Following an introduction by John Blankendaal (Brainport Industries), Albert Maas, CEO and founder of Avular, delivered an inspiring keynote speech, packed with insights and figures. Maas highlighted the opportunities we can seize in the Netherlands and Europe compared to, amongst others, China and the United States. He linked this sense of urgency in a positive way to the strengths we have in the Netherlands, and to the opportunities we are currently failing to capitalise on.
National Cognitive Robotics Agenda at the Brainport Industries Annual Conference
9 October 2026
Photographs: Bram Saeys
Cognitive robotics is developing at a rapid pace and is changing the way we work and manufacture. For the Dutch manufacturing industry, this is not just a distant concern: innovations must not only be conceived, but also developed, produced and scaled up. It is precisely in this regard that our ecosystem plays a crucial role. This is why Brainport Industries has decided to dedicate its Annual Conference on Thursday 8 October at the Brainport Industries Campus in Eindhoven to the theme Cognitive robots: from potential to productivity.
National Agenda for Cognitive Robotics
On behalf of Holland High Tech, Managing Director Leo Warmerdam then provided an update on the National Agenda for Cognitive Robotics (NACR). His key message was that the Dutch manufacturing industry is crucial to our earning capacity, but is under pressure. At the same time, global developments demand action. Without the accelerated deployment of cognitive robotics, we will fall structurally behind. That is why we are working with the entire ecosystem to develop a single National Agenda for Cognitive Robotics, as a basis for R&D, innovation, adoption, upscaling and earning capacity. The NACR stems directly from the industry letter ‘Industry Policy with a Focus’, in which the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) identified mechanical engineering as a targeted programme.
“A national agenda is needed to increase labour productivity and create new earning potential, with the aim of establishing Dutch control points in the European robotics value chain. Cognitive robotics is therefore a driver of productivity and contributes to resilient autonomy.”
Leo Warmerdam, Managing Director of Holland High Tech
He also emphasised the importance of collaboration between businesses, research institutions and the government, in order to arrive at a single narrative that businesses can act upon. The NACR is linked to (key) technologies from the National Technology Strategy; these action agendas already include many developments that help to realise the ambitions in the field of cognitive robotics.
Next steps
The NACR is being developed step by step, through strategic working sessions, expert sessions and working groups involving stakeholders from education, research, industry and SMEs. The first strategic working session will begin later this month. Towards the end of this year and in early 2027, we will share the draft agenda with a wider group for feedback. The NACR is expected to be presented in the spring of 2027, and cognitive robotics will also be one of the themes featured during the Dutch presentation at Hannover Messe 2027.
Would you like to stay informed or contribute your ideas? Sign up for updates on Cognitive Robotics or get in touch with Ronald van Es, Programme Manager for Cognitive Robotics.
