Under the Research and Development Promotion Act (WBSO), any business owner can reduce labour costs and other expenses associated with research and development (R&D). In 2025, nearly 19,000 companies made use of the WBSO, 97% of which were SMEs: both figures are the same as in 2024. The total value of innovation projects (€8.7 billion) is higher than in 2024 (€8.36 billion).
Minister Heleen Herbert (Economic Affairs and Climate):
“Innovation is essential. Naturally, to tackle societal challenges such as healthcare, sustainability and digitalisation. But also to reduce our technological dependencies and to compete in the face of sharply increased international competition. Despite economic challenges, entrepreneurs continue to invest in this area, but not enough is being done. Private investment in particular is lagging behind in the Netherlands and Europe. The government will therefore increase the budget for the WBSO scheme again in 2026 to encourage companies to innovate more themselves.”
Investment in innovations under the National Technology Strategy is on the rise
The government has had a National Technology Strategy (NTS) in place since early 2024. Over the past year, entrepreneurs have once again started investing more in related innovations using the WBSO scheme. These include, for example, quantum technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), smart machines and systems (mechatronics) and clean energy sources and storage. The frontrunners are AI (+29%) and cybersecurity (+13%).
Leo Warmerdam, Managing Director, Holland High Tech:
“The National Technology Strategy sets the direction for the technologies in which the Netherlands can make a difference in terms of earning capacity, societal challenges and strategic autonomy. At Holland High Tech, we therefore invest a great deal of energy in connecting companies, research organisations and government bodies around the priority key technologies. In doing so, we also make targeted use of PPS-I funding to bring innovations from research to application and market more quickly. Schemes such as the WBSO are indispensable as a basis for high-tech SMEs and large enterprises to invest strongly and sustainably in R&D and key technologies in the Netherlands.”
The work for which companies have utilised the WBSO scheme accounts for over 90,000 man-years. Most of the companies are based in the Greater Amsterdam area, the south-eastern part of North Brabant and Utrecht.
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) administers the WBSO scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. Practical examples and information can be found in the WBSO annual report. On Prinsjesdag, the government decided to further increase the WBSO budget for this year (2026) to €1.8 billion (previously €1.6 billion).
