Joost Helms

Co-founder & Director at EIPO | The Netherlands

Joost Helms is always looking for opportunities to make ecosystems work in an innovative way, to solve societal challenges, and deliver social as well as economic value. He understands the differences in motives, interests, and processes of the different partners involved with the triple helix collaboration of governments, knowledge institutions, and the private sector. As the Co-founder and Director of the Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO), Joost is tasked with guiding and supporting cities and regions around the world in their journey towards a sustainable and resilient future. He does so by creating strategies for innovation, smart city planning, and economic development using an inclusive and ecosystem-centred approach. EIPO engages with multi-helix partners to deliver tangible strategies and plans that provide significant social and economic impact. Withy this tool, Joost works closely with Binh Duong province in Vietnam on implementing their new socio-economic development strategy. He’s also a member of the Binh Duong Triple Helix Advisory Board and co-director of the Binh Duong Smart Region project office. Closer to home, Joost chairs the Eindhoven Academy’s institute for education and training, where he focuses on the successful collaboration of the Brainport Eindhoven ecosystem. He is also an entrepreneur and has spent a decade involved in politics, serving as Vice Mayor for the City of Eindhoven when it was awarded Intelligent Community of the Year in 2011 by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF).