The cabinet will finalize its top sectors policy on January 1, 2026, and opt for an industrial policy emphasizing six markets where the Netherlands can win globally. These are semiconductors, biotechnology, defense-related applications including 6G, radar, laser satellite communication, and quantum technologies, digital services with an emphasis on AI, mechanical engineering, and innovative chemistry. For the remaining business sector, generic innovation schemes such as the WBSO (Funding for Innovation by the WBSO) and other financing options will remain in place. The Cabinet made this decision on October 17.
Minister Karremans firmly emphasizes the urgency of the situation. “Because of the major challenges we face, such as a tight labor market, a saturated electricity grid, and increasing geopolitical tensions, we cannot afford to sit still and not make choices. If we want to remain at the top in 2040, we must dare to make choices now. By investing in these six markets where we can truly make a difference and truly win, we strengthen our security, economic growth, and future prosperity. Ultimately, it's very simple: if you don't choose, you lose.”
This choice represents a shift from breadth to focus. Instead of numerous individual initiatives, programs should be established that strengthen ecosystems, help create demand through strategic procurement, improve access to capital, and eliminate bottlenecks related to space, permits, and grid congestion. This also includes a commitment to international strength and alignment with European programs such as IPCEI and Horizon. The policy aims for an industry that represents at least fifteen percent of GDP by 2030 and for joint research and development expenditures of three percent of GDP.
Opportunity for biobased scaling up
Innovative chemistry and biotechnology are the cornerstones of the bio-chain. Innovative chemistry encompasses biofuels and circular, biobased, and advanced materials. The government document highlights striking growth figures, such as 21,9 percent per year for biofuels and 27 percent per year for circular, biobased, and advanced materials. Biotechnology is also gaining its own focus, with niches such as cell and gene therapy and alternative proteins. This opens the door to combinations of chemistry and biotech, for example, precision fermentation for biobased monomers or proteins from waste streams.
For biomass companies, this means that scaling up can become more feasible if proposals land within the two focus markets. Expect programs that place greater emphasis on strategic procurement, public and private financing in the early rollout, and faster permitting decisions. The government says it will continue to work on the foundation for all entrepreneurs, focusing on financing, regulatory burden, grid congestion, space, and talent. For companies that don't fall precisely into the six markets, generic instruments remain available.
In the coming months, The Hague will develop the programs for each market, and the government will explore how resources can be released or redistributed. For the biotech sector, this is the time to form consortia around clear scaling-up goals. Consider projects that valorize residual flows into materials, or routes where gasification and synthesis lead to advanced fuels, linked to market creation through procurement and European collaboration.
Source: rijksoverheid.nl
Image: Arenda Oomen
