Innovation does not stop at the border. Value chains, knowledge and talent are intertwined on a global scale, and that is precisely where the opportunities for the Dutch high-tech sector lie. Holland High Tech connects high-tech ecosystems across borders and brings together companies, knowledge institutions and governments around shared opportunities in key technologies, targeted programmes and priority markets, including semiconductors, photonics, quantum technology, mechanical engineering, materials, robotics and smart industry. In this way, we are working together to build greater innovative strength and earning potential for the Netherlands, whilst contributing to our own and Europe’s cooperation in the areas of autonomy, security and sustainability.
International: collaboration across borders
Do you have any questions about our international approach?
Would you like to join a mission, grant scheme or partnership, or do you have any other questions? Please get in touch – we’d be happy to help.
Looking ahead: working together to strengthen the Netherlands’ position
The international agenda remains in constant flux. Over the coming years, we will continue to build on the Netherlands’ position on leading international stages and in trade missions, and we will strengthen cooperation within innovation pacts. National coordination remains key to this: together, we are positioning the high-tech sector strongly, both where we already collaborate and where we are forging new partnerships. Through the Strategic Trade Fair (Beurs) Programme (SBP), we will continue to facilitate joint participation in (strategic) trade fairs, with ever-broader involvement from the ecosystem and a stronger link to the innovation domains, the National Technology Strategy and targeted programmes for priority markets.
Our role: pooling opportunities, forging coalitions
The Netherlands is at its strongest internationally when it acts collectively. That is why, together with our partners, we determine the international forums on which the Netherlands presents itself, bring parties together, and ensure that trade fairs, missions and collaborations are coordinated. At annual stakeholder meetings on internationalisation, businesses, research organisations, network organisations and government departments coordinate their efforts to agree on the priorities. In this way, the Netherlands presents itself not as a collection of individual players, but with focus, coherence and a single, powerful narrative.
Three pillars underpinning our international approach
Missions
During innovation and trade missions, we open doors and forge partnerships. From Germany, Japan, Switzerland and South Korea to Singapore, the Czech Republic and France: we bring Dutch companies and knowledge institutions together with international partners to explore shared opportunities. What begins as an introduction develops into new R&D collaborations and joint innovation projects that strengthen the position of the Dutch ecosystem.Trade fairs
At international trade fairs, new markets, partnerships and visibility come together in a short space of time for high-tech SMEs, large enterprises, start-ups, scale-ups, knowledge organisations and government bodies. Together with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), government departments, sector organisations and regional partners, we select the platforms where the Netherlands presents itself strategically and collectively, including Hannover Messe, SEMICON Europe and Taiwan, the Paris Air Show, EMO and Photonics West. Through the Strategic Trade Fair Programme (SBP) and joint NL Pavilions, we facilitate and raise the profile of this participation.Pacts
Whilst trade fairs and missions open up opportunities, innovation pacts ensure long-term anchoring. For example, through the NL-DE and NL-FR Innovation Pacts, where we are working on joint research agendas, test and demonstration projects, and innovation programmes centred on energy, sustainability, digitalisation and key technologies. Furthermore, Franco-Dutch cooperation in optics and photonics is taking on an increasingly concrete form, and through the Semicon Coalition Europe we are contributing to European technological leadership. There are many other examples of international cooperation in innovation where pacts play a major role.
Together with strong partners
Where do the opportunities lie for your organisation? Our international approach is based on teamwork. We work closely with the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), various trade promotion organisations (TPOs), regional development agencies, sector and network organisations, and the extensive network of embassies and consulates. Together, we pool our knowledge, network and clout.
Upcoming events
Wondering where you’ll come across Holland High Tech and the Dutch high-tech ecosystem in the near future? Below are the upcoming missions and trade fairs you can join. Click through to the calendar for the full, up-to-date overview.
31 August – 4 September | Integrated Photonics Mission to SEMICON Taiwan 2026 (Taiwan)
Innovation mission focusing on integrated photonics at one of the world’s leading semiconductor events.
15 – 20 September | IAA Transportation 2026 (Hannover, Germany)
Internationaal podium voor slimme en duurzame mobiliteit.
28 September – 2 October | Integrated Photonics and Advanced Packaging Innovation Mission (Berlin-Brandenburg and Saxony, Germany)
Opening doors for Dutch photonics and packaging technology, in line with the NL-DE Innovation Pact.
5–8 October | Battery Innovation Mission to the Bordeaux region (France)
Opportunities for collaboration on battery technology, following on from the NL-FR Innovation Pact.6–9 October | Economic trade mission on Smart Industry and Defence to the Czech Republic (Prague)
Trade mission focusing on smart industry and defence innovation.
11–17 October | Fact-finding trip – Robotics in China
Exploratory trip to discover how robots, cobots and smart automation are being developed, deployed and scaled up in China, in one of the world’s most advanced manufacturing regions: the Yangtze River Delta. More information to follow.
International activities in previous years
A summary of our international activities in previous years can be found in our annual reports:
Germany Pact
This plan focuses on Energy and Digitalisation. It examines e-mobility, smart charging points, feeding energy back into the grid, Artificial Intelligence, data-driven communication, and innovations in lightweight materials with applications in the automotive and aerospace industries. It also looks at promising trade regions.
France Pact
This plan marks the start of a multi-year public-private programme aimed at bringing Dutch and French partners together in projects and enabling them to strengthen one another. The focus is on sustainability and digitalisation, with a particular emphasis on the aviation and automotive sectors and on key enabling technologies, including composites and photonics.