Voorpublicatie interview F. Sybesma Jaarverslag 2009 'The Netherlands needs a new industrial policy'
14-4-2010
Bestuursvoorzitter van chemieconcern DSM Feike Sybesma heeft in Nieuwspoort en afgelopen zondag in Buitenhof aangegeven dat er jaarlijks 3 tot 6 miljard euro voor industriebeleid beschikbaar moet komen van overheid en private bronnen. Het extra geld moet worden gebruikt voor onderzoek, onderwijs en innovatie. Voor het mibiton jaarverslag 2009 is F. Sybesma geinterviewd. Van dit interview hieronder een voorpublicatie.
Feike Sijbesma, CEO Royal DSM
The Netherlands needs a new industrial policy
“In the next decade(s) we can expect a lot from a.o. Life Sciences and biotech. I’ve had this feeling before but now Biotech / Life Sciences is ready to help the world to meet global challenges like health, wellness, sustainable energy and climate change. The Netherlands can contribute a lot but needs to make clear choices through a clear industrial policy.”
“The Netherlands Life Sciences sector has a lot to contribute to the big challenges of the world in the coming decades. When I look back over the past ten years I am amazed at what has been realized. Take for instance the enormous development in enzymes for example for the detergent industry. It enables us to wash at temperatures as low as 30 degrees centigrade, thereby saving a considerable amount of energy. Enzymes also play a crucial role in the development of sustainable biochemical processes like the production of medicines, materials and bio-fuels. Our company DSM has changed from a chemical company into a Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company because we believe that the future lies a.o. in the Life Sciences and the bio-based economy.
In The Netherlands we combine an excellent knowledge base with a very powerful chemical and agro food industry. Over the past years, industry, government and knowledge institutions have formed dozens of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in food, health, and chemistry. DSM participates in a number of these PPPs, which include BMM, TIFN and BE Basic and the Dutch Polymer Institute.
The Netherlands has built up a worldwide reputation with these PPPs, which aim to turn scientific knowledge into added value, benefiting the economy as well as society in general.
Over the coming years this will result in new products addressing key global issues such as life style related diseases. We will also see many new bio-based chemical processes and products and, last but not least, Life Sciences will lead to new concepts in food.
The Netherlands combines scientific strength in Life Sciences with at least two strong economic sectors: chemicals and agro-food. In order to maintain our position within the world market in these sectors we should combine our strengths in Life Sciences with our economic strengths. Other countries in Asia, but also in Europe, have already recognized this combination. If we want to compete with the top countries of the world we should strive to attain a continuous process of renewal of our business.
We should therefore make clear choices in the Life Sciences and stick to these choices over a long period, of say ten to twenty years. These choices should be made in a triangle of economic, scientific and societal needs. The Netherlands needs an industrial policy specifically focused on winning (industrial) sectors. In my opinion we cannot cut our science base loose from our production industry. A country needs to have its own industry. This will guarantee that the life science knowledge stays in touch with the needs of the companies and is the best way to ensure that companies keep their R&D in the Netherlands. A knowledge based industry needs R&D and R&D is often connected to industries.
Look at Singapore, a country with 16 million inhabitants, like the Netherlands. It has chosen to develop the Life Sciences, both scientifically and in terms of new business. Singapore will continue this policy for a period up to twenty years. This should also be the way forward for the Netherlands.
These choices also have consequences for our PPPs. We should continue with the programmes that fit in with the industrial policy, but again over a longer period than the current four (plus) years. This will lead to new start-up and spin-off companies. The effect will be synergistic, as we have seen on our Campus in Geleen, Chemelot, where we have attracted sixty new companies with a total workforce of one thousand people. The combination of big companies with SMEs is very fruitful, both in PPPs as well as in the form of a campus. Mibiton plays its own role in this spectrum by facilitating the SMEs with the necessary instruments and apparatus, which are essential but unaffordable for most SMEs.
Another consequence of making clear choices is that we should pay more attention to the education of beta people within the Life Sciences. We have to invest in our education.
I hope the next government will pay serious attention to these subjects in its governmental agreement. The worst thing we can do is to cuts costs on knowledge and innovation, because this will shut down the engine that is driving the future economic growth. During the economic crisis DSM did a lot of cost cutting, but we did not cut back on innovation, which was kept safe. Innovation will generate turnover: it is the basis of our future and of our children.”
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