This public-private partnership (PIB) aims to strengthen defence and security collaboration between Finland and the Netherlands, focusing on innovation, interoperability, and long-term resilience. By connecting industry, knowledge institutions, and government, the partnership supports the development and application of advanced technologies that contribute to European security and stability.

Finland and the Netherlands share strong democratic foundations and a recognition that today’s security challenges transcend borders and domains. Guided by openness, inclusiveness, and inventiveness, both countries invest in societal resilience and collaborative capability development. Finland’s leadership in total defence and high-readiness forces, combined with the Netherlands’ expertise in high-tech systems, dual-use technologies, and public-private collaboration, creates a complementary basis for forward-looking cooperation.

Together, partners explore opportunities across maritime and naval systems, land and aerospace domains, cyber security, surveillance, logistics, and applied research. Through joint innovation, knowledge exchange, and industrial partnerships, the collaboration strengthens operational readiness and future-proof capabilities.

Through the Dutch Coalition for Defence and Security (DCDS) in Finland, government, industry, and knowledge institutions come together in a structured public-private partnership under the Partners for International Business (PIB) programme. Supported by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Embassy of the Netherlands in Finland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Economic Affairs and coordinated by NIDV, this three-year collaboration creates space for long-term engagement, matchmaking, and joint innovation.

Over the coming years, Finnish and Dutch partners will work side by side to build trusted relationships, contribute to NATO interoperability, and develop solutions that are inclusive, sustainable, and scalable. This cooperation is not only an investment in technology or industry, but in shared security, stability, and strong institutions across Europe.

The Netherlands is committed to being open, inventive and inclusive partners, shaping defence and security solutions that respond to today’s challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s uncertainties. Together, Finland and the Netherlands are investing in trusted partnerships, resilient capabilities and a safer, more secure Europe.

Protecting what we value

Food systems around the world are under pressure. Climate change, water scarcity, rising costs, and population growth make sustainable food production more urgent than ever. These challenges require international cooperation and practical solutions.

In Ethiopia, horticulture is a fast-growing sector that creates jobs and drives economic development. At the same time, there are opportunities to strengthen greenhouse production, irrigation, seed systems, cold chain development, and agrologistics.

The Netherlands is committed to working with international partners to support sustainable and resilient food systems. With experience in greenhouse horticulture, water management, seeds, and logistics, we aim to connect knowledge and business communities from both countries.

This mission builds on the strong relationship between Ethiopia and the Netherlands. By combining local expertise with practical experience, we can improve productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, and support efficient and sustainable value chains.

Let us take this opportunity to listen, share, and invest in long-term partnerships. And let’s continue farming the future together!

Building great tech companies in 2026 isn't about one genius having a breakthrough. It's about ecosystems coming together, creating something bigger than any single player could achieve alone. Research excellence, venture capital, policy support, and entrepreneurial energy aren't operating in silos any more. They're shaping each other, redefining how we turn knowledge into businesses, how regions stay competitive, and how innovation creates lasting economic impact.

This article looks at collaboration through the State of Dutch Tech 2026 report, which maps what the ecosystem needs most, and the priorities chosen by over 500 founders, investors, policymakers, and industry leaders who gathered to tackle them. Their goal? Move from talking about what's possible to actually making it happen. That's where LEAPs come in (Leading Ecosystem Action Projects), working groups turning ecosystem-wide conversation into concrete action.

From knowledge to business: building Europe's spinoff factory

Academic excellence sits at the heart of Dutch innovation. But in 2026, brilliant research alone won't keep us competitive. The Netherlands has built one of Europe's most research-powered innovation engines, generating breakthrough discoveries across AI, quantum computing, sustainability, and life sciences. With over 11,000 verified tech companies and €2.64 billion in venture capital deployed in 2025, we've proved we can create. The real question now: how do we turn world-class research into companies that scale globally?

The answer started taking shape in The Hague at the State of Dutch Tech 2026. This wasn't your typical sender-receiver style conference. Over 500 people, including founders, investors, policymakers, industry leaders, spent the day in working sessions, voting on what matters most. The top priority that emerged: the Netherlands can become the definitive spinoff factory of Europe. We need to build an academic entrepreneurial ecosystem, complete with education infrastructure that consistently turns lab breakthroughs into scaled companies.

TNO CEO Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi puts it plainly: the Netherlands is a world champion in knowledge with genuinely valuable collaborations. "To truly capitalise on our lead, we must now take action. Only if lab breakthroughs evolve into large-scale applications and true unicorns will we create the impact and the economic engine our country needs."

This shift reflects something bigger happening across Dutch innovation hubs, technical universities, and research institutions. Excellence in discovery must now be matched by excellence in commercialisation, entrepreneurial education, and founder support. We're good at the science. Now we need to get equally good at the business.

Images credits: Rachel Ecclestone. Provided by Techleap.

Why Dutch startups need Europe to work better

Great academic spinoffs are the foundation. But what comes next? Dutch deeptech consistently outperforms the rest of Europe, and we have the continent's highest concentration of AI talent. Yet turning exceptional startups into scaleups that stay in Europe means solving problems no single country can tackle alone.

