Government pledges millions for economic growth
The government is investing 646 million euros and has set aside a further 3.5 billion to drive economic growth in the Netherlands. Much of the National Growth Fund will be used for scientific innovations. Leiden University is involved in three of the projects.
The National Growth Fund is intended for one-off public investments that will boost future economic growth. The projects will increase productivity and generate new economic activity. This is the conclusion of an independent committee on the basis of analyses by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis and other experts.
Leiden University is participating in the following projects:
QuantumDeltaNL
This project will focus on enhancing the Dutch quantum sector. This technology may be of great significance to increased computing power, and it may prove possible to realise communication and networks that are many times more secure than at present. The Growth Fund investment will be of a maximum 615 million euros, and comprises an award of 54 million euros, a conditional award of 228 million euros, and a further 333 million euros that have been earmarked for the project.
QuantumDeltaNL is a consortium of companies and research institutions. Its research has been organised into five hubs: Delft University of Technology, Leiden University, University of Amsterdam, University of Twente and Eindhoven University of Technology. The Applied Quantum Algorithms (aQa) research group at the Leiden institutes for physics and computer science is developing quantum algorithms for chemistry and material science applications, in cooperation with Google, Shell, Volkswagen and Total.
RegMed XB
This project aims to invest in four pilot regenerative medicine plants that will develop treatments that use the body’s regenerative mechanisms. This holds the promise of preventing or curing chronic diseases, something that Dutch industry could be a forerunner in. This Growth Fund investment will be of a maximum 56 million euros, and comprises an award of 23 million euros and a conditional award of 33 million euros.
Seventeen million euros of the award will go to the Netherlands Center for the Clinical Advancement of Stem Cell & Gene Therapies (NecstGen) and the LUMC’s stem-cell and organ-on-a-chip hotel (iPSC and OoC). This is where stem-cell therapies and technologies are developed for chronic diseases.
Read more on the LUMC website.
AiNed
The AiNed proposal is a broad investment programme to harness the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for the Dutch economy and society. It suggests 12 tools to address current difficulties. The project will receive a Growth Fund investment of a maximum 276 million euros. This amounts to an award of 44 million euros, a conditional award of 44 million euros and a further 188 million euros that have been earmarked for the project. AI Hub Zuid-Holland, which includes Leiden University and its partners at LDE Universities, is participating in AiNed. All participants will receive further information about the project.