Speech by His Majesty the King at the Innovation Seminar, Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the Netherlands in Amsterdam
4 April 2014
Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to Amsterdam, Your Majesty! You arrived just this afternoon to celebrate 400 years of diplomatic ties together with us. And we have already gathered here with a select group of experts to exchange ideas on innovation. Your presence here now testifies to your commitment and drive in this field!
We're delighted that you have chosen to focus on this theme, and that so many representatives of Swedish businesses and knowledge institutions are here today. We know how Sweden excels at innovation. Sweden is one of Europe's innovation leaders, and is achieving impressive results. The European Commission has designated Sweden a 'top performer' in innovation output. Yet you still want to learn how other countries do things. That's typical of the Swedish mentality: always open to other ideas, no matter how well you are doing.
Dutch entrepreneurs and experts are delighted to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with their Swedish counterparts this afternoon. They will also be talking about the Dutch approach. Today we will look at what underpins successful innovation. What works? What doesn't work? How do we differ from each other? And what can we learn from each other?
Everyone's heard of Skype and Spotify. Everyone's heard of Ericsson. And Ikea. And Hennes and Mauritz. They are Swedish businesses that have taken the world by storm, and that play an important role in the lives of many millions of people every day. Besides these large, trendsetting innovators, there are also hundreds of small start-ups in Sweden. Not only in Stockholm, but throughout the country. The Swedes love ICT. They love new things. Young people feel challenged to develop good ideas. It's a perfect climate for new businesses.
Swedish investment in research and innovation ranks among the highest in the world. That certainly helps. But it's about far more than money.
Equally important - perhaps even more important - are close ties between business and academia. Thinkers and go-getters from all sections of Swedish society are finding one another and joining forces. Innovation in Sweden is a way of life. That's what makes the country so inspiring.
The Netherlands, too, has many successful innovative partnerships between businesses and research institutes. I am privileged to visit many businesses and talk to entrepreneurs, employees and knowledge partners about what motivates them. I recently visited DAF Trucks and VDL in Eindhoven, the Science Park in Amsterdam, the Heinz Innovation Centre in Nijmegen, the Maastricht Health Campus and Applikon Biotechnology in Delft.
And what strikes me is that pioneering innovations rarely come about in splendid isolation. On the contrary. It's the links between different disciplines that can spark a chain reaction of creativity. In that respect I'm looking forward to the upcoming debate between two prominent innovation centres in the Netherlands and Sweden: Brainport Eindhoven and Kista Science City, Stockholm.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's not forget that this afternoon is about much more than the economy. Innovation is our main trump card when tackling the social challenges we face. Food security. Health. A clean environment. Sustainable energy. Flood protection. They are the basic conditions for a good life, and the world is looking toyoufor solutions. That's a terrific challenge and a special responsibility.
Joining forces makes us stronger. The ability of Sweden and the Netherlands to achieve great things together has often been demonstrated in the past. Take the successful merger that led to AkzoNobel in 1994.
I hope that this innovation seminar will reinforce existing links and bring forth new ones. I wish you all an inspiring afternoon.
Thank you.