The Netherlands joined MI in 2016 because research, development and demonstration of clean energy technologies (besides creating the necessary market conditions) are crucial to help achieve the long-term goal of a sustainable low-carbon energy system. And since we are all facing the same challenge, international collaboration can significantly contribute to the pace of our combined RD&D.

Mission Innovation has been able to create focus and mass on shared challenges. MI facilitates knowledge sharing between MI-members. Members can, for example, cooperate on areas they excel at. This creates a focus of means and efforts, further accelerating the pace of innovation in that field. Members can also share knowledge across different areas of expertise, allowing more focus and mass without creating innovation gaps. Furthermore, MI has strongly encouraged an increase of both public and private investment in innovation. So by using the expertise of MI-members, sharing knowledge and increasing investments, Mission Innovation has been able to accelerate the climate and energy transition in a more cost-effective way than would have been possible without international cooperation.

In line with the MI-doubling target, the public funding of The Netherlands for climate and energy innovation significantly increased since 2016. With the Climate Envelop in 2018, the Dutch cabinet assigned an additional M€300 per year, with a focus on pilots and demonstration projects. Through the combination of increasing public funding and the Climate Envelop, The Netherlands has met its MI doubling target in the third year of being a MI-member.

Under the flag of Mission Innovation The Netherlands provided the project-leadership for the international development of a Comfort Climate Box under the Heating & Cooling Challenge. This stimulates an active cooperation between international initiatives (IEA TCP’s and MI IC7), integral approach of innovation (not just technical but also social and legal aspects).

In cooperation with MI-IC4 members, The Netherlands has co-shaped the biofuture platform report and a Horizon 2020 work program for advanced biofuels which can contribute to the objectives of MI-IC4.

Also, we participate in a second ACT ERA-NET cofund call of €30 million to internationally accelerate CCUS technologies, with a reference to the MI-IC3 report on Priority Research Directions (PRDs).

Furthermore, connected to MI-IC8, The Northern Netherlands has been selected by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) as the first European Hydrogen Valley.

The Netherlands is a proud member of MI and looks forward to continued collaboration.