A Cutting-Edge Hub for High Tech Systems & Materials Offering An Innovative Ecosystem for Technologies of the Future
Home to many world-leading firms involved in materials-related research and development, the Netherlands’ high tech systems and materials industry is rapidly growing. The industry excels in technologies such as robotics, quantum technology (pdf), 3D printing, automotive tech, high tech manufacturing, aerospace technology, semiconductor technology, photonics and nanotechnology.
Often called the “Silicon Valley” of embedded systems and nanotechnology, the Netherlands leads in high tech equipment, components and materials. Robust public-private partnerships and cutting-edge R&D propel Dutch high tech innovation forward. The High Tech Campus Eindhoven is an excellent example of this. The campus has more than 220 companies and institutes, as well as 12,000 researchers, developers and entrepreneurs working on developing future technologies and products.
Businesses investing in the Dutch high tech industry benefit from strong government support, low business costs and world-class tech clusters. The Netherlands invests over €2 billion in R&D every year to help pioneer the tech of tomorrow. The country’s 400,000 high tech specialists generate over €30 billion of added value per year.
Pioneers in technical solutions
As the inventors of the microscope, the Variomatic gearbox, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the Dutch have been recognized as technology innovators for centuries. Today, the Netherlands continues to pioneer new technology to help solve global challenges. Top Sector High Tech Systems and Materials unites industry, academia and government to find technological solutions to five grand societal challenges: climate, sustainability, health, security and mobility.
The Dutch way of working
The Dutch offer a non-hierarchical way of working together, with multi-disciplinary crossovers between technologies. This allows high tech products to push the boundaries of manufacturability again and again. Our open approach to research and innovation, combined with an excellent business infrastructure and a highly-skilled workforce makes the country an ideal location for high tech companies.
High tech leaders choose the Netherlands
Major multinationals, like Philips, Bosch, Boeing and ASML, continue to invest in the Netherlands’ high tech industry. Fueled by world-class, open innovation research and development, the sector consists of more than 1,700 firms from large manufacturers to smaller technology innovators.
Japanese giant Fujifilm chose the Netherlands for its major manufacturing, headquarters, R&D and logistics operations. Smith & Associates, an independent distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, chose Amsterdam for its European headquarters thanks to its top-tier logistics and culture of innovation. AI company Brain Corp also recently opened its European headquarters in the Netherlands as a hub for operations, software development and continuing R&D activities.
Specialized clusters
At the heart of the Dutch high tech industry are robust public-private partnerships and collaborative R&D ecosystems. The Holst Centre, the fastest-growing research consortium in the Netherlands, has over 180 employees from 28 different countries. It also works with more than 45 industrial partners and has 45 ongoing funded projects in its portfolio.
Among the numerous knowledge institutions making headway in high tech applications are Delft University of Technology and Eindhoven University of Technology, while MESA+ Institute at University of Twente is leading research in nanotechnology. In high tech sub-sectors, the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research is working toward a future where clean energy is accessible to all. When it comes to aerospace, the Netherlands is home to leading international companies like Boeing, Bombardier, Lockheed Martin and GE Aviation. The Netherlands Aerospace Centre and European Space Research and Technology Centre are two institutions that attract and support the growth of these companies.
A hub for robotics and AI
Major Dutch robotics hubs are centered in Amsterdam, Delft, Eindhoven, Enschede and Wageningen and innovations are happening at other locations across the country as well since access to top tech talent runs far and wide in the Netherlands. With the support of the Government of the Netherlands and the City of The Hague, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute is establishing the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in The Hague, the Netherlands. It will serve as an international resource on matters related to AI and robotics.
