Main Information

Utrecht
Population: 1.2 million
Size: 1.449,12 km2
Major cities: Utrecht and Amersfoort
Distance: 30 minutes to Amsterdam International airport
The Province of Utrecht offers:
• Central location in the heart of the Netherlands
• World class universities and research institutes; Utrecht University is ranked
No. 1 in the Netherlands in the 2010 Shanghai Ranking
• Highest educated workforce in the country
• Most competitive EU region according to the European Commission (2010)
• Booming industries include ICT, Gaming, Life Sciences
• Competitive prices for top business facilities
• Utrecht: the most sustainable region of the Netherlands (Rabobank, 2010)
Utrecht’s high level of education; convenient location with excellent connections to the
European market; and competitive real estate prices have already attracted more than
900 foreign companies to the province.
Life Sciences

Utrecht: the best brains in Life Sciences
• The sector employs approximately 7000 people in around 50 companies and
institutions.
• Diagnostics, therapeutics and services are the main life sciences activities with a
particular focus on One Health (zoonosis, human biology, pharmacology),
Oncology & Stem cells.
Life Sciences education: more than 9,500 students currently study life science
disciplines. Utrecht University houses the only veterinary faculty in the Netherlands and
the largest in Western Europe.
Immuno Valley: a consortium of renowned research institutes and life science
companies working closely together to combat infectious diseases.
ICT

Utrecht: the ICT capital of the Netherlands
• The sector employs approximately 43,000 people in around 3,000 companies.
• Software and services are the main focus of ICT activities, including
development, distribution and implementation of software applications.
• Nowhere in the Netherlands is the percentage of the population working in ICT
higher than in Utrecht.
ICT education:
At Utrecht University and the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht alone, more
than 3,000 students currently study ICT, Communications Technology, or Computer
Sciences.
Gaming in UTRECHT
Utrecht: hotspot for gaming companies
The game industry in the Netherlands has increased tenfold since 2002, when the industry
counted at most 200 developers. In 2009, there were nearly 2000. The game industry
encompasses entertainment, casual, online and serious games. Utrecht has become a
hotspot for game companies because of the excellent educational programs offered by
Utrecht University, the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and the Utrecht School of
the Arts. In addition, the Dutch game market is very demanding, which makes it an
ideal test pilot for newly released games.
Initiatives and events:
The gaming industry is actively supported by the regional and national government.
Examples of initiatives are the Dutch Game Garden and the NLGD Festival of Games.
Dutch Game Garden: incubator and business center in downtown Utrecht providing widerange
support for starting and established game developers.