The first board meeting of 2025 took place on 31 January at Duiven municipality. The Economic Board is a triple helix cooperation between entrepreneurs, governments and educational institutions. Every two months the Board members meet to discuss their joint commitment to a vital and sustainable life in Lifeport Region Arnhem Nijmegen.
Economic profile Duiven
Huub Hieltjes, Mayor of Duiven and member of The Economic Board, as host of this board meeting, explained the economic profile of the municipality. Duiven is an important hub for logistics, industry and retail. Retailpark Duiven is the main shopping destination with a large and diverse offer. Duiven also houses the largest contiguous business park in the eastern Netherlands, with InnoFase and the new Centerpoort-Noord 2 as sustainable frontrunners. InnoFase is the circular work location of the Netherlands. Companies share heat, CO₂, biogas and residual flows here, creating a unique synergy. Centerpoort-Noord 2, the upcoming expansion, sets sustainability as a condition for establishment and starts immediately with a decentralised energy network. Both sites will have a Smart Energy Hub, tuning energy locally.
Strategic Plan 2026-2030
The Economic Board works towards a strong and resilient Lifeport Region Arnhem Nijmegen. With the Strategic Plan 2026-2030, we focus on broad prosperity and tackle major societal challenges together with our partners.
We are in an era of radical transitions in the fields of energy, raw materials, digitalisation, labour market, care and sustainability. This calls for smart and innovative solutions. The period 2026-2030 will be crucial in this: how do we ensure that our region not only endures these changes, but also emerges economically stronger?
Focus on promising clusters
For Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen, this has a double meaning. On the one hand, we are faced with challenges such as grid congestion and labour shortages. On the other hand, these developments also offer huge opportunities. Innovations within the Energy, Health and High Tech clusters can contribute to solutions that not only move our region forward, but are also internationally relevant.
- 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 not only fit perfectly with national and European economic agendas, but also with themes such as Food, AI, digitalisation and sustainability. Together, they strengthen the regional economy and broad prosperity.
In recent 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 municipalities in the Arnhem-Nijmegen Region and the Green Arnhem-Nijmegen Metropolitan Area.
Future-proof work locations in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region
The Regional Programme Work Locations (RPW) for the Arnhem-Nijmegen region is a strategic plan drawn up every four years to balance the supply and demand of work locations, such as business parks and office locations. Jolanda van Rensch, task manager Green Metropolitan Region Arnhem-Nijmegen, explained a new RPW for the period 2025-2028 during the meeting. The Arnhem-Nijmegen region is growing. This calls for a smart balance between living and working. The Regional Work Locations Programme (RPW) 2025-2028 focuses on sufficient space for businesses and offices, despite the pressure from housing developments. Recent forecasts show a rising demand for work locations until 2030. The region needs around 120 hectares of additional business sites, of which 40 hectares are specifically for large logistics companies (XXL logistics). A major proposal is the expansion of business park De Grift in Nijmegen by 12.5 hectares.
With the RPW 2025-2028, we are working towards a robust economy in which companies can grow and jobs are maintained. The RPW is drawn up in cooperation with the Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region and the province of Gelderland, also involving other stakeholders in order to realise a widely supported and effective programme. The board members interacted with each other on how to work together for balanced growth in our region.
