The cabinet clearly focuses on regional business in its plans. And, also important, on reducing the regulatory burden. In order to allow each region to flourish, cooperation within and between regions is essential. The Multi-Year Strategy for supra-regional cooperation 2024-2027 offers a good basis for this. Innovations and the business climate must focus on the necessary transitions, so that there is truly sustainable earning capacity for the Netherlands. The recent European reports by Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi show once again why this is so important.
“It is very good that this cabinet is paying attention to the region and the regional economy. This also concerns the associated conditions, such as safety, housing shortage, energy transition and spatial planning. Regional development companies are happy to contribute to capitalizing on the opportunities for entrepreneurship, innovation and regional economic development, in short, the sustainable earning capacity of the Netherlands. We would like to discuss these topics and approaches with the cabinet and parliament,” responds Wendy de Jong, chair of ROM-Netherlands, the collaboration of the nine ROMs in the Netherlands.
SME innovation contributes to R&D objectives
The current 2.3% in R&D expenditure in the Netherlands is too little to achieve our goals. Especially since this includes the terminated National Growth Fund and the R&D investments of large companies, which have probably reached their ceiling in the Netherlands. ROM-Netherlands believes it is important that the Netherlands achieves the European target of spending 3% of the gross domestic product on R&D activities. Innovation by SMEs is important to achieve our goals. In the eyes of the ROMs, attention should therefore be paid to this.
ROM chair Wendy de Jong: “The government rightly states that a strong business climate is essential for a stable Dutch economy and for healthy companies. Innovation can also help to alleviate the labor shortage. Everyone benefits from that. But to achieve that and thus also further stimulate our innovative economy, we have to work together. And it is important that all parties that support these measures receive the necessary attention and investments. So not specifically one or a few organizations, but the regional development companies, Invest-NL, Invest International, research & educational institutions and other relevant parties from the business community and government.”
