The Dutch high-tech sector, with ASML and Philips as drivers, remains by far the largest private investor in R&D in the Netherlands. Last year, ASML's expenditure increased by more than 25 percent, reaching a total of 2.8 billion euros. This and more is evident from the R&D Top 30 of Technisch Weekblad, in collaboration with VNO-NCW and TNO.
Newcomer to the list in third place is Booking.com. This shows that there is a lot of dynamism in the R&D list and that the Netherlands also occupies a leading position in the field of digital technology platforms. The majority of the survey participants indicate that they expect R&D expenditure to continue to increase in the coming period.
Ingrid Thijssen, chair of VNO-NCW: “R&D investments form the backbone of our future earning capacity. The companies in this top 30 not only invest in their own development, but also in collaboration with a broad ecosystem of SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups, and knowledge institutions. These are the growth diamonds that contribute to the economic strength and innovation of the Netherlands.”
Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi, CEO TNO:
The share of the top 10 in total R&D expenditure has increased from 25% to 35% between 2016 and 2023. These ‘top performers’ are of great value to the Dutch economy, employment and geopolitical position. At the same time, we must also note that the base is too narrow and that this poses a risk. It is important that more start-ups than is currently the case grow into the ASMLs, Janssens and Bookings of the future.
R&D Top 30
After a few years of absence, the R&D top 30 is back from the dead. For years, this list was leading in the Netherlands and the ranking provides insight into the most innovative companies in the Netherlands. In addition to ASML and Booking.com, Philips (2), KPN (4) and Janssen (5) complete the top five. These five companies alone account for no less than a quarter of the total private R&D expenditure in the Netherlands.
ASML's contribution is approximately the same as the contribution of the next 29 companies on the list together. The Dutch R&D landscape has changed significantly over the past 25 years. With a strong concentration of innovative companies in North Brabant and in particular in the Eindhoven region. Half of the top 10 newcomers on the list come from Eindhoven.
Provide space for new R&D-intensive companies
Total private R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP in the Netherlands (1.49% in 2022, 1.44% in 2023) lags behind that of our European neighbours, but also behind the most recent 2022 figures from countries such as Korea (4.14%), Japan (2.7%), the US (2.83%) and China (1.98%).
With 2.08% of public and private investment of GDP in 2023 (2.18% in 2022), the Netherlands is still below the EU average of 2.25% (in 2022 and 2023) and the Lisbon target of at least 3%.
To reach 3%, given the recent GDP growth, the Netherlands now needs to add around 9.8 billion in R&D per year (based on 2023 figures), of which, in addition to public investments, the largest part must come from the private sector. It is therefore crucial to strengthen the existing R&D-intensive business community and at the same time stimulate the development of new R&D-intensive companies. This is not only important for the national economy, but also for the position of the Netherlands as an innovative force within the EU.
