High Tech Campus Eindhoven
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn Eindhoven innovation district and high-tech research ecosystem that brings together technology companies, startups, research institutes and shared R&D facilities.
Last updated August 22, 2026
Overview
High Tech Campus Eindhoven is a technology and research ecosystem on the southern edge of Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Originally created by Philips as a consolidated base for its international research and development activities, the campus later became an open innovation district designed to encourage collaboration among companies, universities, research organizations, entrepreneurs and investors. Its activities span high-tech systems, nanotechnology, embedded systems, life sciences, smart pharmaceuticals, photonics, security and encryption, and related engineering disciplines. The campus grew out of Philips Research Laboratories Eindhoven, also known as NatLab. In the late 1990s, Philips sought to bring research activities that had been distributed across Eindhoven into a single location. The Philips High Tech Campus was established in 1998 for this purpose. In 2003, Philips opened the site to outside organizations and renamed it High Tech Campus Eindhoven, changing the location from a largely internal corporate research facility into a broader multi-company innovation environment. A major ownership transition occurred in March 2012, when Philips sold the campus to Ramphastos Investments, a private investment consortium led by Marcel Boekhoorn. Philips continued to operate on the site as a tenant, but ceased to be its owner and manager. In 2021, the campus was acquired by Oaktree Capital Management. The ownership changes supported the campus's development as an independent location for technology businesses and R&D organizations rather than as a Philips-controlled facility. By 2024, the campus was described as hosting approximately 300 companies and institutions, with more than 12,500 product developers, researchers and entrepreneurs representing an estimated 85 nationalities. Residents and partners include large technology companies, specialist suppliers, startups, scaleups, spinouts, service providers and publicly supported research organizations. Examples associated with the campus include Philips Research, NXP, Intel, IBM, Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, ABB, Accenture, EFFECT Photonics, PhotonDelta, Atos, HighTechXL and collaborative research initiatives such as Solliance and EIT Digital. The resident mix can change over time and should not be treated as a fixed directory. The campus provides laboratories, cleanrooms, test facilities, offices, meeting spaces and business-support infrastructure. Its central social area, The Strip, includes restaurants, shops, conference facilities and other shared amenities intended to create informal contact between people from different organizations and technical fields. The site covers roughly one square kilometre and includes substantial R&D and office space, with additional land reserved for redevelopment and technology startups. High Tech Campus Eindhoven is positioned less as a conventional technology manufacturer than as an innovation platform and location brand. Its value proposition is based on access to specialized facilities, a concentrated technical workforce, proximity to Eindhoven's broader technology cluster, and opportunities for cooperation between corporate R&D, public research and entrepreneurial ventures. International business and technology publications have recognized the campus as a strong location for high-tech venture development and startup activity. It is also ranked among leading global science-park environments by the International Association of Science Parks.
History
High Tech Campus Eindhoven developed from Philips Research Laboratories Eindhoven, commonly associated with the NatLab tradition in Eindhoven. During the late 1990s, Philips faced the practical challenge of coordinating research and development work that was distributed across several parts of the city, particularly around the Strijp area. In 1998, the company established the Philips High Tech Campus as a consolidated site for its international R&D activities. The original campus model was primarily corporate and internal. Philips used the location to bring together researchers and engineers from different technical backgrounds, with the expectation that physical proximity would encourage the exchange of knowledge and accelerate the development of new technologies. The site included specialized facilities that were difficult or expensive for individual research groups to duplicate, including laboratories, cleanrooms and testing environments. In 2003, Philips broadened the purpose of the site by allowing other companies and organizations to establish activities there. The campus was renamed High Tech Campus Eindhoven, signaling its transition from a Philips-only research compound to an open innovation environment. The change enabled external businesses, research bodies, startups and service providers to use the facilities and participate in a more diverse technical community. Philips remained an important resident, but the campus increasingly became a shared platform rather than a single-company laboratory. The next decisive change came in March 2012, when Philips sold High Tech Campus Eindhoven to Ramphastos Investments, a private consortium led by investor Marcel Boekhoorn. Philips continued to occupy space as a tenant, while ownership and management passed to the new investment group. This separation allowed the campus to be operated as an independent innovation district and strengthened its focus on attracting a broad range of resident organizations. Under its multi-tenant model, the campus attracted large technology companies, specialist engineering firms, early-stage ventures, scaleups, spinouts, universities and publicly supported research initiatives. Areas represented on the site include high-tech systems, nanotechnology, embedded systems, photonics, smart pharmaceuticals, life sciences, security and encryption. Collaborative organizations connected with the campus include Solliance, which conducts thin-film solar research through cooperation among research and technology institutions, and EIT Digital, a European innovation community with a Dutch co-location presence at the site. HighTechXL has also contributed to the campus's startup and venture-development activity. The physical environment is organized around both specialized infrastructure and opportunities for social interaction. Existing Philips facilities were made available to a wider resident base, while offices, laboratories, cleanrooms, testing areas, meeting rooms and event facilities supported different stages of technology development. The Strip functions as a central social and hospitality hub, with restaurants, shops and conference facilities intended to encourage contact across organizational and disciplinary boundaries. In 2021, Oaktree Capital Management acquired High Tech Campus Eindhoven. The transaction marked another change in ownership while leaving the site's identity as an open technology and R&D ecosystem intact. By 2024, published descriptions characterized the campus as home to roughly 300 companies and institutions and more than 12,500 product developers, researchers and entrepreneurs from approximately 85 nationalities. The campus covers about one square kilometre and contains extensive office and R&D accommodation, with additional space reserved for future redevelopment. High Tech Campus Eindhoven is now best understood as a location-based innovation brand rather than a conventional producer of consumer goods or industrial products. Its offering is the combination of physical infrastructure, a concentrated technical labor pool, specialized knowledge, networking opportunities and access to a wider Eindhoven technology cluster. Its international reputation rests on this ecosystem model and on its role in supporting corporate research, collaborative science, startup formation and the commercialization of advanced technologies.
