English Summary
English Summary
Task Force Innovation Utrecht Region (TFI)
TFI and the computer game industry
Task Force Innovation Utrecht Region (TFI)
Task Force Innovation Utrecht Region(TFI) brings research institutes, government and businesses together and provides a stimulus for businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular, to innovate with their product, service or process. This lays the foundation for the future economic development of the Utrecht region (Utrecht province and the Gooi area). TFI introduces parties to each other so they can share specialist knowledge and expertise. Where possible, partnerships are initiated and encouraged. A specific outcome from these efforts has been the year-on-year improvement in the innovation climate in the Utrecht region.
2009-2013
In the period from 2009 to 2013, TFI will highlight innovation in branches of industry that currently have limited attention for it, and will help innovative sectors to achieve further growth. TFI provides information and advice, initiates and supports the creation of multi-tenant buildings and business incubators, and provides forums where innovative ideas can grow. TFI also works with its partners to develop projects that provide a stimulus for innovation. TFI endeavours to raise the profile of the innovative capacity of the business community and research institutes in the Utrecht region. TFI is an expert point of contact and a transparent lobbying partner for the region at the national and international level.
Focus areas
TFI focuses on areas that are considered ripe for innovation by research institutes, government bodies and business. This creates a joint focus and a mutual strengthening of policy and activities. The focus areas of TFI are:
Life Sciences
The choice for Life Sciences was influenced by the opportunities that are being created within Utrecht University by the University Medical Center Utrecht and the faculties of Science, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. Furthermore, the Life Sciences discipline is one of the focus areas of Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. This gives rise to a unique combination of research, expertise and enterprise concentrated together at the Utrecht Science Park. TFI focuses on profitable enterprise within this focus area and, together with its partners, ensures that the opportunities that present themselves are better utilised for the region.
Healthcare and Medicine
The importance of Healthcare and Medicine for the region is beyond doubt. The organisational capacity of the business community, however, is not yet as good as it could be, and the understanding of the sector offers scope for improvement. In the period ahead, TFI will therefore use its understanding of the sector to focus on expanding this organisational capacity. Additionally, better cooperation between businesses and healthcare and research institutions will be achieved.
Creative industry
Across the entire spectrum of businesses in the creative industry, it is apparent that design firms and computer game related businesses are well represented and visible in Utrecht. The computer games infrastructure in the Utrecht region represents quality and forms the front line in the Netherlands. In the period ahead, TFI will focus on increasing the added value of this cluster.
Sustainability
Sustainability is an important focus area for all TFI stakeholders. TFI sees opportunities in this field by uniting sustainability and economics. An example of this is the key focus area of sustainable development of the urban environment. Utrecht University of Applied Sciences and its partners are already conducting a number of prestigious project in this field. Furthermore, key developments at Utrecht Science Park will be followed closely.
Professional services
The economic growth potential and the intrinsic innovative power of this sector are reason enough to consider professional services as a focus area. Professional services are an important factor in the economy of Utrecht. The sector is the largest in the region, and it has the unique profile of being the domestic advisory centre in the Netherlands. TFI provides a stimulus for the professionalisation of relatively small businesses and businesses that operate as providers of professional services.
Procedure
TFI develops, implements and manages a number of European, national and regional programmes in the Utrecht region. Furthermore, TFI also develops its own programmes and initiatives, often within the framework of economic infrastructure-strengthening programmes, such as Pieken in de Delta and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). TFI establishes consultation groups where participants can make contact, exchange expertise and embark on new forms of cooperation. TFI’s contribution creates chains and clusters of parties that would find it difficult or impossible to come together without an external stimulus, despite the fact that they clearly find strength in synergy. TFI promotes the Utrecht region as an area for innovation. TFI also highlights the innovative quality of the partners from the Utrecht region on a regional and a national stage.
Partners and Network
The outcome from TFI’s activities depends not only on its management and implementation, but to a significant extent also on what network partners achieve. TFI therefore also seeks intensive cooperation with business federations, research institutes and intermediary organisations.
