Work

Limburg is investing a lot in employment. Many different projects are being realised, thanks to European support. In this section you can find information about projects and cooperatives which stimulate the economy in Limburg in different ways.

Maastricht School of Management InterBridge

Limburg Innovation Class

MSM InterBridge in collaboration with the Province of Limburg started the project Limburg Innovation Class which is - Drawing Foreign Knowledge Workers to Limburg, the Netherlands.

In the near future the Province of Limburg is expected to experience a growing deficit on the labor market, specifically in the highly-educated segment, as a result of an aging population and the fact that young talent is leaving to study elsewhere.

Through the Limburg Innovation Class, MSM can offer a helping hand by recruiting knowledge workers from emerging economies.

This project, with the financial support of the Province of Limburg, is now taking stock of companies in Limburg that are confronted with these labor issues, and offers real solutions for the segment of knowledge workers (educated at Bachelor level or above and covering practically all sectors possible).

The Innovation Class recruits highly educated knowledge workers from countries outside the European Union for the purpose of deploying them successfully within companies.

Recruitment takes place based on a profile from the prospective candidate that has been prepared by the company. Before they get started, the knowledge migrants follow a three- month introductory program - the 'Innovation Class' - to prepare them for functioning successfully in the Limburg business world.

Please feel free to contact Mr. Don Offermans, MSM InterBridge Manager at Offermans@msm.nl or check the website: www.msminterbridge.nl

Versnellingsagenda & LIOF

The Versnellingsagenda Limburg (acceleration agenda Limburg) is an initiative by the Province of Limburg, the business community and research and educational institutions. It represents large projects which boost the economy in Limburg. To stimulate this economic development even further, a 'development fund' worth 20 million euros has been set up using provincial funds. High-risk development and innovation projects can be financed by this fund.

This investment initiative, which was set up in 2005, resulted in 1,400 new jobs in 2007. This was shown in the annual report of 2007 .

The focus is on the following groups:
• Health Care & Cure, 
• High Tech Systems, Chemicals & Materials 
• New Energies 
• Agriculture, Food and Nutrition
 

The Versnellingsagenda's programme office was moved to the NV Industriebank LIOF in January 2008. The NV Industriebank LIOF is Limburg's regional development company. This association contributes to the prosperity of the province by strengthening the economic structure. The LIOF does this by applying itself to attracting establishments of foreign companies and carrying out projects which can strengthen the competitive power of companies in Limburg.  The LIOF website contains an overview of projects which the development company contributes to.

Ondernemend Limburg

At the end of 2006 the board of directors of the LWV (employers' association of Limburg), MKB-Limburg (employers' organisation for middle-sized and small businesses in Limburg) and the LLTB (agricultural employers' organisation) signed a joint contract on setting up ventures in Limburg. This was the start of the initiative 'Ondernemend Limburg'. The three organisations are making a case for entrepreneurs under this name.

The Limburgse Werkgevers Vereniging (LWV) is the representative for entrepreneurs in Limburg. The LWV strives for a good regional entrepreneurial climate, in the present as well as in the future. The key activities this association devotes to in order to reach this goal are lobbying, networking and offering different services. More than 1,300 companies in Limburg have become a member of the LWV. With 3,500 members, the Limburgse Land- en Tuinbouwbond (LLTB) has a strong voice in the agricultural industry.

The MKB–Limburg represents approximately 3,000 entrepreneurs from the small and medium-sized business sector (SME). This organization promotes the interests of its members by advising, guiding and influencing business processes. MKB-Limburg also takes enterprising action itself.

Other investment initiatives

Besides initiatives set up by the Province of Limburg (Versnellingsagenda), the LIOF and Ondernemend Limburg, other investment initiatives have also been set up in Limburg. A few examples:

• MKB Portal: an initiative set up by Maastricht University to make scientific knowledge available to entrepreneurs from around the (Eu)region.
• MKB Springplank: the cooperative consisting of the LIOF, Syntens (Dutch innovation network), DSM Kenniswinkel (DSM's solutions broker) and the IHK Aachen (Chamber of Industry and Commerce Aachen), set up to support innovative initiatives by and for SMEs.