Dutch Regional Development Companies Invest €1 Billion in Innovation
Amsterdam, Friday, 11 July 2025.
Since 2021, nine Dutch regional development companies have invested €1 billion in innovation, aiding over 2,500 SMEs. Their efforts include global collaborations and significant job creation.
A Transformative Economic Initiative
Since 2021, the nine Regional Development Companies (ROMs) in the Netherlands have pooled resources to invest over €1 billion in innovation projects and business development. This large-scale investment has been aimed at enabling over 2,500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their innovative capabilities, thereby elevating the Netherlands’ competitive edge on an international level [1][2].
Measurable Impacts and Strategic Outcomes
In 2024 alone, ROMs allocated €236 million across 538 innovation projects and an additional €215 million in 367 companies, effectively expanding their total portfolio to 1,137 innovative enterprises. This significant effort has attracted over €2 billion in investments from 155 international companies, promising the creation of more than 4,500 high-quality jobs in the coming years [1][2].
Innovations Across the Regions
In each region, ROMs have facilitated groundbreaking projects such as the Biotechnology Fermentation Factor in Ede, which accelerates protein transition innovations, and the Innovation Point KAAP in Vlissingen, a collaborative hub focused on energy, food, and water transitions. Another notable initiative is the Perovskite coalition in Noord-Brabant, aiming to achieve a production capacity of 1 gigawatt per year, potentially supplying energy to 750,000 households annually [1][2][6].
Future Perspectives and Strategic Vision
ROMs aim to continue strengthening the innovative ecosystems within the Netherlands through strategic investments backed by regional, national, and European funding. As stated by Wendy de Jong, Chairperson of ROM-Nederland, the ongoing strategy focuses on fruitful collaboration between public and private entities to ensure sustained competitive and innovative growth for the Netherlands [1][2][6].