Three European Cities Partner to Boost Artificial Intelligence Startups

2026-09-11 community

Heerlen, Friday, 11 September 2026.
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, a Dutch technology campus launched a trinational alliance with Belgium and Germany, connecting over 800 partners to accelerate European artificial intelligence startup growth.

A New Era for Euregional Innovation

On September 9, 2026, the Brightlands Smart Services Campus in Heerlen, Netherlands, celebrated its tenth anniversary by officially rebranding as the Brightlands Data & AI Campus [2][4]. What began a decade ago as a digital hub inside a vacant office building—anchored by founding partners Conclusion and Accenture—has matured into a bustling technological ecosystem [3][4]. Today, the campus at Smedestraat houses approximately 875 workers and 750 students [5]. To mark this milestone, campus leadership unveiled a major international expansion on September 10, 2026, establishing the “Crossborder AI Valley” in partnership with digitalHUB Aachen e.V. in Germany and Corda Campus Hasselt in Belgium [2][3].

Unlocking Speed, Scale, and Market Access

The creation of the Crossborder AI Valley represents a significant scaling effort for the region’s digital economy. By uniting the three hubs, the alliance instantly expands the network of startups from the 235 companies and partners previously based in Heerlen to a combined euregional total of over 885 partners [3][4]. According to Walter Pijls, CEO of the Brightlands Data & AI Campus, the software and artificial intelligence sectors demand rapid deployment and scale to prevent proprietary technologies from becoming obsolete [4]. Pijls pointed out that within a 100-kilometer radius of Heerlen, there is a market of approximately 18 million people, offering startups a massive, accessible population for swift commercial scaling [4].

Overcoming the Cross-Border Capital Divide

In addition to market size, the partnership is designed to bridge regional funding gaps and provide startups with direct access to a broader pool of venture capitalists across three nations [1][5]. Raf Degens, CEO of Corda Campus Hasselt, emphasized that the alliance elevates local tech ecosystems beyond national boundaries, granting Belgian firms immediate access to networks and capital in Heerlen and Aachen [3]. This collaborative structure aligns with the broader “Triple Helix Model” utilized across the Limburg innovation ecosystem, which emphasizes shared governance among government, academia, and private industry to turn regional strengths into future-proof knowledge economies [6].

Addressing Diversity and Gender Disparity in Tech

Alongside the cross-border alliance, campus leaders launched herAI.tech on September 10, 2026, a platform designed to tackle the severe gender imbalance in the artificial intelligence sector [3]. Currently, women make up only 22% of students in AI-related academic programs, and they hold a mere 7.2% of top AI positions in Dutch companies—the lowest percentage in Europe [3][5]. At the Heerlen campus, only 4 out of 41 active startups are led by women [5], which represents just 9.756% of the campus’s startup portfolio. The herAI.tech initiative, guided by a seven-member advisory board, has set a clear ten-year goal: by 2036, women should head 50% of the startups founded on the campus [3].

Practical AI Integration and Public Safety

The rebranding to the Data & AI Campus formally reflects Heerlen’s five-year status as one of the Netherlands’ national AI hubs [4]. Moving forward, the campus will focus on implementing practical AI applications across three core sectors: healthcare, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and public safety [3][4]. Highlighting this focus on public safety, Prince Constantijn of Oranje attended the anniversary event to open the new Control Centre for LUGN Security [3][5]. Founded in 2021, LUGN Security celebrated its five-year anniversary by showcasing its BVLOS-certified drone systems, which provide 24/7 surveillance for vital infrastructure with emergency response times under three minutes [3]. This practical application of technology underscores the campus’s long-term strategy of prioritizing immediate, real-world digital solutions over speculative research [3].

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startup ecosystem regional collaboration