Jan Oostenbrink’s expertise is his strength in initiating, organizing and implementing cross-border cooperation between institutions, authorities and companies in the Netherlands, North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower-Saxony. He has more than 15 years’ experience of this, including with Euregio and the Association of Dutch – German Enterprises (VNDU). For many years he has been commuting between the places where he lives, Groningen (NL) and Münster (D). He knows the German-Dutch border region very well. He easily switches between themes, from economics to technology, from health care to tourism, spatial planning and public security. He can navigate his way around the workings of government, politics, business and society.
Jan Oostenbrink is available for your cross-border activities as moderator, process manager, communicator, chair, workshop leader or project developer and project coordinator.
You also can rely on Jan Oostenbrink for cooperation on a Europe wide scale. He speaks German and Dutch fluently in addition to English and knows his way around European institutions and organizations. From profit to non-profit, from trade and industry to water authorities, provinces and social partners.
Jan Oostenbrink (LL.M.) studied Law at the VU University Amsterdam and the University of Groningen.
A number of examples of his work and activities from recent years:
Cross-border innovation and business
- Industry Day Germany: enhancing cross-border business with Germany, program development and moderation, with WTC Hengelo and Association of enterprises (Hengelo, NL, 2017)
- Bionic for SME, cross-border innovation and knowledge transfer, moderator (Emmen, NL, 2016)
- ROCKET, kick off of German – Dutch cooperation project aiming at enhancing innovation in the field of health, energy and production, OOST NV (Eastern NL Development Agency) and NMWP.NRW, moderator (Kleve, D, 2016)
- Conference Network Surface (technology) North Rhine-Westphalia, innovation and high-tech with many SMEs, moderator
- Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Interior: moderator of expert meeting on “cross-border business”
- Moderator of kick-off meeting of project “Sustainable Surfaces and Membranes” (S2M)
- Cross-border business development: enhancing the position of the company DEMCON in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower-Saxony towards companies, networks and research institutions in the field of medical technology, with possible participation in INTERREG V project
- Workshop “VNDU 2017”, new impetus towards cross-border cooperation by employers’ organizations
- Dutch – German business event: Smart Industries / Industry 4.0 for the supplier industry and engineering, with among others VDMA, Dutch consulate general and NRW.International
- Managing director Association of Dutch – German Enterprises (VNDU)
- Final responsibility for the INTERREG IV A “Mechatronics project for SMEs” (2009-2014), a Dutch-German project aiming at cross-border innovation in which more than 200 SMEs participated
- Work visit SEC Overijssel to North Rhine-Westphalia
Cross-border infrastructure, traffic and logistics
- Province of Groningen, Strategy consultant Wunderline (Quality improvement of the railway connection Groningen – Bremen), enhancing the support in Lower-Saxony and Bremen for the railway connection and the future investment (2016 – …)
- Transport conference The Netherlands – North Rhine-Westphalia, with NRW minister of Transport and 3 Dutch regional ministers, signing the Common Declaration on Mobility and Infrastructure and the Agenda on Cross-border railways, moderator and workshop leader (Neuss, D, 2016)
- Green2, Green Logistics in Agrobusiness: cooperation of among others Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences and Fontys University of Applied Sciences, moderator of Final Event
- TEN-T workshops concerning Corridor 2 / North Sea Baltic Corridor in Berlin and Hengelo
- Monitoring “Quick Scan“ – Study Mittelland Canal – Twente Canal
- “Green in Between”, Quick Scan East – West Corridor Euregio
- Chair Dutch-German Advisory Board Airfield Wenningfeld
- Moderator international start-up conference for TEN-T / Corridor 2
Energy, regional and cross-border developments and projects
- Energy conference Northern Netherlands – Lower Saxony, with Lower Saxony Minister of Energy and Climate and 4 Dutch Regional ministers signing the Common Declaration; program development and moderator (Emmen, NL, 2017)
- Expert conference “Routes of Innovations”, with companies Evonik and Innogy; KlimaExpo.NRW and Regionalverbund Ruhr, moderator (Essen, D, 2016)
- “Optimised integration of variable renewable energy sources”, partner search in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower-Saxony and project development for the province of Flevoland, with EnergyAgency.NRW, Fraunhofer Institute and Energy Cluster Oldenburg as well as universities of applied sciences and SMEs
- Climat Protection Region Münsterland, moderator Kick-off Event with KlimaExpo.NRW, EnergieAgentur.NRW and Münsterland, the City of Münster and some Kreise (districts) (concepts, best practices and electromobility)
- Euregio ClimateEnergy 2020, a planning project for an integrated cross-border use of energy
Cross-border health care and medical technology
- Symposium Telemonitoring and cardiac devices (DE – BE – NL), MedLife GmbH, moderator (Aachen, D, 2016)
- Cross-border conference Healthcare Economy, NRW Centre for Health, moderator (Mönchengladbach, D, 2016)
- Health 3.0, The Innovation congress for 2016, moderator and workshop leader (Düsseldorf, D 2016)
