The Netherlands is one of the world’s foremost digital economies. Many households have a PC, a tablet and a smartphone as well, and the physical and mobile networks are both highly developed. Almost every single company in the Netherlands works online, and the national Internet servers are among the most secure in the world. This puts us in a strong starting position.
The importance of ICT to the Dutch economy is also increasing all the time. The ICT sector is growing at a lightning pace, and digitalisation is a key driver of economic growth. On top of this, digital innovation plays a prominent role in solving important societal issues. That makes ICT logically one of ten Top Sectors in the Netherlands (Dutch).
Topsector ICT supports the Dutch ICT sector in various ways: by initiating and fostering ICT innovations for the various sectors of the economy, including Topsectors, and by helping to convert cross-sectoral connections into opportunities. By working together, we can help the Netherlands to retain its international position in the area of digital innovation, and boost society’s earning capacity.
The Netherlands as a lead country
Topsector ICT contributes to the economy in various ways: through innovation, by utilising international opportunities, by solving the challenges facing society, by increasing human capital, and by investing in scientific research.
In this video the Top Team ICT explains how working together helps the Netherlands stay on top of the rapidly evolving changes in the field of ICT and how Topsector ICT supports the digital transition.
Top Team
The Top Team represents Topsector ICT’s executive management, with final responsibility for Topsector ICT.
The Top Team is made up of professionals with a strong track record in the digital economy, business, the public sector or science. As a deliberate choice, the team brings together a variety of different expertises and backgrounds, to maximise the possibilities for boosting cross-sectoral interaction.
The Team
Topsector ICT organizes events, fosters public-private partnerships, sends out newsletters with information on matters such as exciting grants and subsidies, and forms coalitions for the principal key enabling technologies. The team is made up of the following experts:
Goals
The goals of Topsector ICT are to build programmes for public-private partnerships in key enabling technologies, to improve participation in mission-driven programmes and themes and Long-Term Mission-Driven Innovation Programmes (Dutch: Meerjarige Missiegedreven Innovatie Programma’s, or “MMIPs”), and to boost engagement with the public-private partnership programmes among innovative SMEs. Topsector ICT also nurtures commercialisation in the various programmes, realisation of the goals of the Human Capital Agenda (HCA) and further international connections in the public-private partnership programmes.
New developments occur all the time that will have a long-term impact on how competitive the Netherlands can be in ICT matters. Topsector ICT is responsible for identifying those developments before they happen and defining an appropriate strategy.