6 projects will receive a total of €780.9 million from the National Growth Fund (NGF). This was decided by the Council of Ministers following a proposal by Minister Karremans of Economic Affairs and Minister Heinen of Finance. The funding will support, among other things, a project aimed at accelerating and improving the development of new cancer therapies. The government is also investing in the development of photonic chips, which can be used for faster disease diagnostics, safe autonomous vehicles, and more efficient food production.
With these investments, the Dutch government is taking an important step in supporting innovative projects that contribute to the Netherlands’ economic growth and societal progress.
The projects now receiving definitive funding from the National Growth Fund are part of the Fund’s second and third rounds. At the government’s request, the project teams refined their plans and submitted additional information to qualify for a final allocation. The National Growth Fund Advisory Committee assessed the proposals and issued a positive recommendation for six of them. The government has adopted this recommendation and approved the following allocations, among others:
Oncode Accelerator
The Netherlands is one of the global frontrunners in cancer research. However, developing new cancer therapies is time-consuming (typically taking ten years) and costly and risky. There are, however, opportunities to accelerate and improve this process. That is the focus of the Oncode Accelerator programme. With support from the National Growth Fund, dozens of organisations, universities, and companies across the Netherlands are joining forces. They have now been granted a definitive contribution of €123 million.
PhotonDelta
PhotonDelta focuses on the development of photonic chips, which are used for faster disease diagnostics, safe autonomous vehicles, and more efficient food production. Photonics makes it possible to create devices that are smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient. The goal of the PhotonDelta programme is to establish the Netherlands as a global leader in the photonics market. Hundreds of startups, researchers, and manufacturers are already collaborating in this programme to achieve that goal. They have now received a definitive allocation of €100.8 million from the Growth Fund.
Biotech Booster
Biotech Booster helps accelerate the market introduction of biotechnological knowledge in the Netherlands. It brings together knowledge institutions and businesses to move innovations “from lab to living room.” The project has now been awarded a definitive contribution of €196.4 million.
National Growth Fund
The National Growth Fund invests in 50 large-scale projects that contribute to the sustainable earning capacity of the Netherlands. The total investment amounts to €11.2 billion.
Website of the National Growth Fund
The decision-making on these projects will become final once the 2026 Growth Fund budget and the relevant 2026 departmental budgets are approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate. After that, the next phases of the projects can begin.
