Concerns about state of Dutch research and innovation

Despite increasing European subsidies, government spending on R&D in the Netherlands is expected to decline from €9.7 billion in 2024 to just €8.4 billion in 2029. Companies are also receiving fewer tax breaks for investments in research, causing the Netherlands to slip out of the top 10 most innovative countries globally. The opening of the academic year—today at all universities and many colleges in the Netherlands—is overshadowed by concerns about the future of research and innovation. Various voices are saying that the Schoof cabinet's cuts of more than €1 billion in higher education, research, and innovation are very damaging to the future prosperity and competitiveness of the Netherlands.

At the start of the academic year, Caspar van den Berg, chairman of the umbrella organization Universities of the Netherlands, warns in the FD of further cuts in research and innovation: "Several universities have announced budget cuts and research projects have been discontinued. These were important projects, for example, on cancer or smarter construction. But now that universities have to make do with so much less money, simply cutting back a little here and there is not enough."

The opening of the academic year at the University of Twente (UT) and Saxion University of Applied Sciences in Enschede by outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof will in any case be overshadowed by protests. Action groups are expressing their dissatisfaction with the cuts to higher education implemented under Schoof's administration. These cuts have already led to the loss of dozens of jobs at the UT. The cuts to education and research are the largest since the 1980s, causing great concern among both universities and the business community.

Chaos in The Hague

The political situation in The Hague is chaotic, with the recent resignation of NSC Minister Eppo Bruins further weakening the cabinet's position. Bruins, who described his own cuts to education and research as “painful and ugly,” resigned after the second fall of the Schoof cabinet. The BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) will now provide a new Minister of Education, Culture and Science, but it is still unclear who that will be. The frequent turnover of ministers at the Ministry of OCW creates instability and makes it more challenging to implement a consistent policy.

The University of Twente has been severely impacted by the cuts, further fueling concerns about the UT's importance to the Twente region. UT Vice President Machteld Roos acknowledges these concerns and emphasizes that education and innovation in the region deserve continued attention in The Hague. The university is trying to draw attention to the consequences of the cabinet's policy during talks with the prime minister, but the budget cuts themselves are already a fact. The UT emphasizes that, despite the challenges, cooperation and quality remain paramount, with ‘Stronger Together’ as the theme of the day.

Declining investment undermines the knowledge economy

Dutch government spending on research and development is falling sharply, from €9.7 billion in 2024 to €8.4 billion in 2029, a decrease of -13,402, or more than 13%. This decline is largely due to cuts in the National Growth Fund and the contribution for research at universities and university medical centers. The share of innovation spending will fall from 0.86% of GDP in 2024 to 0.66% in 2029, which is the lowest percentage since 2020. Coordinator Alexandra Vennekens of the Rathenau Institute warns that this has caused the Netherlands to slip out of the top 10 countries worldwide and become a middle-of-the-road performer.

A broad group of companies and entrepreneurs is very concerned about the consequences of the cuts. They emphasize that these cuts pose a threat to the future prosperity of the Netherlands. Critics say that the government is using innovation as a magic word that will solve many social and environmental problems, but at the same time is cutting back on education, science, and innovation. The cuts to higher education are economically foolish because investments in education and science more than pay for themselves.

European money as a band-aid?

Despite declining government investment, Dutch researchers are getting more and more money from European funds. Since the start of the Horizon Europe program in 2021, they have been getting about 1.1 billion euros a year, more than the 769 million euros per year in the 2014-2020 period (Horizon 2020). The Netherlands receives almost 9% of all European funding for science, the highest percentage in thirty years.

With the October elections approaching, the future of higher education and research remains uncertain. The budget for 2026 will be presented in September, so even if more education-friendly parties are elected, real changes will not be seen until 2027. The protests at the opening of the academic year show that concerns about the cuts are widely shared.