The second priority that emerged from the State of Dutch Tech event tackles this head-on: European growth strategy. We need to ensure Dutch startups get maximum value from European markets, capital, and cross-border opportunities by dismantling the regulatory barriers that make growing across Europe so difficult. This reflects a pragmatic truth: Dutch success doesn't come from going it alone. It comes from shaping how Europe works as one innovation market.

Through organisations like Techleap, Invest-NL, and regional development agencies, we're building infrastructure that enables growth and removing roadblocks. Fast-track programmes, favourable regulatory environments for emerging tech, and active facilitation of cross-border partnerships show how collaborative ecosystems create the conditions for companies to scale globally while staying rooted in European values and markets.

Building tomorrow's builders

Behind academic spinoffs and European scaling sits something even more fundamental: the next generation of builders. The third priority puts education front and centre. Not as a nice to have, but as a strategic imperative. Education will determine whether the Netherlands stays competitive in 2035 and beyond.

To secure the future, we need to inspire and equip the next generation of entrepreneurs and technical talent. This means empowering the entire educational system, from primary school through university and beyond, to place technology and entrepreneurship at the heart of the curriculum. Dutch innovation hubs know that today's educational investments determine whether we have the talent to sustain our knowledge advantages two decades from now.

Turning dialogue into action

The State of Dutch Tech 2026 aimed to build momentum around the ecosystem’s strategic priorities. Using an open-space format, 500 participants spent the afternoon in breakout groups tackling 40 proposed friction points, narrowing these down to 15 critical issues holding the ecosystem back. The community voted on three priorities, then established LEAPs as continuing spaces where founders, investors, and policymakers translate shared understanding into coordinated action.

This approach reflects both opportunity and necessity. As Prince Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy at Techleap puts it: "Despite progress, structural bottlenecks persist, whilst AI and geopolitical developments are changing everything. Entrepreneurs, investors, businesses, universities, and the government must now work together to develop concrete solutions." The State of Dutch Tech gathering showed that the Netherlands has both the convening power and the collaborative discipline to operate this way at scale.

Treating innovation as an ecosystem requires active maintenance. It’s not something that you can just say or something that just happens. By aligning research excellence, venture capital deployment, policy frameworks, and educational investment around shared objectives, we're actively shaping how the Dutch tech ecosystem can deliver commercial impact. The infrastructure exists. The talent is here. The collaborative culture works. What we're building now is the execution layer. One rooted in collaboration; ensuring that Europe's research-powered innovation engine consistently produces companies that scale globally.

Read the full State of Dutch Tech 2026 report at Techleap.nl.

The Netherlands and Canada share a strong commitment to building a sustainable future. As partners in innovation and trade, both countries recognise that secure and responsible access to critical raw materials is vital for the technologies that drive the global energy transition and digital transformation.

From 1 to 4 March 2026, a Dutch delegation will take part in the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference in Toronto. The mission highlights how the Netherlands contributes to developing circular, transparent and resilient critical raw materials value chains, and seeks to strengthen collaboration with Canadian partners in this field.

Dutch participants bring expertise in responsible sourcing, recycling technologies, circular design and innovative business models that support a climate-neutral and competitive economy. By combining Dutch innovation with Canada’s resource leadership, both countries can accelerate progress towards sustainable and secure supply chains that benefit society as a whole.

Innovating along the value chain

The Netherlands and Germany are strengthening their collaboration in alternative proteins, creating new opportunities for Dutch companies in one of Europe’s fastest-growing plant-based markets. The initiative, supported by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, connects Dutch innovators with strong demand in Germany for sustainable, meat-free alternatives. Germany’s rising number of vegetarians and flexitarians, combined with government support for climate-friendly food solutions, makes it a strategic market for the Dutch protein transition.

Under the Partners for International Business (PIB) programme, a group of Dutch companies joined forces in the cluster Die Neuen Protein NL Partner für Deutschland. Together, they present a broad offering, from plant-based end products to ingredients and processing technologies, giving German partners a complete solution in alternative proteins.

One participating company, The Green Table, develops convenient, long-shelf-life plant-based meals tailored to international markets. By working collectively and with support from the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, companies gain valuable market insights, local connections, and visibility.

The cluster is already showcasing Dutch innovation at leading trade fairs such as ANUGA in Cologne, strengthening the Netherlands’ position as a trusted partner in sustainable food solutions. By combining Dutch expertise with German market demand, this partnership is accelerating the shift toward a more sustainable European food system.

The maritime sector is developing rapidly in Southeast Asia. Singapore is one of the global hubs within the maritime sector and offers good access to other Southeast Asian countries. The focus is on sustainability, greening and digitisation and there is an increasing demand for innovative solutions and cooperation.

Dutch knowledge and expertise in shipbuilding and offshore engineering are well suited to this growing demand. That is why a Dutch trade mission will visit Singapore from 22 to 26 March 2026 and the Asia Pacific Maritime exhibition to exchange knowledge and explore further cooperation in Singapore and other countries in Southeast Asia.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Singapore!
 

Advancing shipbuilding and offshore engineering together