News item | 11-07-2025 | 15:00
Where other countries invest in technology and resilience in a targeted way, the Netherlands lags behind. Too little innovation causes dependencies, hinders opportunities for our entrepreneurs, puts our jobs at stake, threatens our economic safety and in the longer term the affordability of public facilities such as care and safety. Minister Karremans (Economic Affairs) therefore proposes, in collaboration with the business community and knowledge institutions, 9 actions to structurally improve Dutch investments in research and development (R&D).
The Council of Ministers agreed today with the measures in the so-called 3%R&D action plan. This means that the Netherlands invests 3% of its economy (the gross domestic product, GDP) in 2030 in research and development (R&D). 2/3 of this financing comes within this European goal from private investors and companies, 1/3 is public from the government, education and knowledge institutions.
The Netherlands is currently investing 2.2% of GDP in R&D. That is considerably less than leading countries such as the US, South Korea and neighboring countries such as Belgium and Germany. Without measures, the percentage in the Netherlands falls back to 2%. To get 3%, € 14.9 billion in private and public investments is required.
The 9 promotions
- Exploring establishment National Agency for Disruptive Innovation (NADI)
With a new public organization, the government is the first customer to purchase pioneering innovations. Breakthroughs such as the internet, GPS, MRNA technology have been scaled up in this way abroad. - Establishing R&D launch platform
Bringing targeted knowledge -intensive companies to the Netherlands or have it expanded here by removing obstacles for, for example, access to talent, space or innovation schemes. - Mobilize € 3 billion institutional capital for R&D-intensive scale-ups
Startups don’t grow into scale-ups Due to lack of financing. The cabinet will further mobilize institutional investors, such as pension funds. - Increase experimental space for technological starting and Scale-ups.
Bet on affordable access to high-quality experimental space for various key technologies such as the AI factory. Growth companies can thus develop and scale up faster. - Stimulating knowledge valorization
A strong boost to allow good ideas from science to grow more often into successful companies or applications. Through entrepreneurship, spin-offs And policy such as Standard Deal Terms at knowledge institutions. - Increase available technical talent and labor -saving technologies
Bet on sectoral and regional programs such as the Microchip Talent and Techkwadraat reinforcement plan to structurally reduce the shortage of technical talent. - Set up an EU Cof Finance provision
A structural facility with which the government co -financing innovation and technology nationally. Now we miss interesting EU financing without a budget for the Netherlands. - Further development Innovation instruments
Optimizes existing regulations, such as the WBSO and PPPs allowance, so that companies are encouraged faster and more effectively to invest in R&D. - National investment institution
Public investment institution with a focus on innovation, technology and earning capacity that makes financing possible for companies that now fall between two stools.
Minister Karremans (Economic Affairs): “We must first earn our money before we can spend it. In the Netherlands, taking and working smart heads and golden hands, but we do not get enough out of innovation. That is why we have to get started to bring our specialist knowledge to the market more often and better, increase public and private investments and increase the number of knowledge -intensive companies in the Netherlands.”
The Netherlands EU innovation leader, but not a top innovation investor
The Netherlands is an innovation leader as number 3 in the EU. This is mainly due to our strong science, good training, digitization and public-private partnerships. If we no longer invest, we will lose that position in the future. When it comes to investments in innovation, we are only the number 9. We are far behind in countries such as Germany (3.1%), Austria (3.3%), Belgium (3.3%) and Sweden (3.6%). Together with, among others, France (2.2%), Slovenia (2.1%) and the Czech Republic (1.8%), among others, has been under 3%standard, despite earlier ambitions to fall back.