New partnership helps shape widespread prosperity in the North Brabant region
How can we ensure a good life for everyone in North Brabant? That question is central to the Academic Collaborative Center Brede Welvaart in de Regio (Widespread Prosperity in the Region). An initiative of Tilburg University and social knowledge enterprise Het PON & Telos. This knowledge network now welcomes the province of North Brabant and the Waalwijk Municipality as partners. They will further shape the research agenda and, in co-creation, develop insights and share knowledge on themes such as social inequality, care and health, an inclusive labor market, and energy transitions.
Widespread prosperity encompasses much more than economic and financial well-being alone. It is about sustainable development in terms of climate, energy, work, health, and (mental) well-being. Regional factors such as quality of life, residential environment, and social contacts are of great influence. Together with social and societal partners, the Academic Collaborative Center Brede Welvaart in de Regio has been set up to develop knowledge that contributes to regional policy in the field of welfare and well-being in the broadest sense of the word.
Partners speaking
Sacha Ausems, Mayor of Waalwijk: "In our collaboration in the academic collaborative center, we investigate themes that are of value to our residents in their daily lives. This includes work for everyone, a pleasant living environment, and making it possible to live a healthy and fit life. I am pleased with this collaboration. It allows us to share knowledge and set out new lines of thinking in order to increase their widespread prosperity in our neighborhoods, together with the people of Waalwijk. In this way, we can make our municipality an even nicer, healthier, and more livable place for everyone in the future. "
Lex Meijdam, Tilburg University: "The Academic Collaborative Center is a great way for the university to work on social significance: research and activities that answer the questions our partners have. We are now seeing a lot of dynamism regarding 'Widespread Prosperity', both nationally and in the regions."
Susanne Agterbosch, Het PON & Telos: "The great thing is that thinking in terms of prosperity takes cohesion as its starting point: it demands and offers an integrated view of the quality of our (collective) lives and, in fact, everything we consider of value. The information and knowledge about this is becoming increasingly sophisticated and can be shared more widely. This offers us opportunities to use this knowledge for better administrative and policy collaboration. "
Elies Lemkes, Delegate of the Province of North Brabant: "In Brabant, we want to switch from widespread prosperity thinking to widespread prosperity doing. By joining the academic collaborative center, we will also obtain the appropriate tools for that."
Working method
Within the Academic Collaborative Center, partners meet a few times a year to discuss scientific insights and to test them against casuistry in practice. Public activities are also organized and partners contribute to existing events. For example during Brabant Ontmoet Live (in Dutch) of the province of Noord-Brabant on June 15.
Would you like to know more?
You can read more about the Academic Collaborative Center Brede Welvaart in de Regio on our website or in this info sheet (in Dutch).
Note for the press
For questions, please contact the press officers of Tilburg University at 013-466 4000 or persvoorlichters@tilburguniversity.edu.