Maurits Butter is a senior researcher in industrial innovation policy and a principal expert/lecturer in orchestrating innovation for grand national challenges. After graduating as a chemical engineer at the Delft University of Technology, he started his career as an environmental consultant.
During 1994-1998 Maurits was a policymaker for the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and Environment (VROM). In 1998 he joined TNO as senior advisor innovation policy, first focusing on embedded technology foresight. In 2012, Maurits refocused on industrial innovation policy, exploring how research, industry, and governments can work together in strategic innovation-oriented public/private networks. He was involved from the early beginnings of the Dutch Smart Industry program and the EC Digital Innovation Hubs strategy, contributing to shaping both concepts.
Recently Mr. Butter refocused his work towards strategies for interregional innovation corridors (BOWI).