
• High Tech: technological innovations that are widely applicable in various sectors.

These clusters are not only perfectly aligned with national and European economic agendas, but also with themes such as Food, AI, digitalisation and sustainability. Together, they strengthen both the regional economy and wider prosperity.Over the past few months, various institutions and companies have provided valuable feedback on the draft Strategic Plan 2026–2030. This input has been incorporated into the final version, which was approved by the Board today. In February, the plan will be presented to all local authorities in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region and the Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region.

Future-proof work locations in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region

The Regional Programme for Workplaces (RPW) for the Arnhem-Nijmegen region is a strategic plan drawn up every four years to balance the supply and demand for workplaces, such as industrial estates and office premises. Jolanda van Rensch, project manager for the Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region, provided an explanation during the meeting regarding a new RPW for the period 2025–2028. The Arnhem-Nijmegen region is growing. This calls for a smart balance between living and working. The Regional Programme for Workplaces (RPW) 2025–2028 aims to ensure sufficient space for businesses and offices, despite the pressure from housing developments. Recent forecasts show a rising demand for business premises up to 2030. The region needs approximately 120 hectares of additional industrial land, 40 hectares of which are specifically for large logistics companies (XXL logistics). A key proposal is the expansion of the De Grift industrial estate in Nijmegen by 12.5 hectares. Through the RPW 2025–2028, we are working towards a robust economy in which businesses can grow and employment is maintained. The RPW is being drawn up in collaboration with the Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region and the province of Gelderland, with other stakeholders also being involved to ensure a widely supported and effective programme. The board members discussed how we can work together to achieve balanced growth in our region.