IOs week: what does NL want from innovation?

By Aafke Eppinga

It was an eventful week for innovative Holland. The earning power of our country was debated in The Hague. The outcome: The future of the National Growth Fund is even more uncertain than it already was: the fourth round of the fund was postponed for two months by outgoing minister Micky Adriaansens. “There is a formation going on, and there are different wishes regarding the NGF,” the minister said.

Tjeerd de Groot (D66) summarized the decision: “Postponing the growth fund sends exactly the opposite signal of a reliable government that believes in innovation and the power of start-ups.”

There could hardly be a better illustration of the above than the bankruptcy of Dynaxion. This Eindhoven-based company had everything it needed to revolutionize scanning systems. It developed a device that could accurately scan packages and suitcases for drugs, explosives, and other illegal goods but failed to get the funding for the prototype. As colleague Bart aptly describes in his article about the company, “the classic deep-tech dilemma of the Netherlands.”

On an expedition in Berlin

More positive news came from Berlin this week from our correspondent Elcke. In the mini-series “Bits ‘n Bites,” she searches for the latest innovations in the world of food in the German capital. It became a personal search for innovative food, which I, as editor-in-chief, am very proud of. So, that also deserves to be said.

Read the introductory article “On an Expedition in Berlin” here.
And here, you can find the second installment on lab-grown meat and vertical farms.

Elcke was one of many who went on an expedition. In addition to Thursday’s debate, outgoing minister Micky Adriaansens went on an adventure on Carnival Monday in Eindhoven, where she visited the 5G hub.

Until 4G, smartphones were the biggest consumers of the technology, but that is going to change with 5G. We are moving toward a world in which the security of our digital infrastructure will become increasingly crucial. But then usable and practical applications need to be developed for that, to avoid situations like Albert Jan Rasker outlines in his cartoon this week. IO was there and made this report on the visit of the outgoing minister.