Chips are the backbone of our digital society – powering everything from electric vehicles and smartphones to medical equipment and energy networks. Within this European landscape, the region of East Netherlands plays a key role. With strong ecosystems in Twente and the Lifeport Region Arnhem–Nijmegen, our region – together with Brainport Eindhoven and Delft – forms the core of the Dutch semiconductor industry.
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From Twente to Nijmegen – how our region is shaping Europe’s semiconductor industry of tomorrow
Wendy de Jong (CEO, Oost NL): “In East Netherlands, we are building the foundation of Europe’s technological strength. Businesses, knowledge institutes, and governments work together on solutions that reach far beyond our region – from sustainable chips to smart applications in energy, mobility, and health. East Netherlands plays a vital role along the technology axis Twente – Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen – Brainport Eindhoven – Leuven, strongly connected to Germany and the rest of Europe. That collaboration makes our innovation power greater than the sum of its parts.”
One European ambition
In East Netherlands, we are building a connected ecosystem where research, design, production, and application come together. Around Arnhem–Nijmegen (Lifeport) and Twente (ChipTech Twente) lie two powerful hotspots which, together with Brainport and surrounding regions, account for over 90% of all Dutch semiconductor activity.
Here, companies, knowledge institutions, provinces, and governments join forces within the framework of the EU Chips Act and the National Technology Strategy. We invest in advanced packaging, integrated photonics, and chip design, but also in what makes sustainable growth possible: talent, infrastructure, and space to innovate.
Our shared goal: strengthening Europe’s technological sovereignty and leveraging our regional strength to make that ambition a reality.
Helga Witjes (regional deputy Province of Gelderland) and Erwin Hoogland (Regional deputy, Province of Overijssel): “What starts in Gelderland and Overijssel reaches far beyond our provincial borders. We are not building isolated projects, but an ecosystem that helps Europe become more technologically independent.”
Lifeport: hotspot for advanced packaging and R&D
In the Lifeport region, we have built decades of semiconductor expertise. Companies such as NXP, Ampleon, Besi, Nexperia, and ASMPT ALSI, together with the Chip Integration Technology Center (CITC), form a strong ecosystem focused on advanced packaging – the crucial link between chip and application. With Noviotech Campus 2.0, the region now hosts a mature innovation campus where production, R&D, and talent development come together, supported by modern infrastructure and space for new business and experimental production concepts. Here, new collaborations emerge between education, industry, and startups.
Lifeport is evolving into a strategic hub where industrial strength, innovation, and talent reinforce one another – and where the package is no longer just a casing, but the key to faster, more efficient, and more reliable electronics.
Twente: pioneer in integrated photonics and chip design
While Lifeport excels in packaging and system integration, Twente leads in analog and mixed-signal chip design – of world-class quality – and in integrated photonics, chips that use light instead of electrical signals. Based on silicon nitride, a stable and energy-efficient material, Twente is developing a complete value chain for integrated photonics – from research and design to production and application. The construction of the New Origin foundry marks a major step in expanding Europe’s production capacity for photonic chips. Together with partners such as Demcon, Phix, Lionix International, CITC, Micronit, and the MESA+ Nanolab, an ecosystem is emerging where microelectronics and photonics merge into heterogeneous systems.
The University of Twente is an internationally recognized leader in nanotechnology and deeptech. Research is rapidly translated into prototypes, production, and entrepreneurship – forming the foundation for Europe’s next generation of chip innovations.
One ecosystem, one strategy
What makes East Netherlands unique is the connection between our regional ecosystems – and with Europe itself.
Twente and Lifeport complement each other in technology, knowledge, and infrastructure – from chip design and packaging to photonics and high-end equipment – forming a single pillar of innovation that drives both the Netherlands and Europe forward.
We attract talent, connect clusters, and create space – literally – for new labs, cleanrooms, and experimental production lines. This ecosystem allows young engineers to build their careers, companies to innovate, and research institutions to co-create solutions that truly matter to society.
Our geographic position strengthens that role: strategically located between Brainport Eindhoven, Leuven, Germany, and the rest of Europe.
We are not a peripheral region, but a connecting force. Here, the European semiconductor value chain comes together.
Michiel Scheffer (President, European Innovation Council): “East Netherlands demonstrates what Europe needs: cross-border collaboration. Here, the Chips Act is not just a plan on paper – it is becoming reality.”
Source: Think East Netherlands
