The regional reinforcement plan aligns seamlessly with the action agendas of the Knowledge and Innovation Agendas (KIAs) presented on Monday, January 26. It connects the technology of the National Technology Strategy to concrete growth markets. The aim is to strengthen the competitive position of the Netherlands and to allow technological startups and scale-ups here to grow into the market leaders of tomorrow.
Response to the Wennink report
The plan directly responds to the recent call in the report by Wennink ('The route to future prosperity', December 2025). Wennink advocates for strong regional clusters and focus on strategic niches to make the national strategy effective.
The RV-NTS is not a policy document. It is an implementation plan. Over the past year, the ROMs conducted interviews with over 750 innovative companies. Their input on concrete bottlenecks in financing, regulations, and the labor market forms the foundation of this implementation plan.
"The analysis has been made, the strategy is in place. Now it's time for execution," says Wendy de Jong, director of Oost NL and chair of ROM-Netherlands. "Technology is wonderful, but without customers, financing, and production chains, you have no business. With this plan, we connect the technological strength of the Netherlands to the commercial power of the region. We are moving from 'policy' to 'business'."
Erwin Nijsse: “I find it a compelling example where the collective ROMs have smartly combined their expertise and qualities from their 3 Is (innovate, internationalize, invest) into one national plan. And in doing so, they concretely outline how they collectively want to contribute to a number of important value chains in the Netherlands. It fits well with Wennink's message. And for Wennink to succeed, our collaboration is crucial.”
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Meindert Stolk, on behalf of IPO, adds: “With this regional reinforcement plan, the National Technology Strategy is given substance in the regions. It provides a practical basis to implement provincial economic policy together with the ROMs and companies.”
5 Strategic Focus Points for Supra-Regional Collaboration
To prevent fragmentation and immediately establish scale, the ROMs choose a sharp focus in their supra-regional collaboration. In the context of the new industrial policy focusing on six strategic growth markets, the ROMs have decided to fully consolidate their forces and resources over the next two years on five absolute priorities where the Netherlands makes an international difference:
- Deeptech: Semicon, Quantum, and Photonics
- Life Sciences & Health (LSH): MedTech and regenerative medicine
- Autonomous production: robotics and smart factories
- Green chemistry: circular materials and sustainability of the chemical industry
- Protein transition (Future Food): from precision fermentation to field beans
Call to Entrepreneurs
The handover marks the start for implementation. This spring, project teams will seek collaboration with the market for each value chain to materialize the plans.
To kickstart the discussion, the ROMs have translated the policy plans into clear market propositions per sector. This is not a locked-down plan but a concrete offer that serves as a starting point for collaboration.
Entrepreneurs can register via the ROM-Nederland website. They will receive this proposition for their market and will be approached to help build the plans for the coming years.
Read the FAQ for entrepreneurs
Pictured from left to right: Robbert Koldenhof (director LIOF), Martijn van Gruijthuijsen (Deputy Economy, Talent Development & Finance at the Province of North Brabant – on behalf of IPO), Meindert Stolk (Deputy for the Province of South Holland – on behalf of IPO), Erwin Nijsse (Director-General Enterprise & Innovation Ministry of Economic Affairs), Wendy de Jong (Director Oost NL and chair ROM-Nederland), Erwin Hoogland (Deputy Overijssel – on behalf of IPO), and Sandor Gaastra (Secretary-General Ministry of Economic Affairs).
Photo: Irene Vijfvinkel