CORDIS Archive

• Spotlight 1: ADAPT in North Holland
  
• Spotlight 2: T&A Radar B.V.
  
• Spotlight 3: Magna Carta ready for the future
  

In the beginning of 1998 Brussels approved of 140 ADAPT-projects in the Netherlands. ADAPT-projects are focused on the stimulation of technological innovation within SME's. North Holland has been very succesfull in the preparation of project proposals; out of 140 Dutch ADAPT-projects, no less than 50 projects are being executed in North Holland. The Province is subsidising the majority of these projects and is stimulating the coordination and cooperation between the different projects.

One successful ADAPT-project in North Holland is 'Nieuwe Bedrijvigheid Amsterdam' (New Business Activity Amsterdam). 'Nieuwe Bedrijvigheid Amsterdam' is a project focused on tracking down and assisting possible successful plans and ideas which could lead to new business activities in the Amsterdam region. Starting companies are entitled to - on a 'no cure, no pay' base - professional advice about market strategy, finance and other aspects of doing business.

The project is financed by contributions of the Municipality of Amsterdam, the Chamber of Commerce, ADAPT-subsidy and a number of participants such as the Province of North Holland, financial institutions and companies. K+V consultants are responsible for the execution. The aim is to realise 50 new companies with 300 full time jobs.

T&A Radar B.V. in Amsterdam is specialised in soil research using various kinds of radar equipment. Managing director Robert van Ingen started as an independent consultant in 1992. The company now employs 11 people and is still growing. Stichting Nieuwe Bedrijvigheid (Foundation for New Business Activity) has been providing management support since the beginning of this year.

T&A Radar is the Dutch representative of PulseEKKO soil radar equipment, produced by the Canadian radar company Sensors & Software. Their ground-penetrating radar is a completely new technology, which Van Ingen was partly responsible for introducing in the Netherlands. The soil is examined by means of electromagnetic waves which are reflected at points where the composition of the soil changes. Thus, according to Van Ingen, it is possible to detect such things as cables, pipes, tanks, foundations, aircraft bombs and implements. Van Ingen goes on to say: "But we can also measure what the thickness of an asphalt level is or map the structure of a piece of ground. To a limited extent, this technology can also be used to detect chemical pollution. The advantage of soil research using radar is that it is non-destructive. This means that you don’t need to drill into the soil, with the risk of destroying things. Moreover, soil drillings only give you point measurements, and you then have to fill in the intervening pieces. With radar equipment, on the other hand, you get a continuous and detailed picture of what is in the soil. But the most important thing is still the interpretation of the data collected, the ‘reading’ of the signal. We have very well trained people in our company who do this, because you also have to take into account environmental signals caused by high-tension cables or trees, for example."

Partners sought In addition to environmental advice, geophysical research, feasibility studies and giving courses to companies, T&A Radar is engaged in research and development. Van Ingen: "We are developing a new technology for radar measurements via drill holes. The Foundation for New Business Activity is helping us in this project by seeking technology partners and financial backers for us. Such people are very difficult to find in the Netherlands, because our country is ten to fifteen years behind in this area, compared with countries such as America, Canada and Scandinavia. We are only a small company, and so we don’t have very much time for searching; we also have less expertise in this field. We really need external support for this, and that’s very expensive for a small company. So we’re very pleased with the Foundation’s help. The advisers come along with us when we hold discussions with potential partners and contribute ideas. They say ‘Pass by there.’ or ‘Go and talk to them.’ If, moreover, you don’t succeed in doing something - for example, in obtaining a subsidy - you yourself are still inclined to carry on, to carry on trying, even if, at a certain point, that becomes pointless. Then it’s a good thing if someone says: ‘This is not working. Give it up.’ Such an external view has a very refreshing effect.

Magna Carta is waiting until the rest of the Netherlands is ready for it: a multifunctional smart card which replaces all the other cards. A card which you can use for making payments, telephoning, parking, travelling, saving air miles and even for identification. In recent years, Michiel Wanninkhof and Ralph Loop, respectively general manager and sales manager, have acquired a thorough knowledge of the applications and technology of smart card systems. The Foundation for New Business Activity offers support in the area of obstacles accompanying the launch of ideas and products on the market.

‘In smart card technology,’ explains Wanninkhof, ‘we distinguish between two sorts of systems in which a smart card can be used: open and closed systems. A closed system is a clearly defined whole - for example, a business building or a hospital. An open system has many more people involved - for example, the Netherlands with all its inhabitants. Magna Carta has developed a toolbox containing the technological building blocks - hardware and software - with which various functionalities can be achieved by means of a smart card in an open system. Unfortunately, the speed of the developments in such an open system is determined by large institutions. For example, the banks have now taken the lead in providing consumers with a payment function. The extent to which consumers are using the card, however, is not yet living up to expectations. In our opinion, an expansion of the number of functions will increase the success of the smart card.’

For the time being, Magna Carta is focusing on closed systems, for which there is already a clear market in the Netherlands. The "Stichting Studenten Chipcard" (Students Smart Card Foundation), for example, issues a new kind of college card, incorporating a computer chip. Stored on the chip currently is general information about the students, but in the future the chip will also contain information from the Public Transport student card and information which varies per university. Magna Carta supplies complete multifunctional systems for this new card, allowing the student to execute various functions with his college card. For example, he can obtain access to various areas within a university, make payments and enrol for examinations via the computer. Wanninkhof: ‘By putting the possibilities into practice in closed systems, we encounter any problems at an early stage, and as a result we will be better prepared for the bigger task in the near future.’

Investor
About one and a half years ago, Wanninkhof and Loop began to give shape to their ideas on the technology of the smart card. Both already possessed a good deal of technical experience. Now Magna Carta employs twelve people. Wanninkhof: ‘In the beginning, it was a matter of developing concepts. But the actual development of products and systems costs money, and we therefore sought an investor who was willing to provide part of the venture capital. We have now found such an investor, namely TIFAN, the technological and industrial fund for the province of Noord-Holland. It was also TIFAN that informed us of the existence of the foundation.’

Wanninkhof and Loop accepted the foundation’s offer. Loop, with an air of satisfaction: ‘We were allocated the maximum number of advice days. We can ourselves choose the areas or subjects for which we call in Stichting Nieuwe Bedrijvigheid. Thus we examine together, for example, how we can protect Magna Carta’s intellectual property by means of patents. The Foundation for New Business Activity advises us not only on this matter, but also on setting up distribution and licensing agreements and market surveys abroad.’

Pilot project
Magna Carta itself already operates on the foreign market: the company recently won an important order from German Railways - a pilot project in the area of electronic ticketing in which 10,000 rail passengers are participating. Loop: ‘The smart card which exists there, the so-called "Geldkarte", can be used by the passenger to pay for his/her journey; the card serves, at the same time, as travel ticket. The information regarding the journey paid for is not printed out on a piece of paper, therefore, but stored on the chip. This means that in the future passengers will be able to purchase their tickets at home, by telephone or computer. So no more long queues, no more cash in your pocket. Magna Carta has developed and produced a multifunctional card reader for this purpose. Thanks to this project, we can prove that we are ready for the breakthrough into the open systems.’