Rotterdam, the Netherlands Development
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Higher Higher Education in Regional and City Development Education Higher Education in Regional and City Rotterdam, The Netherlands Development Outside the Netherlands Rotterdam is best known for its port – once the busiest in in the world, and still the busiest in Europe. But the docks have moved steadily Regional Rotterdam, downstream and the centre of Rotterdam is very different from what it was even 50 years ago. The Netherlands and A young and dynamic city, Rotterdam is one of the few in Europe where the average City age of the population is decreasing. It is ethnically and culturally diverse and has high potential for attracting the “creative class”. Development The Rotterdam region is home to two leading research universities and several other innovative higher education institutions. This report looks at how to encourage growth in the Rotterdam region, through the transfer of technology and knowledge, and through realising the potential of its people. Rotterdam, The Netherlands This publication is part of the series of OECD reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development. These reviews help mobilise higher education institutions for economic, social and cultural development of cities and regions. They analyse how the higher education system impacts upon regional and local development and bring together universities, other higher education institutions and public and private agencies to identify strategic goals and to work towards them. The full text of this book is available on line via this link: www.sourceoecd.org/education/9789264088962 Those with access to all OECD books on line should use this link: www.sourceoecd.org/9789264088962 SourceOECD is the OECD’s online library of books, periodicals and statistical databases. For more information about this award-winning service and free trials, ask your librarian, or write to us at [email protected]. 89 2010 09 1 E www.oecd.org/publishing Higher Education in Regional and City Development Rotherdam, The Netherlands 2010 ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where governments work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Commission takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments of its member countries. ISBN 978-92-64-08896-2 (PDF) Series: Higher Education in Regional and City Development ISSN 2218-3140 (online) Cover design © Francisco Esquer Mares. Cover photo © EDBR, Photographer Roy Borghouts. Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda © OECD 2010 You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at [email protected]. FOREWORD – 3 Foreword Universities and other higher education institutions can play a key role in human capital development and innovation systems in their cities and regions. Reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development are the OECD’s vehicle to mobilise higher education for economic, social and cultural development of cities and regions. They analyse how the higher education system impacts local and regional development and assist in improving this impact. They examine the higher education institutions’ contribution to human capital and skills development; technology transfer and business innovation; social, cultural and environmental development; and regional capacity building. The review process facilitates partnership building in regions by drawing together higher education institutions and public and private agencies to identify strategic goals and work together towards them. To know more about the OECD review process and requirements, visit Higher Education and Regions’ website at www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/regionaldevelopment. These reviews are part of a wider multi-annum work of higher education in cities and regions co-ordinated by the OECD Programme on Institutional Management of Higher Education (IMHE). In 2004-07, the OECD/IMHE conducted an extensive study with fourteen regional reviews across twelve countries. This resulted in the OECD flagship publication Higher Education and Regions: Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged (OECD, 2007) with recommendations to benefit both higher education institutions and national and regional governments. In 2008, the OECD/IMHE launched a second series of OECD Reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development to address the demand by national and regional governments for more responsive and active higher education institutions. As a result, 14 cities and regions in 11 countries underwent the OECD review process in 2008-10. The reviews are carried out by the OECD/IMHE in collaboration with international organisations and associations and other OECD programmes and directorates. This work also supports the OECD Innovation Strategy and OECD Green Growth Strategy. This OECD review of the Rotterdam is part of the second round of OECD reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development. HIGHER EDUCATION IN REGIONAL AND CITY DEVELOPMENT: ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS © OECD 2010 4 – ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgements This publication draws on interviews carried out during a week-long review visit in 8-13 November 2009, on the findings of the City of Rotterdam Self-evaluation Report and using additional information provided to the review team. The OECD Review Team had a full and intensive programme and was received openly by a wide range of stakeholders. The team had the benefit of an extensive and reflective Self-evaluation Report. The report went beyond description to postulate a number of hypotheses about regional strengths and weaknesses, which the team members were able to test. The team wishes to express its thanks to the Regional Steering Committee, the Chair, Marco Waas and the Regional Co-ordinator, Monique de Knegt. This publication was co-ordinated by Richard Yelland (OECD/IMHE), The other members of the Peer Review Team were Patrick Dubarle (former OECD Secretariat), Lauritz Holm-Nielsen (University of Aarhus, Denmark); Bjørn Asheim (Lund University, Sweden); Véronique Timmerhuis (Social and Economic Council, the Netherlands) Further details about the Review Team can be found in Annex 1 of this report. Rachel Linden supervised the publication process. HIGHER EDUCATION IN REGIONAL AND CITY DEVELOPMENT: ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS © OECD 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS – 3 Table of contents List of Acronyms ................................................................................................. 6 Key recommendations .......................................................................................... 8 Chapter 1: Analysis and conclusions ................................................................ 11 1.1 Only connect ........................................................................................ 12 1.2 Higher education and human capital development .............................. 13 1.3 A coherent regional innovation system ................................................ 16 1.4 Social, cultural and environmental development ................................. 19 1.5 Regional capacity building .................................................................. 20 Chapter 2: National education policy and the regional context ....................... 23 2.1 The Dutch context ................................................................................ 24 2.2 The tertiary education system: facts, figures and traditions ................. 26 2.3 National governance and financing patterns ........................................ 31 2.4 The regional dimension in the higher education system ...................... 35 2.5 Support for the regional mission .........................................................