Knowledge base

Entrepreneurial scientists launch 14 statements for more impact with academic startups

Central government and the regions have set up extensive collaborations for regional innovation, and much has been achieved already. According to the AWTI report, the parties concerned must now jointly ensure that innovation in the regions really takes off.

The Netherlands has become one of the key ecosystems for entrepreneurship in Europe according to McKinsey & Company's latest report. We rank 4th in terms of startup value creation in Europe, with Amsterdam as a fast-growing hub.

Since 2005, valorisation is the relatively young, third core task of Dutch universities in addition to education and research. The aim is to make all talent, knowledge, networks and facilities in these knowledge institutions of value to society.

Minister Adriaansens, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, announces a strategic agenda to renew the entrepreneurial climate in the Netherlands, with ample attention for innovation and knowledge transfer.

Harvard Law School organiseerde in 2012 een symposium over financiële ‘conflicts of interest’ binnen universiteiten, over het raakvlak van wetenschap en ondernemerschap. (Engels)

Recently, several organisations and people from the knowledge field have expressed concerns about the limited focus on knowledge and innovation in political programmes. Read the overview (in Dutch)

Ministers Robbert Dijkgraaf (Education, Culture and Science) and Micky Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate Policy) have drafted a joint vision on innovation and valorisation. More focus and funding should ensure more societal impact of knowledge from researchers and entrepreneurs.

In recent years, the Dutch House of Representatives has put forward several motions requesting the government to present a vision about bringing innovation in the Netherlands to maturity. The government has pledged to inform the Dutch House of Representatives about this before the summer of 2022.

In the third round of the National Growth Fund (NGF), the government has allocated €417 million for the ''Delta Plan Valorisatie''.

Opportunities abound to make better use of knowledge and innovation for major societal challenges, such as climate change, the future of healthcare or a fair data economy. That is apparent from research carried out by the Rathenau Instituut.

Last month, EZK, TNO and RaboResearch released publications on the Dutch technology and investment climate.

Liduina Hammer is fund engineer at Polestar Capital. Before then, she was head of investment at InnovationQuarter. We asked her what catches her eye about the Science to Impact climate in the Netherlands.

The (AWTI) advises several targeted measures, which will bring researchers and entrepreneurs together more often and enable them to collaborate more easily. The different needs of entrepreneurs should be taken into account more, especially the needs of SMEs.

This is the ambition of the Dutch universities, university medical centers and TNO. Together, the knowledge institutes are launching a plan to strengthen the national innovation ecosystem with the aim of being among the best in the world by 2030.