The Dutch green party says extra R&D funding can hasten the transition to sustainable living
Dutch R&D spending has room to grow—the country uses just 2.2 per cent of its GDP for innovation and applied research, compared with an EU-wide target of 3 per cent.
Towards the end of last year, two MPs—Niels van den Berge of the GroenLinks green party and Jan Paternotte of the D66 social-liberal party—called on the government to consult universities and companies about how the Netherlands could hit that EU target. Shortly before Christmas, the Knowledge Coalition of research organisations and industry associations proposed that public investment in research and innovation should be increased by at least €300 million annually.