The Municipality of Helmond has cancelled the sale of the Automotive Campus, the College of Mayor and Aldermen informs the council in a letter. The main reason is that it could eventually fall into the hands of a foreign party.
This happened earlier with the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, which was sold by the company Ramphastos, owned by investor Marcel Boekhoorn, to the Singaporean state fund GIC. The college had hoped that cooperation with Boekhoorn would be an advantage because he also owned the HTC. The sale of the HTC last year means there is no longer an advantage and the Automotive Campus could also fall into foreign hands, which is something the municipality wants to avoid.
For the time being, the sale is off the table and the future of the Campus is being reconsidered. In its letter to the council, the college says that because of the role that the Campus has for companies, but also for educational institutions and the government, the public interest is so great that the municipality wants to keep control over its further development. For the Municipality of Helmond, “the better protection of our technology” is of great value.
The Municipality of Eindhoven would also have preferred not to see the High Tech Campus go to a foreign investor. Alderman for Economy and Brainport Stijn Steenbakkers said: “The High Tech Campus represents major strategic and economic interests. It is the goose with the golden eggs, the future earning power not only of this region and this city but also of this country. We would like to see it in the hands of parties with whom we can cooperate in the long term”.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
