Tjerk Opmeer, Director of Innovation and Knowledge, Ministry of Economic Affairs, was present at the founding meeting of the Programme Council. He supported the importance of this development of and for the top sector:

The Programme Council is one of the positive developments to ensure further development of innovation together. With the National Technology Strategy we are going to take steps forward in how we can excel as the Netherlands. In order to do that, the insights of experts who are close to the fire, the researchers and the entrepreneurs, are very important. It is great to see that Holland High Tech connects very well to activities of the National Technology Strategy, together with a number of broader cross-cutting themes such as Sustainable Mobility, Smart Industry and Systems Engineering.

Peter Stolk, chairman of Holland High Tech, on the appointment of the Programme Council and the development of the Innovation Domains: “The innovation domains serve as a bridge between key technologies from the National Technology Strategy and societal transitions such as sustainability, digitalisation, safety, autonomy and technological sovereignty. By creating focus and structuring collaboration, we at Holland High Tech accelerate innovation and work together with everyone in the ecosystem on the impact of Dutch technology on a global scale.”

Innovation domains & renewed approach

This renewed approach marks a powerful change of course towards more mission-driven, ecosystem-driven innovation, with the aim of further strengthening the Netherlands as a high-tech country. The innovation domains have been selected based on the National Technology Strategy (NTS) and international sector-wide needs in high-tech. The new innovation domains are:

• Circular Economy
• Sustainable Mobility
• Energy Materials
• Imaging Technologies
• Mechatronics & Optomechatronics
• Optical Systems & Integrated Photonics
• Quantum Technologies
• Semiconductor Technologies
• Smart Industry
• Systems Engineering

Programme Council: experts from the innovation domains

The Programme Council consists of representatives of leading ecosystems in key technologies from the National Technology Strategy and cross-cutting applications. The members also have links with important National Growth Fund programmes with a large high-tech factor. The chairman of the Programme Council is general director Leo Warmerdam.

The members of the Programme Council act as a link between the field and the public-private programming of Holland High Tech. They advise the board of Holland High Tech on their field of work and identify innovation areas of the future. As a strategic advisory body, the Programme Council will support the board of Holland High Tech in determining priorities for innovation programmes, the use of public resources and the connection of knowledge institutions, companies and other partners. Valorisation – the use of knowledge in concrete applications – is central to this.

The Programme Council consists of:

• Wilbert IJzerman | Innovation domain Optical Systems & Integrated Photonics
• Ton Peijnenburg | Innovation domain Mechatronics & Optomechatronics
• Roelien Attema | Innovation domain Imaging Technologies
• Mayra van Houts | Innovation domain Quantum Technologies
• Appointment soon | Innovation domain Energy Materials
• John Blankendaal | Innovation domain Smart Industry
• Jacco Wesselius | Innovation domain Systems Engineering
• Pim Grol | Innovation domain Sustainable Mobility
• Hans van der Weijde | Innovation domain Circular Economy
• Timo Meinders | Representative NXTGEN Hightech
• Guus Rijnders, Captain of Science Holland High Tech
• Leo Warmerdam (chairman), general manager Holland High Tech

Innovation councils

Each member of the Programme Council is supported by an innovation council. This consists of experts from the innovation domain from research and education organisations, companies and large research programmes. They form the link to the ecosystems of these innovation domains. Members of the Programme Council and experts from the innovation councils are (partly) involved in the action agendas that are now being formed for the NTS of the Knowledge and Innovation Agenda Key Technologies.

By actively involving ecosystems around these innovation domains in agenda formation and programming, Holland High Tech, through the use of the innovation councils and the Programme Council, ensures better coordination of research and innovation activities with the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow.

Tjerk Opmeer, Director of Innovation and Knowledge, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Peter Stolk, Chairman of Holland High Tech at the launch of the new Programme Council.