The conference builds on the MedTech Growth Plan, which the sector presented at the end of last year as a contribution to the Wennink report. That plan aims to make the Netherlands home to Europe’s strongest MedTech ecosystem by 2035, creating thousands of new jobs and generating billions in additional export value. During the conference, DGs Barbara Goezinne and Erwin Nijsse highlighted the urgency of working together, after which Minister Heleen Herbert (Economic Affairs and Climate) and Minister Sophie Hermans (Health, Welfare and Sport) announced the investment. Philips CEO Roy Jakobs immediately confirmed his company’s private contribution.
Holland High Tech: let’s press ahead now
For the Dutch high-tech and MedTech industries, the announced investment sends an important signal: research, healthcare and industry must work more closely together in the coming years to remove bottlenecks in funding, upscaling and regulation.
"This is a promising start, but the real work begins now: carefully shaping the programme through which we will realise this ambition. The emphasis must be on scaling up, without losing sight of the fundamental innovation, which we will continue to safeguard through the National Technology Strategy."
Leo Warmerdam, Managing Director of Holland High Tech
