Through the Co-Innovation Program, the province of Zuid-Holland supports companies and knowledge institutes with their entry on the Chinese market. The program facilitates the exchange of knowledge and best practices between Dutch and Chinese partners, enabling both sides to profit.

The areas the program connects are the Dutch province of Zuid-Holland and the Pudong district of Shanghai. This new and bustling district of Shanghai is renowned for its high-tech research and global financial importance.

The Co-Innovation Program focuses on the scientific disciplines of Life Sciences, Greenports, ICT, New Materials and Water. Management of the Co-Innovation Program is in the hands of two bureaus, one located in Den Haag, Zuid-Holland the other in the Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park in Shanghai Pudong.

What can the Co-Innovation program do for you?

The program helps you find your way in the complex Chinese market. We offer you the following services:

• Organizing information exchange between both regions.
• Facilitating individual companies and knowledge institutes with specific requests.
• Connecting potential Dutch and Chinese partners.

Sister program: the Co-Development Program

The province of Zuid-Holland also cooperates with the Chinese province Hebei in northern China. This cooperation is coordinated by the Co-development Program. The relation between Zuid-Holland and Hebei province exists since 1993.

Cooperation since 2004: the Memorandum of Understanding

The Sino-Dutch cooperation dates back to 2004, when the first Memorandum of Understanding was signed. Signatories were Jan Franssen, Queen’s Commissioner of the Province of Zuid-Holland and Zhu Xudong, director of the Science and Technology Bureau, Pudong Shanghai.

After evaluating the program in 2007, both parties agreed to continue the cooperation. This resulted in a second Memorandum of Understanding, signed September 12, 2008 in Shanghai. This second memorandum was signed by vice governor Zhang Endi on behalf of the Pudong New Area of Shanghai and vice governor Asje van Dijk on behalf of the Province of Zuid-Holland. It was supervised by the Pudong Governor Li Yiping and Dutch Consul G. Verwaal. The new agreement is in effect from 2008 to 2011.

Publicity

In October 2008, the newspaper South China Morning Post published a special section about the province Zuid-Holland. In this section the economic development and potential of Zuid-Holland is described.