Our country is full of knowledge and potential innovation power, but we are not very successful in converting that potential and thus our top position in science into direct economic and/or societal value. Our knowledge institutions produce a lot of knowledge but relatively few spin-offs. Peter Wennink even refers to a kind of ‘development aid’ towards the US and China, who take advantage of that knowledge. The social sciences and humanities, as stated by the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, can and should also be more involved in innovation, recognizing that it always has a social, legal, and cultural dimension. To better support researchers in this, NWO is introducing a new funding line: the Innovation Accelerator.

Support for innovation is urgently needed. Not only is our economy growing insufficiently, but many challenges are coming our way: from technology, geopolitical tensions, healthcare to climate. The growth that does occur is insufficiently reflected in innovative sectors that offer opportunities. Knowledge plays a crucial role here. From, for example, non-profit services or products to deep tech start-ups. They have, among other things, due to their scale and flexibility, the potential to develop groundbreaking innovations. This leads to growth and plays a key role in addressing societal challenges.

Between invention and society

But innovation is more than scientific talent with a good idea. Take, for example, those start-ups. They need venture capital to try, fail, and adjust. Entrepreneurial scientists do not always get the space and often get stuck in a swamp of decisions and guidelines. About 90% of start-ups do not survive the first 5 years and their growth to scale-ups stalls, with the Netherlands scoring 21.5% lower than the European average. Add a small internal market, many rules, and low R&D investments, and you have to be strong to bring knowledge to society and/or the market. The US has more money and can scale faster, China has fewer regulations and can move faster, and we are in between. But researchers who want to apply their research results in other ways also do not always succeed in translating their knowledge into impact.

NWO’s Innovation Accelerator

Therefore, NWO introduces a new funding line: the Innovation Accelerator. With this, NWO wants to make it clearer for researchers to find funding to convert knowledge into products or services. Multiple programs are bundled in this. From the Demonstrator program, where researchers work on a proof-of-concept to attract investors later, to feasibility studies or a start loan via Take-off phase 1 and Take-off phase 2. Researchers can also explore opportunities to apply unexpected results from fundamental research via the Impact Explorer. The Innovation Accelerator goes beyond just providing funds. The Faculty of Impact and Venture Challenge also offer coaching for researchers who want to develop their skills.

“The Netherlands has top-quality research institutions, yet we see that the translation of knowledge into application still lags,” says NWO’s vice-chair Anka Mulder. “This is partly due to a fragmented funding landscape for applying knowledge. For researchers, it is often difficult to find suitable funding. By choosing a clear, separate funding line, we make the offer clearer and more visible for researchers that they can turn to NWO for this.”

Innovations from medicines to lead detection

New knowledge can help the Netherlands move forward. From personalized medicines that can save society a lot of money and suffering – with also significantly fewer animal tests – to detection of toxic lead in the environment. Adrián Seijas-Gamardo hopes to contribute to the faster development of such medicines through the Faculty of Impact via his organs-on-chips research. And professor Wim Noorduin of NWO institute AMOLF accidentally discovered a practically applicable test method for detecting lead during fundamental research, which he further developed via Take-off funding. This has suddenly given society an important tool to solve a major health problem.

A first step

The introduction of this new funding line is a first step. NWO and the ministries of Education, Culture and Science and Economic Affairs want to explore whether they can further optimize the line.

Source:
NWO