The lion’s share (€2.4 billion) of the grants went to educational institutions such as universities and universities of applied sciences. Dutch research organisations have so far received €857 million in funding. Dutch companies are also performing well: they have received €1.3 billion to date, of which €1.1 billion went to SMEs. To date, more than 1,250 Dutch companies have successfully participated in Horizon Europe.
Heleen Herbert, Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, emphasises the importance of continuing to invest:
"Research and innovation are key building blocks for the economy of the future. We need to strengthen our earning capacity, tackle societal challenges in areas such as healthcare, sustainability and digitalisation, reduce our technological dependencies, and rise to the challenge of sharply increased international competition."
Discussions are currently underway in Europe regarding the future of Horizon Europe. The government considers it crucial that there is a suitable successor to the current programme after 2027.
