The Dutch-French Innovation Pact

The Netherlands and France have joined forces in the Dutch-French Innovation Pact: a public–private partnership between governments and the business community.

Especially now – at a time when Europe faces mounting pressure from climate and geopolitical challenges, and technological developments accelerate rapidly – collaboration is key to moving faster from innovation to real‑world application.

The pact brings Dutch and French companies, knowledge institutions and societal organizations through working groups and meetings to explore cooperation and take concrete steps forward.

The Dutch-French Innovation Pact is a bilateral agreement between the governments of the Netherlands and France, bundling arrangements on collaboration in the field of innovation. What makes it unique is that the employers’ organizations of both countries play a leading role: VNO‑NCW from the Netherlands and MEDEF from France.

The pact was signed on 12 April 2023, during the state visit of President Emmanuel Macron to the Netherlands and in the context of the annual government consultations. Central to the pact is accelerating public‑private cooperation in innovation and sustainability, and improving the alignment of investments and programs in both countries.

The challenges faced by the Netherlands and France do not stop at the border. That is precisely why cooperation is essential: to innovate faster, pool knowledge, and better align investments. The Innovation Pact provides a framework for turning shared ambitions into concrete action in sectors where urgency is high and international competition is strong.

Within the pact, the Netherlands and France cooperate on themes such as:

• climate and the energy transition
• breakthrough technologies including quantum, photonics and semiconductors
• digitalization and strategic dependencies
• food security

By working together, both countries can achieve greater scale and impact: avoiding duplication, strengthening each other, and moving more quickly from development to application. This is also relevant from a European perspective, where countries collaborate to strengthen their position in key technologies and reduce dependence on non‑European suppliers.

The pact therefore focuses on strengthening technological and industrial innovation and aligns with programs and initiatives such as the Dutch National Growth Fund, France 2030, and European developments (such as the European Chips Act). The focus includes key enabling technologies and major transitions—among them semiconductors, quantum, robotics, photonics, mobility, energy infrastructure and agricultural and food innovation.

The Innovation Pact is intended for companies, knowledge institutions and societal organizations active in innovation and new technologies, and who see opportunities for collaboration between the Netherlands and France.

Within the pact, you can join thematic working groups (such as key technologies, the energy transition, sustainable transport and agrotech/food) and take part in events and networking activities.

Companies can be referred and connected to relevant contacts through the working groups and involved organizations, depending on their ambition and project ideas.

Note: participation also requires your own commitment—in time, capacity and the willingness to actively contribute to collaboration.

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