Innovation Expert Challenges Dutch Companies on Collaboration Spending
Netherlands, Monday, 22 December 2025.
Dr. Mira Bloemen-Bekx warns that Dutch companies are diverting crucial innovation funds toward expensive collaboration consultants instead of actual research and development. Her December 2025 analysis reveals that while collaboration remains essential for innovation capacity, businesses often treat it as an end goal rather than a strategic tool. The expert, who researches regional innovation partnerships at Hanze University, emphasizes that successful collaboration requires trust and shared interests, not just formal frameworks like triple-helix partnerships between education, government, and entrepreneurs.
The Hidden Cost of Collaboration Culture
Bloemen-Bekx’s warning, published on December 22, 2025, cuts to the heart of a growing trend in Dutch business practices [1]. Companies increasingly hire consulting firms to facilitate collaboration processes, creating what she describes as a costly intermediary layer between intention and innovation. “Collaboration for the sake of collaboration is time-consuming and often frustrating,” Bloemen-Bekx stated in her analysis [1]. The expert emphasizes that when collaboration functions properly, something special emerges, but the path to that outcome requires careful financial consideration.
Regional Innovation Challenges in Practice
The challenges become particularly acute for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) attempting to navigate formal collaboration structures [1]. Research indicates that companies seek collaboration primarily to solve problems they cannot address independently due to resource constraints [1]. However, formal collaborations within the “triple helix” framework—involving education institutions, government bodies, and entrepreneurs—often present high barriers for SMEs seeking access to public subsidies [1]. Many SMEs struggle to find pathways to colleges and universities, and when they do establish connections, these typically occur through educational rather than research channels [1].
A Successful Model: The Bivak-Hackathon Case Study
The Bivak-Hackathon Bommen Berend presents a contrasting model that demonstrates effective collaboration without extensive bureaucratic overhead [1]. This initiative emerged from a Ministry of Defence call to develop dual-use solutions in partnership with regional SMEs, students, and researchers [1]. The 48-hour intensive event, held in late November 2025, immersed 26 participants—including entrepreneurs, students, researchers, and military personnel—in a military context to better understand and solve complex problems [1]. Crucially, this collaboration proceeded without requiring extensive grant applications, removing a significant barrier that typically diverts time and resources from actual innovation work [1].
Measuring Success Beyond Traditional Metrics
The hackathon’s outcomes illustrate Bloemen-Bekx’s point about strategic collaboration value [1]. Participants reported improved understanding of the Ministry of Defense’s needs and established new professional contacts while developing dual-use solutions across autonomous systems, medical technology, and critical infrastructure [1]. These tangible results emerged from focused collaboration around specific problems rather than abstract partnership goals. Bloemen-Bekx, who serves as a lecturer in Regional Innovation Capacity at Hanze University in Groningen, continues to research how SMEs and regional partners can collaborate effectively on sustainable innovation initiatives [1]. Her work suggests that successful collaboration requires clear problem definition and direct stakeholder engagement rather than expensive facilitation frameworks that consume resources meant for actual innovation development.