Action Agenda Biomolecular & Cell Technologies

The Dutch breeding sector is a silent driving force behind global food supply. With approximately 250 companies, a turnover of nearly €4 billion and branches in more than 100 countries, the sector develops more than a thousand new varieties every year, contributing to food security, sustainability and health. To maintain and strengthen this leading international position, acceleration is crucial: the traditional breeding cycle of 10 to 15 years is too slow to meet the challenges of climate change, new diseases and stricter requirements.

The aim of the Breeding Accelerator is to create a fully functional 'digital twin' of crops, linked to a toolkit for physically realising digitally designed varieties. By integrating genetic, performance and environmental data into dynamic models, breeders can virtually predict, design and test. This drastically reduces development time and increases precision.

The impact is significant: the Netherlands is strengthening its position as a leader in digital and biotechnological breeding – the 'ASML of sustainable food production'. This contributes directly to food security, sustainability and economic growth. With expected market growth of 8% per year and a doubling in ten years, the programme delivers direct social and economic value.

The programme has a budget of €225 million, financed 50:50 by the public and private sectors and spread over three phases until 2035. The programme thus acts as a flywheel for innovation, collaboration and talent development.

The Netherlands is a world leader in industrial fermentation, with a strong ecosystem of knowledge institutions, companies and international networks. This sector is of strategic importance for sustainable food production, health and economic growth. However, an essential link is missing: a commercial demonstration facility where start-ups can produce their first food-grade batches and bring them to market. Without this infrastructure, promising innovations are moving abroad, resulting in a loss of knowledge, economic activity and economic value.

The aim of Ferm-Bridge.NL is to realise a multifunctional, certified demonstration facility on a 100m³ scale, including flexible purification of products (downstream processing). This facility makes it possible to scale up processes, validate them and produce commercial batches for new food and animal feed ingredients. The hub integrates future-oriented technologies, such as AI-driven process optimisation, FAIR data, X-omics and the use of sustainable raw materials.

The impact is considerable: the programme secures international leadership, strengthens the Dutch biotechnology ecosystem and stimulates sustainable food innovation. In doing so, it prevents knowledge erosion, stimulates investment and creates new economic activity, with direct contributions to food security, CO₂ reduction and economic growth.

The programme has a budget of €200–250 million (public-private), divided between two modules: fermentation and product purification. Ferm-Bridge.NL is the missing link in positioning the Netherlands globally as a hub for sustainable bioproduction.

Dutch industrial biotechnology supplies crucial products, including food, medicines, bioplastics and biofuels. The ZEB innovation programme focuses on a radical transition in biomanufacturing: the development of bioprocesses that no longer depend exclusively on sugars, but also use sustainable C1 and C2 molecules, such as green methanol, ethanol and acetic acid, derived from CO₂ and CO residual flows. This can drastically reduce the carbon footprint of industrial bioproduction and eventually reduce it to zero.

ZEB has two objectives: to design commercially viable processes and to scale them up for industrial application. This requires the integration of biotechnology with sustainable chemistry, electrochemistry, AI-driven process optimisation and innovative microbial cell factories. The impact is significant. ZEB strengthens the strategic autonomy of the Netherlands, secures its international leadership position and reinforces the national industrial biotechnology ecosystem. The programme contributes directly to climate goals, the protein transition and economic growth, and positions the Netherlands as a pioneer in circular and emission-free production.

The programme has a budget of €126 million (public-private), divided between the design, validation and demonstration of zero-emission processes. ZEB is in line with the National Technology Strategy and European ambitions – including the EU Biotech Act – and is key to a future-proof, sustainable industry.

The Netherlands has a strong position in the development of innovative medicines, with a sector that contributes billions to GDP and creates thousands of high-quality jobs. This programme is not purely a technological project, but an accelerator that ensures that groundbreaking innovations from biomolecular & cell technologies are implemented more quickly and effectively in healthcare practice. The programme focuses on a learning, adaptive healthcare system based on personalised healthcare, faster admission routes and structural cooperation between government, industry, knowledge institutions and civil society organisations.

Faster access to personalised therapies, orphan drugs, ATMPs (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products) and diagnostics reduces the burden on healthcare, prevents complications and improves quality of life. This not only improves patients' health, but also economic resilience. Countries with slow access lose clinical trials and investments, while fast access makes the United Kingdom attractive for R&D and international cooperation. Health is growth: better care leads to more working years and up to 4% extra economic growth.

The programme focuses on optimising procedures, innovative financing models, harmonisation of regulations, data-driven healthcare and real-world evidence. Healthy Together & Getting Better Faster is therefore a key programme for keeping the Netherlands at the forefront of innovative medicines worldwide.

The Organ-on-a-Chip (OoC) innovation programme focuses on the development of modular, standardised platform technology for human, reproducible models that accelerate drug development and enable precision medicine. Cost-efficient industrial production is achieved through the consolidation of building blocks (biological material, microfluidics, sensors) and the integration of AI-ready data streams. The Netherlands is an international leader thanks to a strong ecosystem of knowledge institutions, innovative companies and public-private partnerships, including hDMT and NXTGEN Hightech, enabling it to capture strategic positions in the global value chain.

OoC technology increases the predictability of drug safety, lowers development costs and reduces the use of animal testing. This leads to faster introduction of personalised therapies and substantial health gains. Economically, the programme offers the Netherlands a unique opportunity to establish control points in the global supply chain, thereby increasing earning capacity and competitiveness. The technology supports societal transitions to animal-free innovation and sustainable healthcare.

The total investment amounts to €260 million over a period of ten years, divided equally between public and private funds. These funds will be used for development, validation, upscaling and international market introduction.