Netherlands Plans Agency to Support High-Risk Innovations
Amsterdam, Monday, 25 August 2025.
The Netherlands is considering creating an Agency for Disruptive Innovation, inspired by Germany’s successful SPRIND model, to foster groundbreaking ideas that traditional funding struggles to support.
The Emergence of Disruptive Innovation Agencies
As traditional methods of fostering science and innovation prove inadequate for supporting disruptive ideas, the Netherlands is contemplating establishing an Agency for Disruptive Innovation. This initiative is inspired by Germany’s operational SPRIND (Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation), which showcases a successful model designed to support groundbreaking concepts that have the potential to revolutionize industries [1][2].
The German Model as a Blueprint
SPRIND, established in 2018 following a two-year process involving various government ministries, has shown promising results. The agency has received approximately 2,500 applications in 2025, with around 6% progressing to the next stage—a testament to its rigorous selection process and commitment to supporting innovative projects. SPRIND’s model includes assembling teams of seasoned professionals relevant to each field, ensuring that individuals with entrepreneurial experience and a need for innovation drive the projects forward [1][2].
Benefits and Challenges in Establishing NADI
The Netherlands aims to replicate the success of similar international initiatives, including those in the United Kingdom, and to overcome the bureaucratic hurdles faced by pioneering models such as SPRIND. Innovators including Jelle Prins and Michiel Bakker have raised concerns about leadership in current Dutch public organizations, which often lack the technical backgrounds required for developing disruptive technologies. They suggest that successful implementation of a Dutch agency would require leaders who possess technical expertise coupled with entrepreneurial spirit, akin to those at the helm of the UK’s ARIA [1][3].
Looking Toward the Future
If the Netherlands successfully implements this agency, it could potentially bypass the delays and legislative challenges that similar organizations faced in their initial stages. This could position the Netherlands not only as a leader in innovative thinking within Europe but also as a beacon for high-risk, high-reward projects on the global stage. Learning from the bureaucratic struggles of its predecessors, the proposed NADI can be crafted to better navigate regulatory landscapes and swiftly adapt to the evolving technological environment [1][3].