The Netherlands: A Creative Hub in the Heart of Europe
From the creative art masters of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh to today’s pioneers in immersive media, digital design and fashion, the Netherlands continues to be a launchpad for global creative innovation. The Dutch creative economy shines as one of the most vibrant, influential and technologically inventive in all of Europe.
- The Netherlands ranks 7th worldwide for exports of creative services worldwide and 8th for creative goods among developed countries, according to UNCTAD.
- The Dutch population is especially tech-savvy, ranking with the 1 best digital skills in the EU. The result? An exceptional talent pool and a fertile test market for companies pioneering new digital horizons.
- With the Dutch government investing €275 million into immersive technologies via the Creative Industries Immersive Impact Coalition (CIIIC), the Netherlands is clearly positioned as a frontrunner in the creative industry’s emerging high-tech era.
- The Netherlands offers one of Europe’s most advanced digital infrastructure, with nationwide 5G coverage, state-of-the-art fiber optic networks and one of the world’s largest internet hubs (Amsterdam Internet Exchange).
Punching above its weight in creative output, the Netherlands is a hotspot where global and homegrown companies converge scale up new ideas in futuristic sectors like immersive tech innovation, along with fields like design, media and fashion.
The leading edge of immersive technologies
The Netherlands is a living laboratory for developments in extended reality (encompassing augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality) and digital twin technologies. National organizations like Dutch XR, ClickNL, OASIS, Dutch Digital Design and the Dutch Game Association are integral to the dynamism of the Dutch immersive tech community. The ecosystem is further enriched by the Dutch triple helix, with world-class knowledge institutions and vocational schools cultivating the best minds in the field and partnering with companies to advance real-world solutions.
It’s no wonder why global giants like Nvidia, Meta, Snap Inc. and Sony (which includes Guerrilla Games, Nixxes and Audiokinetic) invest in the Netherlands for their immersive tech R&D. Domestically, the Dutch ecosystem has birthed hundreds of startups accelerating XR and digital twin technologies across a diverse range of applications.
The Netherlands has fostered numerous award-winning immersive tech solutions, from the VR conversation training tool of Utrecht University spinoff DialogueTrainer to the Japanese sign language interpreter developed by Monks. In other arenas, Dutch institutions are leveraging VR and similar simulation technologies for specialized training by air, via the Dutch Royal Air Force and TNO, or by sea, with the CSMART Academy at the Arison Maritime Center.
The Netherlands is also a leader in deploying immersive tech to transform life sciences & health, showcased by Dutch firms like Motek Medical and Vedea Healthware. Private sector efforts are supported by the DUTCH Consortium, a national program scaling XR systems in Dutch university medical centers to train professionals for the medical operating theater.
When it comes to gaming, media and entertainment, the Dutch ecosystem stands out as a true kaleidoscope of innovation. Homegrown companies are pioneering immersive experiences on the global stage, including names like WeMakeVR, Vertigo Games, Dreambridge, Scopic and many more. It’s a similar story for construction and built environments, with cutting-edge technologies like digital twins and 3D modeling making their way into urban planning and real estate through Dutch innovators like Arcadis, CycloMedia and uCrowds.
A design and media hotspot where creative leaps happen
Dutch success in immersive tech is amplified by the country’s dynamic ecosystem for digital design and media, from studios and broadcasters to creative agencies and game developers. Here, the country’s penchant for out-of-the-box thinking flows in perfect sync with its forward-thinking tech environment. Creative firms specializing in digital design thrive in the Netherlands, benefitting from its cosmopolitan tech talent pool and high density of European headquarters promising potential clients. So too do game studios draw upon Dutch talent from world-renowned game education programs, such as at Breda University, and abundant partnership opportunities to engineer new possibilities in entertainment.
The Netherlands is a global hub for media and broadcasting, housing industry leaders including Gravity Media, NEP Group, Netflix, Walt Disney Company, Talpa Network and Roku. As one of the world’s top exporters of television formats, the Dutch have a knack for creating innovative, cost-effective TV production techniques. Cities like Hilversum and Amsterdam are powerhouses of media production. Media Park Hilversum, for example, is home to 150 companies – a complete media production chain – and 6,000 employees. The campus offers an all-in-one package of digital and energy infrastructure, educational institutions and field labs to test innovations from XR and virtual production to 5G and AI.
A European frontrunner in circular and sustainable fashion
Creativity and sustainability are woven into the Dutch fashion and apparel sectors. The Netherlands is a leader in circular textiles, pioneering solutions to “close the loop” in the value chain. These efforts are backed by a robust chemical industry in areas like textile recycling and dyeing technologies. It’s a testament to the country’s vibrant ecosystem of startups, established brands, industrial players, innovation facilities, research institutions and networks such as the Dutch Circular Textile Valley or the Circular Innovation Collective.
This creativity is further visible in the strong Dutch design tradition, with pioneering fashion designers such as Iris van Herpen, Ronald van der Kemp, Bas Kosters and Viktor & Rolf combining an artistic vision with sustainability and innovation. Their work illustrates how Dutch fashion integrates bold design with circular practices.
Adding to this, government support and public-private partnerships foster innovation and talent, while eco-conscious Dutch consumers fuel demand for sustainable practices. The Netherlands was the birthplace of the Denim Deal – a national initiative aiming to scale recycled cotton in denim production, that has now gone global. Regional clusters also play a key role in circular fashion. Lauded as a Denim Capital of the World, Amsterdam hosts brands like G-Star RAW, Denham, Kings of Indigo and MUD Jeans that are innovators in sustainable denim.
Equal parts imaginative and entrepreneurial, the Dutch are at the center of innovation in immersive technologies and other fast-evolving segments of the global creative economy. Invest in the Netherlands to unlock new heights of growth in Europe – and to join an ecosystem that’s inventing new worlds at the edge of physical and digital reality.