Today, 28 January, the House of Representatives will discuss innovation. This is a crucial topic at a crucial moment, because our innovative strength, strategic autonomy, and economic position are under pressure.
Here at the TU Delft innovation campus, companies, researchers, government bodies, students, and investors work together every day to test and accelerate innovations and create new business activity. The focus is on radical innovations in the fields of robotics, quantum technology, health & tech, the energy transition, and aerospace. This is where the future earning capacity of the Netherlands is being developed.
But one thing is still missing: structural, long-term funding. That is why we, together with other innovation campuses in South Holland, are calling for such structural funding, for example, through national funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs for campus organisations, shared facilities, talent programmes, and innovation infrastructure, in line with Wennink’s recommendations. Without that foundation, we here in Delft will remain dependent on fragmented, temporary subsidies. This slows down growth, makes it difficult to finance necessary facilities, and causes talent and companies to too often move to countries with more predictable policies.
That is why we call on the House of Representatives to:
1️⃣ Recognise innovation campuses as strategic national infrastructure.
2️⃣ Introduce multi-year, structural funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.
3️⃣ Focus on innovation hotspots to prevent fragmentation.
The Netherlands has all the ingredients to be among the world’s best. So let’s make sure the foundations are solid.
Read the Position paper EBZ CD Innovatie 28.01 by Economic Board Zuid-Holland.
