Why this matters for the Netherlands
The situation is urgent: the population is ageing and there is a severe labour shortage, whilst demand for production continues to grow. A report by TNO Vector was published, stating that without a targeted focus on robotisation, the Netherlands risks losing its manufacturing industry within ten years.
Leo Warmerdam, Managing Director of Holland High Tech, endorses this call: a national agenda is needed to increase labour productivity and create new earning potential, with the aim of establishing a Dutch control point in the European robotics value chain. Cognitive robotics is therefore not merely a gadget, but a driver of productivity, earning power and strategic autonomy. The same line of thinking is evident at European level: the umbrella organisation euRobotics identifies robotisation in its Unified Vision as a key prerequisite for maintaining European manufacturing at scale, a theme reflected in policies such as Horizon Europe and the Chips Act 2.0.
Alignment with the new industrial policy
The NACR does not stand alone. In the industry letter ‘Focused Industrial Policy’ (October 2025), the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy identified mechanical engineering as one of the targeted focus areas for Dutch industrial policy. The National Agenda for Cognitive Robotics stems directly from this. The NACR is one of the building blocks within the Targeted Mechanical Engineering Programme currently under development, within which robotics could become a priority area. The findings for the NACR are being coordinated with the Task Force on Future Prosperity and the Business Climate in the field of robotics.
It is important to note that no new strategy is being drafted: much of the groundwork has already been laid, with the Netherlands holding strong positions in key technologies such as semiconductors, mechatronics, imaging, data and AI, and a solid knowledge base at universities and research institutes. The NACR brings these elements together in a single national agenda and links them to European roadmaps and value chains.
Knowledge transfer and opportunities
During the Holland High Tech NETWORKING EVENT, two key figures emphasised why now is the time to press ahead: robotics expert Lukas M. Ziegler outlined how the traditional industrial robot is making way for a new generation that learns from data, recognises patterns and adapts: robots are no longer just learning to carry out tasks, but also to understand them. Thanks to the existing industrial expertise and system integration, he believes this presents an opportunity for Europe and the Netherlands to play a stronger role in components, production, integration and safe applications of robotics.
Ton Peijnenburg, CTO of VDL Enabling Technologies Group and member of the programme council of Holland High Tech, emphasised that collaboration is key in this regard: Dutch craftsmanship only becomes an asset once it can be transferred to robots with recognition and learning capabilities. He sees three avenues through which the Netherlands can create value: applying robots within its own industry, supplying components and production capacity, and building complete automation systems for both national and international markets. These avenues will only come to fruition if technology, application knowledge, chips, AI, sensors, data and production come together.
Let’s get started together
The NACR brings together the full breadth of the ecosystem: educational and research institutions, industry, SMEs and existing partnerships, both at national and regional level. Within the NACR, through strategic working sessions, expert sessions, working groups and targeted consultations, drawing on input from the wider ecosystem, issues are addressed to determine where the Netherlands sees the greatest opportunities within the European value chain for cognitive robotics, what innovations are still required to realise these, and what bottlenecks currently stand in the way of their upscaling and adoption. This should result in a concrete, widely supported picture of the Netherlands’ position and path within that value chain, and an implementation programme that enables businesses, knowledge institutions and the government to accelerate their progress in a targeted manner, rather than each acting independently.
Would you like to stay up to date with the latest developments or get involved in the ecosystem? Take a look at the page on the National Agenda for Cognitive Robotics and sign up for updates.
