The Week of IO+: A manifesto is not a solution
Every Sunday, our weekly review offers an overview of the most interesting stories around important innovations.
Published on March 16, 2025
ASML Campus Veldhoven
Bart, co-founder of Media52 and Professor of Journalism oversees IO+, events, and Laio. A journalist at heart, he keeps writing as many stories as possible.
Manifestos, coalitions, alliances: the high-tech sector loves them. Almost every week, a new initiative appears in which companies and organizations call for investment, cooperation and government support. From a Tech Champions Manifesto to calls for investments and innovation agreements, the message is invariably the same: if we do not act now, Europe will inevitably fall behind. But how many of these calls will it take before something actually happens?
Despite all these calls, structural financing for scale-ups remains a problem, there are hardly any new industrial policy measures, and the technology we need to keep Europe competitive is still mainly produced elsewhere. Last week, there was another example: the European chip sector is uniting under the Semicon Coalition. That's all well and good, but where is the real action?
Trump and the F-35
This week's most-read articles were all about the shifting geopolitical landscape. What if the United States suddenly stops providing the software updates crucial to the operation of the F-35 fighter jets? Or even worse, what if a secret back door in the system allows others to access your military intentions? In a world where technology determines the battlefield, Europe's dependence on one country – the United States – is perhaps its greatest weakness. Canada and Portugal have already openly wondered if there is not something other than American aircraft that could be considered. These are understandable considerations, as we explain in article 1. The question of whether that is necessary is addressed in article 2.
IAF-F-35I 'Adir' © IDF Spokesperson's Unit
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Meanwhile, there was plenty of other news:
- National hydrogen network is picking up speed
- AI, IoT, 5G, ITS and NAP: automotive sector working on digitization
- Dutch companies at the forefront of the digital revolution
- European battery pioneer Northvolt collapses: what now?
- Fossil fuel use halved in the Netherlands
- TNO, Techleap, Invest-NL to work together to stimulate Dutch innovation
- Autonomous systems: tomorrow's business opportunities
- Nitrogen crisis puts a third of housing projects at risk
- What if…? In the future, we will take mental days off
- AI literacy: a crucial skill in the digital age
Haven't had enough yet? Here you can read everything we published last week. Have a great Sunday and have an innovative and entrepreneurial week!