Investment through European IPCEI to safeguard the Netherlands’ leading position in food technology and unlock around €400 million in private investmentA broad coalition of Dutch food technology companies and knowledge institutions is calling on the Dutch government to allocate at least €200 million for participation in the European IPCEI Biobased Food and Feed Ingredients. According to the signatories, swift action is needed to prevent the Netherlands from losing its strong position in food technology to countries that are providing far greater support for their strategic industries.The Netherlands has been a global leader in food technology for decades. Dutch companies are developing new ingredients, including proteins, fats and meat-like products, in some cases without the need for agricultural land. These innovations are essential for future food security, economic resilience and more sustainable food production.The call comes at a crucial moment. By the end of August, the Dutch government must decide whether to reserve funding for participation in the IPCEI. This autumn, participating European Member States will announce their budgets and submit their project portfolios. Without a significant national contribution, Dutch companies will be unable to participate and will miss out on access to a key European instrument for industrial scale-up.The IPCEI Biobased Food and Feed Ingredients is designed to help companies bridge the gap between innovation and industrial-scale production. This is currently where the largest financing gap exists: building first-of-a-kind production facilities requires investments that are too large for venture capital and too risky for banks. As a result, Dutch scale-ups risk falling behind, while countries such as China and the United States continue to strengthen support for strategic technologies.A public investment of at least €200 million is expected to unlock approximately €400 million in private investment. This would enable the Dutch government to deliver on its ambitions for biotechnology, food innovation and economic resilience.“The Netherlands has everything it takes to remain a global frontrunner in food technology: world-class knowledge, innovative companies and entrepreneurial talent. Yet without targeted public support, industrial scale-up will not happen. In that case, the Netherlands risks losing not only economic activity, but also strategic influence over how food is produced in the future,” the initiators said.The signatories therefore call on the Dutch government to ensure the Netherlands can participate fully in the IPCEI Biobased Food and Feed Ingredients and to reserve at least €200 million for this purpose. RVO is still conducting an expression of interest survey, and we expect the required amount to be several times higher than this.

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Dutch food technology sector calls on government to invest at least €200 million in biobased food and feed ingredients

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