--- title: BOM and AI Innovation Center Join Forces to Accelerate the Next Generation of AI Companies date: 2026-04-10T08:45:00+02:00 author: Bram van den Hoogen canonical_url: "https://www.bom.nl/en/articles/bom-en-ai-innovation-center-bundelen-krachten-voor-volgende-generatie-ai-bedrijven" section: News --- # BOM and AI Innovation Center Join Forces to Accelerate the Next Generation of AI Companies April 10, 2026 The AI Innovation Center, located at High Tech Campus Eindhoven (HTCE), and the Brabant Development Agency (Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij, BOM) announce a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the scale-up of the next generation of AI companies in Brabant. ![AI Meet up AI Innovation Center 2](https://d3d5gk1jdgmand.cloudfront.net/resized/_900x600_crop_center-center_none_ns/138434/AI-Meet-up-AI-Innovation-Center-2.webp) By combining HTCE’s deeptech ecosystem with BOM’s venture development and investment expertise, the two organizations are creating an end-to-end AI ecosystem—from chip to software application—designed to speed up AI innovation and strengthen the region’s international competitiveness. ### Building the Next AI Unicorns The *State of Dutch Tech 2026* report shows that while the Netherlands has a strong AI talent base, it lags behind in scaling tech startups. The joint ambition of HTCE and BOM is therefore clear: to help create the next generation of AI unicorns. The AI Innovation Center currently hosts more than 40 AI companies, making it the largest physical AI cluster in the Netherlands. These range from deeptech AI companies such as Axelera AI to AI software firms including One Horizon, Ocurna and Datacation. “The AI Innovation Center supports start-ups and scale-ups in their growth journey. Access to capital, networks and expertise is crucial in this phase. We are therefore very pleased with our collaboration with BOM, enabling us to leverage their capabilities for companies that need this support,” says Philipp Werle, Innovation Manager Emerging Technologies at HTCE. > The world is changing and advancing at an unprecedented pace thanks to AI technologies and applications. Brainport has all the ingredients required to play a leading role. ###### Brigit van Dijk – van de Reijt CEO of the Brabants Development Agency (BOM) ## Learn more ![Robin Hendrickx 25](https://d3d5gk1jdgmand.cloudfront.net/resized/employees/_500x500_crop_center-center_none_ns/130388/Robin-Hendrickx-25.webp) ### Robin Hendrickx Senior Investment Manager & Teamlead Key Technologies - [ Phone ](tel:+31613270677) - [ Email ](mailto:rhendrickx@bom.nl) - [ Chat via Teams ](https://teams.microsoft.com/l/chat/0/0?users=rhendrickx@bom.nl) In recent years, BOM has invested nearly €70 million in AI-driven companies, with applications ranging from medical data processing to industrial automation and talent recruitment. In addition, BOM is involved in initiatives that strengthen Brabant’s AI ecosystem, such as the Data Acceleration Plan, the growing AI Community Brabant, the House of Cyber and the Brabant AI Supercomputing Initiative. Together, BOM and HTCE provide the foundation and support ambitious AI companies need to scale and compete internationally. Bringing together the expertise, capabilities and networks of both organisations is therefore a logical next step. “The world is changing and advancing at an unprecedented pace thanks to AI technologies and applications. Brainport has all the ingredients required to play a leading role. The collaboration between the AI Innovation Center at High Tech Campus Eindhoven and BOM strengthens this position by bringing together AI start-ups, talent and R&D. In this way, we are building a future-proof economy in which AI plays a key role,” says Brigit van Dijk – van de Reijt, CEO of the Brabant Development Agency (BOM). ### AI Hackathon on 10 April HTCE and BOM are developing a joint programme of activities, launching with a large-scale AI hackathon: **Brabanthack\_26**. This event will take place on Friday, 10 April, at the Conference Center of High Tech Campus Eindhoven. During the hackathon, developers, data scientists, entrepreneurs and researchers will collaborate on real-world challenges in Deep Tech, Defence, Decentralised Energy Systems, MedTech & Life Sciences, and Plant-Based innovation. ## Related [ ![Shutterstock 2290998741](https://d3d5gk1jdgmand.cloudfront.net/resized/_400x300_crop_center-center_none_ns/132588/shutterstock_2290998741.webp) ## Brabant accelerates AI innovation for businesses with access to supercomputers News - January 21, 2026 Read more ](https://www.bom.nl/en/articles/brabant-versnelt-ai-innovatie-voor-bedrijven-met-toegang-tot-supercomputers) [ ![Shutterstock 2555554347](https://d3d5gk1jdgmand.cloudfront.net/resized/_400x300_crop_center-center_none_ns/128906/shutterstock_2555554347.webp) ## Brabant invests over 14 million euros in cybersecurity News - December 10, 2025 Read more ](https://www.bom.nl/en/articles/brabant-investeert-ruim-14-miljoen-euro-in-cyberveiligheid) [ ![SGT1001 on finger 2](https://d3d5gk1jdgmand.cloudfront.net/resized/_400x300_crop_center-center_none_ns/128811/SGT1001-on-finger-2.webp) ## SandGrain raises €13.5M Series A to scale hardware-anchored IoT security worldwide News - December 9, 2025 Read more ](https://www.bom.nl/en/articles/sandgrain-haalt-13-5-miljoen-op-in-serie-a-financieringsronde-om-hardware-gebaseerde-iot-beveiliging-wereldwijd-op-te-schalen)