Municipality of Helmond and Province of North Brabant sign letter of intent with Construction Company Van de Ven regarding purchase of Automotive Campus

The province supports the ambitions of the Municipality of Helmond from its own social goals: strengthening innovation capacity, accelerating smart and sustainable mobility, and securing high-quality employment.

The province and the Municipality of Helmond plan to acquire the current real estate on the Automotive Campus from Construction Company Van de Ven from Veghel. This will bring the further development of the campus fully into public hands. This fits into a broader national trend where governments take more control over campus development.

Strategic importance for Helmond and Brainport

The province and municipality consider the Automotive Campus to be of great strategic value for Helmond and the Brainport region. Automotive is one of the three top sectors in Helmonds economic policy, alongside foodtech and smart manufacturing. Sectors where talent to create things is central. Something deeply rooted in Helmonds DNA.

The province invests in the further development of the Automotive Campus because this location plays a strategic role within the Brabant mobility and innovation system. The campus is an important link in the transition to smart and sustainable mobility. It brings together education, research, and business. As a leading Dutch campus, it substantially contributes to innovation capacity and employment in Brabant. With provincial participation, this position is strengthened and the campus remains a motor for regional economic development.

In recent years, under the ownership of Construction Company Van de Ven, the Automotive Campus has grown into an internationally leading campus. It ranks among the 20 most influential campuses in the Netherlands. Work is done here on solutions for social and technological challenges, such as electrification, decarbonization, digitization, safety, and sustainability. By increasing public involvement, the province and municipality want to preserve knowledge and innovation in the Netherlands. And continue investing in the economy and employment for the long term.

“With this step, we ensure convincing public control over the development of the Automotive Campus. By continuing to invest in our top sectors, knowledge and innovation in the Netherlands are preserved,” says alderman Martijn de Kort (Economic Affairs). “For Helmond and the Brainport region, this lays the foundation for a strong economy. This economic growth is essential to also allow broad prosperity and the level of facilities to grow with the number of inhabitants, now and towards 2040. Campuses have proven to be engines for regional economic growth and provide above-average employment.”

“Brabant campuses are drivers of growth”

Stijn Smeulders, Deputy for Urban Development and Mobility.

“Brabant campuses are drivers of growth,” adds Stijn Smeulders, Deputy for Urban Development and Mobility. “By targeted further development, we create space for innovation, talent, and new business; the Automotive Campus can thus advance to the next level.”

Martijn van Gruijthuijsen, Deputy for Economy, Talent Development, and Finance: “A strong economic ecosystem arises where education, entrepreneurs, and government reinforce each other. With public investments in the Automotive Campus, we increase Brabants innovation capacity, talent development, and sustainable growth.”

No statements are made about the value of the intended transaction. The purchase is subject to an extensive due diligence investigation. And requires approval from the management of Construction Company Van de Ven, the Helmond municipal council, and the Provincial States of North Brabant. Such an investigation is a careful pre-check, examining all financial, legal, and technical aspects. In parallel, the municipality and province are working on a new business plan for further development of the campus. Once agreement is reached, the results will be presented to the municipal council and Provincial States. All parties aim to complete this as soon as possible.