Data-Driven policy: How the Province of Groningen uses RankmyAI to track AI growth

A generalist for the digital economy

Dante Tenbergen is a policy officer for the digital economy at the Province of Groningen. He also serves as project coordinator for Interreg Germany–Netherlands, a European cohesion programme aimed at strengthening cooperation between border regions. His background in European Studies and Public Administration fits perfectly with his current role. Although he describes himself as a generalist and entrepreneurs naturally know more about their own specific field, his strength lies in understanding administrative processes and context.

“My colleague and I understand public administration: how processes work, but also, for example, the economic side of subsidy proposals. You could see this with the AI Factory as well; we ask the critical questions that matter from a public-administration perspective.”

Success in Groningen: Building a future-proof economy

What makes the collaboration successful?

For Dante, the collaboration is successful when it gives entrepreneurs in Groningen fact- and data-based insight into their performance. This can lead to a sense of pride, whether they are number one, the fastest riser, or simply included in the ranking.
The ranking also serves as confirmation for the province itself: “It’s a confirmation of what is already happening here — and that the trend continues.” The RankmyAI data confirms the presence of several stable and well-known companies. But the ranking also highlights surprising climbers.

The most valuable aspect is the context and reference point the ranking provides. The data can reveal trends and even help explain why companies rise or fall.

Dante illustrates how he uses the ranking: “I see climbers I didn’t know. […] And then you also notice some companies dropping, and I can interpret that context. For one of the companies that dropped, for example, I know that one of the people behind it took another job. So, I already expected: okay, next month it will fall, because the commitment is gone and that turned out to be correct; the tool dropped significantly.”

There are also positive correlations. For example, an entrepreneur who stood on stage at the launch of the AI Factory later climbed sharply in the ranking. These connections aren’t definitive, of course, but they do provide valuable insights and starting points for follow-up actions.

Wishes for the Future

To make the ranking even more valuable, Dante has a clear wish: the ability to visualise trend lines. Like the Dutch football league table shown at the end of the season, he wants to see the historical progression of rankings over time.

He also wants the ability to compare AI activity in Groningen with other regions or provinces, so the region’s position can be benchmarked.