- Telemedicine: Business meeting NRW Centre for Health (www.lzg.nrw.de) und Zentrum für Telematik und Telemedizin (www.ztg-nrw.de) – KSYOS TeleMedical Centre (http://ksyos.co.uk/) on Teledermatology, TeleOphthalmology, TeleHolter and eMental Health
- Moderator NL – D Symposium “Chances in health care: utilizing the optimalization potentials, e.g. in telemedicin and in procurement, with a.o. the health care minister of North Rhine-Westphalia
- Moderator Closing Event NL – D project “MIAS – Euregio Platform for medical technology for an aging society”
- Scanbalt Forum 2014 (Healthy Ageing Network Northern Netherlands), workshopleider Health Tourism
- Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), coördinator Task Force Cross Border Health
- Symposium “Borderless cooperation of German and Dutch hospitals in border areas” / Workshop on enhancing cross-border patient mobility
- Kick off INTERREG IV A project MIAS (2009)
Cross-border labour market, education and neighbouring language
- Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg und University Medical Center (UMCG) Groningen, (European Medical School): “Report on the tandem cooperation”, aiming at strengthening the cooperation by German – Dutch tandems of researchers (2016-2017)
- EURES Scheldemond (labour market NL – Flanders), process management for developing strategic vision, goals and organization chart (2016-2017)
- Province of Overijssel, Cross-border labour market and neighbouring language: inventory and coordination of initiatives, networks and projects on Dutch-German labour market, vocational training and education and enhancing the position of German language and culture in the Dutch education system
- Ministry of Education, Culture and Science: moderator of expert meeting on enhancing the position of German language and culture in the Dutch education system in border regions
- Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment: moderator of two expert meetings on “cross-border Dutch-German and Dutch-Flemish labour market” (World Café methode)
- Brainflow, INTERREG IV C Project: Setting up and enhancing a cross-border labour market information network
- Accreditation Master Degree “Dutch Culture”, University of Cologne, Agency for Quality Assurance (AQAS)
- Companies and Universities Network Europe (CUNE), Joint degrees in European Higher Education, with CHE and CHEPS
- EURES Rhein Waddenzee / European Employment Services (EURES) Euregio: EU network on enhancing cross-border labour market
Cross-border tourism
- Dutch – German conference on Tourism marketing border region, moderator
- Monitoring Study “Cross-border tourism in Euregio, Strategic recommendations up to 2016”
- International meetings on enhancing cross-border tourism, with partners from Hamar (Norway) and Euregio (D – NL): exchange of experience and best practice transfer
Cooperation of Dutch-German public authorities and cross-border regional development
- Meeting of Ministers (regional and Lower Saxony) at Conference “Energy without border”, process management concerning Final Declaration (Emmen, NL, 2017)
- Project “Strong villages”, sustainable quality of life in small villages, with presentation of communities, with a.o. Universities of Applied Sciences HAN, Rhine-Waal and Chamber of craft trades Münster
- Various chairs, concentrating on cross-border opportunities in rural areas and enhancing cooperation between communities on each side of the border
- Dutch – German conferences of mayors
Disaster control
- Moderator conference the Netherlands – North Rhine-Westphalia – Lower-Saxony
Process and project management
- “Euregiotopia, a vision of the future of the border region in 2040” in euregio rhein maas north: a number of ateliers on cross border development, in various themes (2016 – 2017)
- Twence BV (Ltd.), Shareholders future strategy and City of Münster as new shareholder, shareholder meeting, preparatory works and moderator (Hengelo, NL, 2017)
- Process on starting up INTERREG: workshops for the province of Gelderland in order to enhance the cooperation with North Rhine-Westphalia
- Project aiming at enhancing innovation and joint product development through cooperation of German and Dutch SMEs with a joint marketing towards third countries and new markets
- Work visit Münsterland (www.muensterland.com) to the Province of Overijssel (www.overijssel.nl): encourage mutual awareness, exchange of ideas, enhancing communication and future cooperation
Cross-border nature and environment
- Paludiculture, the wet cultivation of marshland as s balance between nature and agriculture, International Nature Park Bourtangermoor, and Emsland Touristik, moderator (September, 2016)
Cross-border social cohesion
- Perspectives without borders, conference Dortmund – Enschede, Chances for children of refugees and Roma, moderator (Enschede, NL, 2016)
Infotainment: Dutch-German intercultural differences
- Hanover Fair 2017 / Setting up German – Dutch Partnerships for companies, About the culture of cooperation between German and Dutch Companies, Chamber of Crafts Münster, Regional Development Agency Grafschaft Bentheim und STODT (Altenberge, D, 2016)
- Internal kick off of the project “Strong villages”: presenting Dutch-German cultural differences with anecdotes and personal experiences from daily life at and beyond the border
- Media Meeting Münster: “Holland, the unknown neighbour”, contribution in a funny and hilarious way on Dutch-German intercultural differences
- Project Telemedicin and Personalized Care: intercultural contribution, with songs and texts on German-Dutch cooperation