Rotterdam Investment Agency
Rotterdam is a young international port city known for its dynamism and can-do mentality. As Europe’s biggest port and logistics hub, Rotterdam is an ideal site location for international companies and organizations in the Netherlands that are keen to serve the whole of Europe using Rotterdam as their gateway to Europe. The business environment in Rotterdam is among the best in the Netherlands and Europe as the Global Arena comparative advantages benchmark for headquarter activities shows.
The Rotterdam Metropolitan Area's room for initiative and innovation makes the city of Rotterdam the best business environment for entrepreneurs and international businesses that wish to setup business in the Netherlands and by doing so choose the best site location to create a gateway and hub for business development and headquarter location in Europe. Rotterdam is the home location for a wide variety of domestic and international companies and brands. The Rotterdam Metropolitan Area has a geographic concentration of companies that cooperate in supply and value chains, related academic institutions and human capital in a wide variety of business clusters such as:
Port and Industrial Cluster
The Port of Rotterdam is the biggest port in Europe. The Rotterdam’s port is by far the largest, handling more cargo than any other European port. The Rotterdam port is also one of the four most important ports in the world. Rotterdam’s port and surrounding industry make up the biggest port and industrial cluster in the Netherlands and Europe.
Medical and Healthcare Cluster
The Erasmus Medical Centre is the largest of the eight university healthcare centre's in the Netherlands and the leading clinical research centre in Europe. The Rotterdam government is keen to further strengthen its position as a world-class medical and healthcare cluster, together with academic and business partners, all dedicated to shape tomorrow’s healthcare.
Business and Professional Services Cluster
Rotterdam occupies a leading international position in the field of business and professional services: maritime law, insurance, insurance intermediation, shipping funding and merchant banking. The uniqueness of the Port of Rotterdam combined with business services provides Rotterdam with the image of both leading global port and smart port.
Creative Cluster
The Rotterdam creative cluster is home to leading designers and creative talents in fields like fashion, gaming, architecture and design. They inspire the blossoming and blooming atmosphere of the art world and ingenuity within our city boundaries. Rotterdam is constantly making new innovative architecture and infrastructure that shapes Rotterdam´s innovative cosmopolitan face.
The Rotterdam Climate Initiative
Rotterdam takes its responsibility seriously in creating a sustainable city, region and Europe. By linking sustainable ambitions to a strong economy, Rotterdam will become the most sustainable international port and an inspiring example to other ports.
Sustainable businesses are showing strong economic growth all over the world. Rotterdam wants to ensure that as much of the growth as possible takes place in climate initiative related Clusters in Rotterdam. Clusters with potential for investment opportunities are, for example, green chemistry and energy, CCS and water and delta technology as well as the design, installation and construction sectors and sustainable mobility. This Program on Sustainability and Climate Change, together with the Regional and Urban Economy program and the Clean Tech Delta, focuses on these clusters to further strengthen the sustainable economy of The Rotterdam Metropolitan Area.
The Rotterdam Investment Agency (RIA) offers you to arrange for a fact-finding mission, including a “guided tour” by local business people who have volunteered to show corporate newcomers around and give them an honest account of what it is like to operate in Rotterdam – perhaps Europe’s most dynamic and pro-business city and certainly Europe’s biggest port and logistics hub!
Once you have decided to set up yout business in Rotterdam, you will receive the full red-carpet treatment from the RIA . We will provide you with advice and support in these and other areas: law, tax, permits, advice on cultural aspects, recruitment of employees, suitable company site, marketing, as well as an introduction to business networks and government contacts. All of this will be free of charge. The Expat Desk, which is part of RIA, will even help individual employees to settle down and solve any practical issues at no cost to them – from obtaining visas to finding suitable housing, sports facilities and schools for their children. And that strong backing will continue into the future, as you settle in Rotterdam.