Future earning capacity

The Netherlands needs a new long-term innovation instrument to enable structural investment in R&D, innovation, and strong ecosystems.

Long-term funding for public-private partnerships in innovation ecosystems is crucial to maintaining a future-proof Dutch economy.

The Netherlands needs more patient capital and stronger collaboration between government, investors and entrepreneurs to successfully scale up innovative solutions.

More cables won't solve grid congestion. The real challenge lies in making smart choices about scarcity and the energy system of the future.

Labour productivity is one of the key conditions for earning capacity. The Netherlands is lagging behind in both R&D investment and labour productivity growth.

Investing in R&D and innovation is essential for a resilient economy and society. Yet the Netherlands is not succeeding in meeting its ambitions for R&D expenditure.

During the annual symposium on 16 June 2026, we worked on knowledge, guidelines and practical perspectives for the Netherlands as an innovative, entrepreneurial and governing country.

The new report shows that the Dutch manufacturing industry must deploy robotisation to increase productivity and remain internationally competitive.

Startups and scaleups are typically innovative companies that develop and apply new technologies. They are on average more productive and can make an important contribution to strengthening the economic dynamism of our country.

The report offers a unique insight into the crucial yet often unseen world of private R&D in our country and how the innovation landscape has evolved over the years.

Public procurement offers the Netherlands a powerful yet underutilised route to scalable innovation. Read Sabine Kerssens’ reflection.