Netherlands Launches €4.5 Million Renewable Carbon Innovation Program
Netherlands, Saturday, 20 December 2025.
Dutch government allocates significant funding to transform industrial manufacturing from fossil-based to renewable carbon sources through 2025 innovation program targeting sustainable chemistry breakthroughs.
Program Details and Strategic Timeline
TKI Energie en Industrie has structured the PPS Innovatie 2025 program with a total budget of €4.5 million, specifically targeting the development of processes and value chains using renewable carbon as feedstock [1]. The program’s timeline was carefully orchestrated throughout 2025, with the call officially published on January 17, 2025, followed by a strategic webinar on February 4, 2025, to explain the initiative to potential applicants [1]. Advisory sessions ran from February 3 to March 30, 2025, providing crucial guidance before the call officially opened on March 5, 2025 [1]. The application window closed on April 15, 2025, with assessment reports completed by April 30, 2025, and final reviews returned to applicants by May 13, 2025 [1].
Funding Structure and Eligibility Requirements
The subsidy program offers substantial financial support with individual project grants ranging from a minimum of €250,000 to a maximum of €2 million per project [1]. The funding structure varies based on research type, with fundamental research receiving up to 80% subsidy coverage, industrial research up to 50%, and experimental development up to 25% [1]. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) benefit from additional incentives, with an extra 10% available for intermediate organizations and 15% for entrepreneurial organizations [1]. Projects must demonstrate contribution to achieving a sustainable, climate-neutral, and circular industry integrated into the energy system by 2035, aligning with the Netherlands’ PLANS objectives [1]. Consortiums require at least one entrepreneur partnered with a research organization, with project durations capped at five years maximum [1].
Innovation Focus and Excluded Areas
The program centers on developing new chains for carbon chemistry utilizing renewable carbon as raw material, representing a significant shift from traditional fossil-based industrial processes [1]. However, the initiative maintains strict boundaries on eligible research areas, explicitly excluding mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic streams, projects focused solely on raw material production or extraction, and model systems using pure raw materials not representative of final operating conditions [1]. Studies without clear pathways to new products, processes, or services also fall outside the program’s scope [1]. This strategic focus ensures resources target breakthrough innovations rather than incremental improvements to existing technologies.
Industrial Context and National Climate Goals
The renewable carbon innovation program addresses a critical challenge facing Dutch industry, which accounts for approximately 40% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions as of December 31, 2024 [2]. The industrial sector’s massive energy footprint consumes over one-third of the Netherlands’ total final energy, with more than 70% utilized as heat, representing 46% of total national energy consumption at approximately 1,100 petajoules [2]. TKI Energie en Industrie, headquartered at Groen Van Prinstererlaan 37 in Amersfoort, operates under the broader Mission Industry framework, targeting a climate-neutral industry with complete resource and product reuse by 2050 [2]. The organization has already initiated over 180 projects through Multi-year Mission-Driven Innovation Programs (MMIPs), demonstrating sustained commitment to industrial transformation [2]. Program manager Harry van Dijk oversees MMIP 6, specifically focusing on raw materials and products for carbon circularity, while director Rob Kreiter leads the overall organizational strategy [2].