Holland High Tech Where do we stand today?

We are Holland High Tech, the top sector High Tech Systems & Materials (HTSM). Our top sector develops and manufactures high-end finished products, semi-manufactured products, components and materials for clients around the world. Dutch high-tech products are intelligent, accurate and efficient. They are utilised worldwide in medical equipment, semi-conductor manufacture, cars, logistics systems, aeroplanes, satellites and energy systems.

As one of the ten top sectors, we are the great coordinator for high-tech innovation in public-private cooperation in the Netherlands and beyond. We realise a positive impact for the urgent transitions in society: we transform innovative capacity into a serious revenue model. We initiate and stimulate technological solutions and so contribute to mission-driven innovation policy in the Netherlands. Through deploying our ecosystem, we arrive at solutions to the societal challenges. How can we contribute to the urgent transitions we are now faced with? How can we make the Netherlands circular, sustainable, guaranteeing quality of life and our health? We will be sharing this and more in this Vision 2030.

We connect, we boost, and we organise. As the driving force behind a large number of solutions in technology and innovation, we ensure that all the links in the chain are able to operate at their peak. Holland High Tech is your critical friend in the high-tech sector.

We apply pressure where this is necessary. We help to keep the ecosystem healthy. We are mission-driven and, as such, can focus completely on Holland High Tech as a positive force in society.

Investing in innovation

Commerce, knowledge institutes and governments work intensively together in our ecosystem on innovations in public-private cooperation. Our ecosystem comprises more than 100,000 companies where more than 500,000 professionals work. Multinationals, SMEs, start-ups as well as scale-ups. Together we are responsible for 166 billion euro in production and more than 70 billion euro in exports (CBS, 2021).

The investment in R&D by HTSM companies is growing steadily. CBS reported a total amount of 6.1 billion euro for 2020. More than half of all private R&D in the Netherlands is invested by high-tech companies.

Innovation is the lifeblood of high-tech companies. Companies recognise the value of participation in public-private innovation projects and contribute with cash and in kind. In the implementation of the PPS grants scheme, the top sector manages to get considerable private contributions programmed. Figures from RVO (Dutch Enterprise Commission) confirm that in recent years 54% of all private contributions from companies in the PPS grants scheme were introduced to TKI HTSM projects (Holland High Tech) (Statement Ministry of Economic Affairs and RVO, August 2023). During the period 2021-2023, more than 100 projects were financed each year, with more than 300 companies contributing financial support or content.

Holland High Tech (TKI HTSM) will deploy the PPS programme grants alongside this in the coming years and, in doing so, contribute to the diversity of the innovation ecosystem that focuses on urgent transitions.

The Nationaal Groeifonds (National Growth Fund) is a game-changer for high tech. Following the establishment of the National Growth Fund in 2021, the government gave the coalition building concerning relevant high-tech topics a major boost. In the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rounds, twelve high-tech projects were approved for a grant that can run to a maximum of 4.7 billion euro. Hundreds of companies contribute together in the same magnitude. Holland High Tech (TKI HTSM) will deploy the PPS programme grants alongside this and, in doing so, contribute to the diversity of the innovation ecosystem that focuses on urgent transitions.

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Ambitions and developments

The Netherlands is one of the world leaders in the area of high-tech innovations. Famous companies like ASML, NXP, ASMI, VDL, Thales, Vanderlande, Demcon, already world class players, have Dutch roots.

In 2021, the Netherlands was 11th on the global list for the most patent requests. In 2022, the Netherlands held 5th position on the Global Innovation Index. The number of patent requests also continues to rise. In 2022, 3722 new requests were submitted, an increase of 4% when compared to the previous year. A positive trend that has been discernible for many years.

The basis for the high degree of knowledge development and innovations is laid by, inter alia, the intensive cooperation between knowledge institutes and private parties. With the PPS scheme for various top consortia, NWO and the establishment of the National Growth Fund, the government supports development of knowledge and innovation in public-private cooperation.

Holland High Tech puts the PPS government scheme for the high-tech systems and materials sector (HTSM sector) into practice. The mission-driven top sector policy and the urgent transitions we are faced with provide direction for the development of knowledge and innovation and the activities of Holland High Tech. The Dutch high-tech sector is in an excellent position to contribute to developments for realising missions.

Holland High Tech puts centre stage in its vision for 2030 the realigned missions focused on innovation policy, with extra attention for the energy transition, circular economy and the development and application of Digitalisation & Smart Industry and Key Enabling Technologies. Together we work on a better future, we accelerate the urgency of transitions to 2030 with the development of high-tech innovations for a wide range of applications.

As a sector, we are one of the key enablers for deploying innovations for realising a climate-neutral and completely circular Netherlands in 2030 and we must embrace the transition ourselves to become climate-neutral and circular too. In this dual role for the sector, Holland High Tech will act as a catalyst for the innovation process and a link with the ecosystem and initiatives, nationally and internationally. Of course, we will gladly work with and for others here.

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Top sectors and mission-driven innovation policy

Knowledge and Innovation Covenant

In November 2023, the Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC) 2024-2027 was signed. With this revitalised knowledge and innovation covenant 2024-2027, companies, knowledge institutes, governments and other organisations reaffirm their allegiance to a joint mission-driven innovation policy for the Netherlands for years to come.

The covenant continues to build on the cooperation from the previous period, for which the Knowledge and Innovation Covenant 2020-2023 was entered. This cooperation is essential, if we are to achieve the transformation to a more innovative, sustainable, strong and prosperous economy.

Knowledge and Innovation Agendas

As part of the KIC, Holland High Tech coordinates, as the top sector High Tech Systems and Materials, both the KIA Key Enabling Technologies and the KIA Security.

Governance Holland High Tech

Topsector

The top sector High Tech Systems and Materials has, just like the other top sectors, a Top Team and a Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation (TKI), that work closely together under the name Holland High Tech. In consultation, the top team and the TKI harmonise activities, as well as members of the top team sitting on the TKI HTSM board.

The top team represents the top sector and comprises a figurehead, a captain of science and a representative from SME, appointed by the minister for Economic Affairs, supplemented with a senior civil servant from the Ministry for Economic Affairs.

Topteam

Holland High Tech (HHT) is the Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation in the Top Sector HTSM (Stichting TKI HTSM). HHT has been requested by the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate to implement the PPS-I grants instrument for R&D and the MIT scheme for network activities and innovation brokerage in the Top Sector HTSM.

Topconsortium

The TKI fine-tunes the programme for public-private activities with science and commerce and provides development direction for research and innovation based on the sector Roadmaps, the mission-driven government policy and the National Technology Strategy (NTS). HHT boosts the ecosystem, unites this and supports cooperation. Together with the top team, it also puts the unique character of the Dutch HTSM sector into the spotlights outside the Netherlands and involves and supports high-tech SME in innovation initiatives. Read more about these topics and corresponding ambitions in this document.

TKI HTSM is managed by a board of managers from the public and private sector. The HTSM Top Team Members participate in the TKI board meetings. The Association’s daily management is delegated to the HHT director, who is supported by the HHT office. The HTSM Roadmap Council advises the board on programming. The chairs of the HTSM Roadmap Teams participate in the Roadmap Council. The roadmap teams maintain a roadmap the describes the developments for the corresponding area of technology. The roadmap teams stimulate an active and widely accessible ecosystem of the companies and knowledge institutes involved.