British ambassador praises Brainport: 'More cooperation with UK'
The British ambassador visited the Brainport region and spoke with IO+ about the need for deeper technological cooperation.
Published on February 17, 2026
Our DATA+ expert and Editor-in-Chief, Elcke Vels, explores AI, cyber security, and Dutch innovation. Her "What if..." column imagines bold scenarios beyond the norm.
During a recent visit to the Brainport region, British Ambassador Chris Rampling spoke with companies, administrators, and knowledge institutions—and with IO+. His mission: in a world that is becoming increasingly turbulent geopolitically, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands must deepen their cooperation. “This morning, we heard about impressive photonic capabilities and fantastic AI developments in the region.”
Some might find the ambition for closer cooperation surprising, given that Brexit has significantly disrupted relations between the UK and the EU. Yet the ambassador emphasizes that close collaboration with Europe is particularly crucial now and will benefit both sides.
Even after Brexit, the Netherlands and the UK still move remarkably freely around each other, he says. Every day, around 250 flights cross the Channel, while mutual economic interdependence is taking on impressive forms. Recent figures also show that total trade in goods and services between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in the twelve months to September 2025 amounted to £119.0 billion, an increase of 5.0% compared to the same period a year earlier.
“I have been an ambassador here for six months now,” says Rampling. “When I started, I already knew that the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have a very strong bilateral relationship.” That relationship goes back a long way, he says. The Netherlands is even the UK's third-largest trading partner, ahead of France. “There is also a great deal of mutual trust, for example, in the areas of security and defense and in our support for Ukraine.”
In addition, he believes that both countries have an overlapping vision for 2030. “For example, the new cabinet makes it clear in its coalition agreement that it wants to look ahead. Many of our investment challenges are very similar, such as access to the electricity grid and the importance of digitization.”
Praise for Brainport
In the United Kingdom, several regions such as Cambridge (Silicon Fen), London, South Wales, and the Scottish central belt (Silicon Glen) and others stand out as important tech hubs. Meanwhile in the Netherlands, Brainport and Wageningen, among others, are leading the way as innovative hubs.
Time to connect those areas. According to the ambassador, the Netherlands, and Brainport in particular, offers plenty of opportunities for more intensive cooperation with the UK. The Brainport region has “fantastic technological capabilities.” Heavyweights such as ASML are based in the region, but Rampling also mentions smaller companies. “This morning, we heard about impressive photonic capabilities and fantastic AI developments in the region, and how these technologies can be made cheaper and simpler.”
In the Brainport region, companies such as ASML (world leader in advanced semiconductor machines and microelectronics) and SMART Photonics (specialized in integrated photonics technology) are driving breakthroughs in chip technology and photonics.
UK: strong in AI
The UK has strong clusters in, among others, AI, chip design, and photonics. Globally, the country even ranks among the top three in the field of AI, after the United States and China. That makes cooperation logical, according to Rampling. “We have two powerful ecosystems. If we connect them better, something greater than the sum of its parts will emerge.”
Concrete plans
How will the Netherlands and the UK work together in the short term? The ambassador mentions a few concrete plans. In November 2025, an important step in the right direction was already taken. Rampling mentions the Innovation Partnership that the UK and the Netherlands have set up. This partnership is intended to accelerate cooperation in artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and semiconductors—for example, through joint research programs and coordination around talent development. “Since November, we have organized several meetings that brought together hundreds of companies and organizations to increase coordination.”
An earlier collaboration on quantum technologies even predated this partnership: in November 2023, the UK and the Netherlands signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in quantum science and technology.
And there are more developments on the horizon. From 2027, the UK will rejoin Erasmus+, the European program that offers students and young professionals the opportunity to study, intern, or gain experience abroad. This will end a six-year hiatus due to Brexit.
‘Purely market-driven economies no longer a given’
Government control is likely to become even more important in the coming years, according to Rampling. Stalled supply chains, sanctions, and price fluctuations: "Purely market-driven economies are no longer a given. Who would have thought a few years ago that the British government would renationalize the steel industry, or that The Hague would intervene more forcefully in certain strategic sectors?“ According to him, the changing political reality is forcing a reassessment of government action. “With limited but well-considered interventions, even more value can be extracted from our economic cooperation."
A stronger Europe
The ambassador sees cooperation with the Netherlands as part of a larger whole: a stronger Europe. “The Dutch coalition agreement focuses on European autonomy — something that is not only in the interests of the Netherlands, but also of the United Kingdom.” For the UK, this means, among other things, better trade relations, shared security, and predictable partners in strategic sectors.
Rampling concludes by adding a caveat. “This does not mean that the UK is turning its back on other major powers such as the United States. We believe that we can maintain our deep relationship with the US while at the same time deepening our ties in Europe.”