AI and robotics are closely aligned, with developments for both accelerating in the Netherlands province of Brabant. We find out how collaborations and talent are leading advances to build the automated machines that are fundamental for industry 4.0.

Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) will play an integral role in the future workforce, which is currently in development in the province of Brabant in the Netherlands. Many of these technologies could soon help to solve the global labour shortage.

Brabant is where tech start-ups can form, grow and flourish. The province’s robust tech ecosystem and open collaboration culture continue Brabant’s rich tradition of technological innovations.

In Brabant, and notably its Brainport region, the universities provide a particular advantage for experimenting in low-risk environments while developing advanced technologies through partnerships between businesses and academic institutions.

“The Brainport region is very innovative,” says Thijs Dorssers, manager of Holland Robotics, the association for robotics in the Netherlands. “There are many start-ups in buildings that are not so expensive to rent. There is a great knowledge of technology and a very strong network where people will work together.” The association aims to raise the profile of the robotics industry both nationally and internationally to attract more talent and funding to the region.

“There are different start-ups, born at the university and then grown,” adds Dorssers. “They can easily make the step to entrepreneurship, from student team to a start-up company.”

Talent is highly sought after – both in terms of the next generation in education and internationally – to ensure that the myriad technological opportunities are fulfilled.

“The potential of technology nowadays is not limited by the amount of money that we have available or budgets, nor by the technical potential, because that is huge,” says Carlo van de Weijer, general manager of the Eindhoven AI Systems Institute (EAISI) at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). “It is just limited by the number of people we can find to harvest all these possibilities.”

To address this, there are a series of initiatives to attract talent to Brabant, and many of these involve education.