Key Region Leiden launch

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿?

That’s the question Key Region Leiden is working to answer. Launched on July 7 at Leiden Bio Science Park, this new regional partnership brings together seven municipalities, three knowledge institutions, three business associations, and three innovation clusters in a focused effort to accelerate innovation and strengthen the economy across the Leiden–Katwijk–Noordwijk axis.

From healthcare to aerospace and autonomous systems, today’s challenges require integrated solutions. That begins with close collaboration between science, business, and government. Key Region Leiden turns that collaboration into action, building more talent, faster innovation, and stronger infrastructure.

At Leiden Bio Science Park, more than 500 organizations work at the intersection of science and health every day. When combined with the space tech expertise at NL Space Campus and the autonomous systems developed at Unmanned Valley, the region becomes a powerful testbed for innovation, from AI-driven drug discovery to shared cleanroom infrastructure and drone-enabled healthcare logistics.

Who’s involved? This is a coordinated effort between:

• Municipalities: Gemeente Leiden, Gemeente Katwijk, Municipality of Noordwijk, Gemeente Leiderdorp, Gemeente Oegstgeest, Gemeente Voorschoten, Gemeente Zoeterwoude

• Knowledge institutions: Leiden University, Leiden University Medical Center, mboRijnland, Hogeschool Leiden

• Business associations: VNO-NCW Rijnland, PLNT Leiden, Katwijkse Ondernemersvereniging (KOV), Stichting Ondernemend Leiden, OVBSP Leiden

• Innovation clusters: Leiden Bio Science Park, NL Space Campus, Unmanned Valley

As Leonie Hussaarts, director of Key Region Leiden, put it:

“This collaboration helps us share knowledge faster and use it smarter, across clusters, across technologies. That’s essential if we want to hold our position in Europe and invest in real solutions for real people.”

Leiden Bio Science Park plays a central role in this ecosystem. By connecting public and private stakeholders and scaling breakthrough science, the park helps ensure that innovation translates into real-world solutions and real jobs.

Esther Peters, director of Leiden Bio Science Park:

“If we want to keep leading in Europe and continue contributing to the future of health, we have to invest in infrastructure that supports that growth. This partnership makes that possible, and shows what we can achieve when science, industry, and government work together.”

This is how we build the science for life: for our region, for the Netherlands, for Europe, and for the future of health.