In fact, the Netherlands is home to the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), part of the European Space Agency (ESA). This, in addition to some of the world's most renowned research universities and a highly innovative economy, makes the Netherlands an especially attractive place for engineers and people interested in Deep Tech, such as aerospace engineering. 

I did my thesis at the Technological University Delft (TU Delft). There, I attended the Delftse Bedrijvendagen (Delft Career Days)  where several companies participated. After contacting them, one of these companies reached back, so I went through the interview process and that's where I got my first job, ever.

I think it's a niche all throughout Europe. I know I wouldn't have had the same opportunities in Portugal, for instance. Although they recently created a Portuguese space agency, it's still just a start. To work in the Space industry, you have only a few countries to choose from. It's a really small world. I would say in the Netherlands, there’s a lot of focus on highly skilled professionals, on doing research and development, and not much pushing on factory work or production. So that's really attractive for me, as an aerospace engineer with a design focus. 

You're always being challenged to try new things, and the market itself you get to see grow a lot. Through governmental and institutional work, the Netherlands is always looking for more and more innovation, and more technology, which is really attractive to me.

“I would say in the Netherlands, there’s a lot of focus on highly skilled professionals, on doing research and development”

Portugal doesn't have such a strong innovation hub, unlike the Netherlands. I also think there’s a lack of investment in that area. There's definitely more money in the Netherlands, in general, and more support from institutions, governmental and private. This means that companies have more space for innovation. I would say, this pushes pioneering work and new technology. Southern Europe focuses more on services or other industries that maybe are less high-tech.

“There's definitely more money in the Netherlands, in general, and more support from institutions, governmental and private. This means that companies have more space for innovation”

According to Marta, the Netherlands has managed to create an ecosystem and market that fosters innovation in a way that can be uniquely valuable to the high-tech and design industries. Marta’s experience is an example of why the country consistently ranks high on markers of innovation and research, as different parts come together to benefit these industries in such a way that niches like aerospace engineering can thrive. This makes the Netherlands one of the few countries in Europe that can foster highly specialised, research-heavy industries.