- 2024
Campus community exceeds 300 organizations
[1]Reference material described an ecosystem of approximately 300 companies and institutions, more than 12,500 professionals and around 85 nationalities.
- 2021
Oaktree Capital Management acquires the campus
[1]The campus was acquired by the US-based investment manager Oaktree Capital Management.
- 2012
Ownership transfers from Philips to Ramphastos Investments
[1]Philips sold the campus to a private consortium led by Marcel Boekhoorn while continuing as a tenant.
- 2003
The campus opens to external organizations
[1]Philips opened the site to other companies and renamed it High Tech Campus Eindhoven, introducing the open innovation model.
- 1998
Philips establishes a consolidated research campus
[1]Philips created the Philips High Tech Campus to bring together international research and development activities that had been spread across Eindhoven.
Products and positioning
A high-end open innovation district for advanced technology research, product development, entrepreneurship and collaboration.
Research infrastructure
Shared R&D facilities
The campus provides laboratories, cleanrooms, test facilities and related technical infrastructure for companies and research organizations. These facilities allow residents to conduct advanced development work without independently recreating every element of a specialized research environment. They support work across high-tech systems, nanotechnology, photonics, embedded systems, life sciences and other technology fields.
Technology campus · 2003
Innovation district and office environment
High Tech Campus Eindhoven offers offices, development space, meeting facilities and a location within a concentrated technology network. The campus is designed for large companies, research institutes, startups, scaleups and service providers, with the physical layout and resident mix intended to support collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Community and conference hub
The Strip
The Strip is the campus's central social hub. It includes conference facilities, restaurants, shops and other shared amenities. Its purpose is to create informal meeting opportunities among people working for different companies and in different technical disciplines, complementing the campus's laboratories and offices.
Startup acceleration
HighTechXL ecosystem
HighTechXL is part of the campus ecosystem supporting high-tech startups and venture development. The campus also hosts or connects with startups, scaleups and spinouts, giving emerging companies access to technical networks, facilities and potential corporate or research partners.
Brand decisions
2021
Transfer ownership to Oaktree Capital ManagementM&ABackground
After operating under the ownership established in 2012, the campus entered another investment-led ownership transition.
Action taken
Oaktree Capital Management acquired High Tech Campus Eindhoven.
Aftermath
The campus retained its role as an open high-tech R&D and innovation district, with ownership passing to a US-based investment manager.
2012
Sell the campus to Ramphastos InvestmentsM&ABackground
Philips decided to separate ownership and management of the campus from its continuing presence as a research and technology resident.
Action taken
Philips sold High Tech Campus Eindhoven to Ramphastos Investments, a private consortium led by Marcel Boekhoorn.
Aftermath
Philips remained on the campus as a tenant, while the location continued operating as an independent ecosystem open to multiple organizations.
2003
Adopt an open innovation campus modelStrategyBackground
Philips had created the site as a centralized base for its own research and development work. The company chose to broaden the campus community and encourage interaction among organizations with different technical capabilities.
Action taken
Philips opened the campus to external companies and organizations and changed its name from Philips High Tech Campus to High Tech Campus Eindhoven.
Aftermath
The site evolved into a multi-tenant innovation district hosting corporate R&D, research institutes, startups, scaleups and service providers.
Recent events
- 2024
High Tech Campus Eindhoven reaches approximately 300 resident companies and institutions[1]
Other
Reference material described the campus as hosting around 300 companies and institutions, more than 12,500 product developers, researchers and entrepreneurs, and people from approximately 85 nationalities.
- 2021
Oaktree Capital Management acquires High Tech Campus Eindhoven[1]
M&A
US-based investment manager Oaktree Capital Management acquired the campus from its previous ownership group.
- 2012
Philips sells High Tech Campus Eindhoven to Ramphastos Investments[1]
M&A
The campus changed ownership in March 2012. Philips remained as a resident but no longer owned or managed the campus, which continued developing as an independent multi-tenant technology location.
- 2003
Philips opens its research campus to external organizations[1]
Other
Philips expanded the former Philips High Tech Campus beyond its own research operations and renamed it High Tech Campus Eindhoven, establishing the open innovation model associated with the site.
Sources2 sources
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