Only by knowing the parties well and knowing what they are capable of can TFI bring make an effective connection between businesses, research institutes and government bodies. TFI continually invests in strengthening and utilising its network. Utilising its network means that TFI speaks directly to parties and individuals, introduces them to other parties that could have added value for them, and vice versa.
Organisational structure and governance
TFI’s programme office implements activities for the various focus areas in cooperation with its partners. Furthermore, think tanks have been established for each focus area. These think tanks provide TFI with input from the field to determine the direction and the initiatives to be developed. The governing body of the Task Force Innovation Utrecht Region is comprised of representatives from the key research institutes, representatives from the Chambers of Commerce and businesses, and has an impartial chair from the professional services sector. The key stakeholders sit on the Advisory Board.
TFI and Service Design
Service Design works along ‘bottom up’ principles and takes the end user as its starting point when developing a product or service. With an integrated approach, it enables organisations to develop effective and distinctive products and services together with customers. The Innovation in Services (Innoveren-in-dienstverlening) project demonstrates how service design is used in practice and how it benefits customers and organisations.
As well as developing expertise, the project is also about forming networks and increasing usability and visibility. The value of service design is mapped out by conducting various pilots. During reconstruction work, Central Station in Utrecht serves as the pilot location. The experience gained will be put to use in a toolkit, which will be made available on the website. Various workshops and other events will also be organised.
Service Design was awarded a grant from the Pieken in de Delta programme of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and is financed in part by the municipality of Utrecht and Utrecht province.
The Service Design project is a collaborative initiative of ProRail, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, 31Volts, Design Thinkers, Scope Design Strategy, EdenSpiekermann, STBY, Movares, Bureau H2o and Task Force Innovation Utrecht Region.
TFI and the computer game industry
TFI is a major player in accelerating the growth of the game sector in the Netherlands, and in particular in Utrecht. Our focus is on stimulating innovation through collaboration between R&D, business and both local and national government. We have been successful in developing a number of large programmes to stimulate the Dutch game industry, including the Dutch Game Garden, Dutch Game Valley (geared towards making serious games a serious business), and Level Up!, which matches talented professionals to the needs of the game industry. In addition, TFI organises frequent serious game jams in a wide range of crossover sectors such as sustainability and healthcare. Lastly, we offer international exposure for the most innovative Dutch game designs at game venues such as GDC San Francisco and Gamescom, thereby building our country’s reputation as a rapidly expanding game-creating nation.
Level Up!
Level Up! is a cooperative project between several partners in the game industry and knowledge and education institutes, and is funded by a grant from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Utrecht province and city council. Level Up! aims to develop talent by encouraging and stimulating students of all ages and educational backgrounds to choose a career in the game industry. Ultimately, the project seeks to boost the number of students and other successful candidates for game companies. Furthermore, the project aims to improve coordination between Bachelor’s, Master’s and research programmes at participating institutes. For more information about the Level Up! project, see: http://www.lvlup.nl/english/about-level-up.html.
Dutch Game Garden
The Dutch Game Garden seeks to accelerate the growth of the Dutch game industry both nationally and internationally and provides wide-ranging support for new and established game developers working in the Netherlands. See: http://www.dutchgamegarden.nl/index.php.
The Expert Centre for Games and Game Design
The Expert Centre for Games and Game Design (EGG) was established to contribute to the development of high-quality applied games in the Netherlands. EGG does this by offering existing and potential clients and developers expertise and advice. In doing this, the Expert Centre focuses on literature reviews and concluded projects, as well as games currently in development, and it maps out what lessons can be learned for the development and application context. This creates a framework of expertise that clients, developers, researchers and other interested parties can build on. This saves every project from having to reinvent the wheel, and the Dutch game industry can continue to foster innovation in the field of applied games.
The Expert Centre for Games and Game Design is a collaborative project between the Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Utrecht School of the Arts and the Task Force Innovation Utrecht Region. The project is part of the broader Dutch Game Valley project, which was established with funding from the national Pieken in de Delta programme of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, with support from the municipality of Utrecht, Utrecht province and the municipality of Amersfoort.
http://www.expertisecentrumgames.nl/
Taskforce Innovatie Regio Utrecht is mede gefinancierd met steun van het Europees Fonds voor Regionale Ontwikkeling van de Europese Commissie