Category: Innovation Infrastructure

Sow your cybersecurity seeds in The Hague and watch them grow

What causes the attraction of the City of The Hague on the global cybersecurity community? Is it its centuries of heritage as the International City of Peace and Justice? Is it the presence of the many large organizations such as NATO/ NCIA, Europol and the International Court of Justice? Is it the high quality of life, its large international community and the many international schools?

City of peace, justice and security

In the late 19^th and early 20^th century, The Hague hosted Peace Conferences where dozens of countries discussed disarmament and international jurisdiction. This led to the establishment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration here. In 1913 the Peace Palace was officially opened and the court has been run from there since. The Hague saw more and more international initiatives establish in the century that followed.

I’ve been working at InnovationQuarter for five years now and I’ve noticed that the attraction of The Hague and the region around it is all of the above topped with a very simple business fact: Its major purchasing power. In my experience proximity is an important factor of success. – Martijn van Hoogenhuijze

Amplifying business by community

To consolidate and expand its position as a hotspot for cybersecurity, The Hague Security Delta (HSD) was collaboratively established by the city of The Hague and the industry in 2013. This leading cybersecurity cluster serves as a highly interactive network of businesses, governments and knowledge institutes, working together on innovative security solutions and knowledge development. Their goal is simple: a more secure world, more business and more jobs.

Among the almost 300 partners in the Hague Security Delta are Europol, NCI-Agency, OPCW, Eurojust, various Ministries of the Dutch government and renowned knowledge institutes in our region. In the HSD cluster, partners provide training facilities and programs, collaboration challenges, network and pitching opportunities.

Excellent accessibility

Situated atop one of The Hague’s three major train stations, at 28 minutes reach from Schiphol Airport, the HSD Campus and its dedicated office facilities has helped companies from the Netherlands and abroad to settle into the community and get their business up and running quickly.

The Hague cybersecurity schiphol airport ©Thijs B

Need talent? Benefit from the magnetic effect of The Hague city

We also see that the availability of talent plays a significant role for businesses settling here. Our region counts approximately 15.000 cybersecurity professionals, growing by a steady yearly supply of new graduates from one of the world-renowned universities and other educational institutes in our region.

If the specific skills you need for the job can’t be sourced locally, its easy to attract talent from the Schengen area (most European countries). If it is necessary to attract employees from beyond the EU, the Dutch Government has created the Highly Skilled Migrant route which enables companies to attract new employees to the Netherlands within two weeks time (in relatively normal times that is after following a bureaucratic process but still).

Our region is attractive to talent on the global job market, and many expats want to stay in The Hague once they have settled in, because of the great quality of life. It’s a spacious, green and safe environment with great cycle paths and plenty of International Schools. Its an affordable place to live and of course, the beach is amazing. The Hague has a long heritage as an international hub with a large international community and an extensive cluster of English speaking service providers with a specific focus on the needs of expats.

greater rotterdam the hague cybersecurity attracting talent beach life

Cherry on the cake: proximity to major cybersecurity customers

So to top these arguments up with a bit of business, I certainly realize it’s always difficult to get into the market segments that a business is after. And here it’s fantastic to see calls like for instance the NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agencies. They plan to put out over € 500 million euro worth of business on the market for the industry to bid on. If you find yourself interested in what The Netherlands, and more, in particular, the Rotterdam – The Hague region has to offer, feel free to reach out. My direct co-worker Philip Meijer and I are glad to answer any questions you might have!