THE CHEMELOT AGREEMENT
[BIZ/SCI-TECH: Geleen, March 10] Chemelot Campus within the Eindhoven-Aachen-Louvain triangle will become a growth point for business, and since 2005 13 new businesses have located to the campus and this has produced 100 new jobs. The presence of DSM and Sabic allows new businesses to turn their ideas into reality. And according to research by Buck Consultants for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Chemelot Campus is of national importance. The relationship between the university UMC and DSM is going to make sure that the campus grows faster and that South Netherlands is strengthened as a top technology region. The Chemelot Campus is in Sittard-Geleen and close to the Chemelot industrial park, which is one of the largest industrial locations in Western Europe. At this moment there are 6,500 people employed there; 4,500 in the service of DSM and 2,000 working for Sabic. The expectation is that it will make a significant contribution to the regional economic structures. It’s a question of providing innovation in specialized areas, biomedical materials, high quality polymers and materials, bio base materials, biotechnology, chemical process technology and sustainable energy. Knowledge in these areas makes innovations possible. High tech systems, health and energy clusters are important for the Limburg economy and most innovations will arise from this area. There are also facilities for students to do research for their degrees there and Maastricht Forensic Institute has been established which will also play its role, as will the walk-in laboratory which is to be found on the campus. For an earlier view of what is going on there, you are referred to the webcast linked below.
The province of Limburg, DSM and the University of Maastricht/MUMC are joining forces for the further development of the Chemelot Campus at Sittard-Geleen. The three parties have worked out a plan that will lead to the growth of this campus and the doubling of the number of those employed there. And to achieve this the parties concerned, in the presence of the minister of economic affairs Maria van der Hoeven and the mayor of Sittard-Geleen, Sjraar Cox, signed a Declaration of Intent for the consortium. The parties involved want the campus to develop to the top chemical materials location in Europe: a location with a unique position in material sciences and the related life sciences.
http://www.meuse-rhine-journal.com/webcast_04.html